Stephanie M. Gastauer
Stephanie Gastauer is a dynamic thought leader, innovator, and status quo disruptor based in Maysville, Kentucky. She serves as Talent Development Leader at STOBER Drives Inc., where she has spent the past decade shaping talent strategy within a German-based, family-owned manufacturing organization. Although she has now been in manufacturing for 10 years, her professional journey began with 22 years in public education, culminating in her role as a high school principal. While seeking apprenticeship opportunities for her students, she discovered the role at STOBER. After initially receiving a rejection letter from HR, Stephanie confidently called to explain why they were making a mistake. What followed were extensive conversations and interviews that ultimately led to her hiring—launching not only a successful tenure but also a lasting professional partnership and friendship.
At STOBER, Stephanie was given the rare opportunity to build a new function from the ground up. She designed and implemented training programs aligned directly with company goals and measurable business metrics, ensuring learning translated into performance. She architected a comprehensive employee lifecycle model spanning entry-level team members to executive leadership, embedding continual learning strategies at every stage. By establishing professional learning communities within the manufacturing environment, she infused educational best practices into an industrial setting—bridging operational excellence with human development. Her work institutionalizes transformation as an operating discipline, aligning leadership behavior, governance rhythms, and sustainable ROI.
A graduate of Morehead State University, Stephanie holds both a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and an Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree in Instructional Leadership, along with certifications as Director of Pupil Personnel and Supervisor of Instruction. At her core, she believes it is embedded within her to use the gifts she has been given to build others into the best version of themselves. The setting matters less than the autonomy to create, pioneer, and elevate people. While she deeply values the people and mission of public education, she found renewed energy transitioning away from bureaucracy into a nimble, innovative manufacturing organization where she could stretch creatively and strategically. Through every chapter of her career, Stephanie remains committed to consistency, continuous learning, and developing leaders who drive enduring organizational impact.
• Certified Yoga Teacher
• Director of Pupil Personnel
• Supervisor of Instruction
• Instructional Leadership, K-12
• Morehead State University - Ed.S
• Morehead State University - MA
• Northern Kentucky University - BA, Elementary Education and Teaching
• Maysville Community and Technical College - AA, Education
• Buffalo Trace Homeless Coalition
• Buffalo Trace Homeless Coalition - advocacy and education on homelessness
• Crosspoint Community Church - emergency shelter fundraising and volunteer time
• Hands of Hope - 501c3 nonprofit providing free clothing
• Leader of a women's small group at her church
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say mindset, just having a really strong growth mindset. I'm an only child, my dad left when I was young, my mom died when I was young. Like you said earlier, nobody was coming to save me. So just shifting the mindset to, if you can believe it and see it, you can achieve it, and I do believe things are possible if given the right circumstances. I think we can define what success looks like at each step of the journey, but it's really up to me to gather and collect all of the resources to make that happen. Just really focusing in on a growth mindset and being resilient in that, you know, this process, if it didn't go well, is not a failure, it's just an opportunity to learn a different way. Adopting that mindset very early, I think, has allowed me to do what I do. I attribute that learning to my mom being a very strong, independent lady, and conveying that message at a very early age to me.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The early message from her mother: "Nobody was coming to save me," which instilled independence and the need to prepare and advocate for oneself.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My best advice, I would not take no for an answer, right off the bat. Know yourself - your core value systems, your beliefs, your personal operating system, and expectations. Don't look at the world to define you. Define yourself. Because if you look at the world to define you, it will tell you exactly who you are, if you don't know. That will not be what you truly want at your core it to be. So, really know who you are, otherwise the world's gonna tell you, and it won't be as positive or as pleasant as you might think. So, go out after what you want, but know the value you bring to the table.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
She sees AI as a major opportunity automation of redundant processes will free time to emphasize human skills like relationship-building and empathy. She also notes that many jobs have yet to be defined, creating space to name and shape new roles.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Growth mindset, resilience, self-knowledge/independence, connection, and helping others feel seen and heard.