Each year, the Corridor Business Journal shines a spotlight on young professionals who have made a meaningful impact on the region early in their careers. We are proud to introduce you to the 20th class of Forty Under 40 honorees, chosen by a committee of past honorees. Stephanie Hasakis Flaucher Associate Director, Secondary Programs Kirkwood […]
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Stephanie Hasakis Flaucher
Associate Director, Secondary Programs
Kirkwood Community College
Age: 35
Family: Husband, Brad
Residence: Iowa City, Iowa
Hometown: Bettendorf, Iowa
Education: University of Iowa — Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language
Best advice you ever received? When I was (or am) overwhelmed by a big project or looming task, my mom always tells me "You can eat a whole elephant but you can't do it all at once," and that's something I often try to remind myself of. It's easy to look at the scope of work that needs to be done or the level of change that you're trying to affect and think that it's just insurmountable, but one bite at a time, we can do anything.
What do you consider your "big break" in your career, so far? It's really hard for me to pinpoint one "big break," but in retrospect, I can identify several small steps that led me to where I am. After college, I worked in my family's small business for several years. A stroke of inspiration sent me to Black Hawk College to see if I could volunteer my time tutoring English language learners, since that's what my education is in. As luck would have it, they took me up on the tutoring gig and offered me a job at the same time. After a year at Black Hawk, I applied to work at Spring Forward, a nonprofit organization in the Quad Cities, where I was hired as the Director of Communications and Family Programming based on my small business and marketing background coupled with my ESOL experience. Spring Forward was an amazing place for me to learn many valuable professional skills and hone my management style. It was the perfect launchpad and set me up for success when I applied to Kirkwood.
What’s the biggest issue facing the Corridor? From my desk at work, the three biggest challenges I see our students facing are access to robust and reliable transportation, affordable housing, and quality child care. Minimizing even one of these barriers would open a clearer pathway for so many to pursue education, training and workforce opportunities.
