Stacey Kohler Moran '82

Stacey Kohler Moran, Ph.D. '82

Stacey Kohler Moran ’82, Breck’s 2007 Distinguished Alum honoree, knows a thing or two about stress and change.

In her professional life as an industrial and organizational psychologist, she has made her name as the primary research coordinator and media spokesperson for a nationwide study of the effects of stress called American Workers Under Pressure. She was widely interviewed on radio and tv – something she never expected. ("Did I ever imagine myself being on CNN?" she laughs. "No way!")

In her personal life as a resident of Ocean Springs, on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, she learned a lot about coping in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which completely leveled her family’s home. Stacey, her husband Fred and children Russell, John and Molly, evacuated their house before the worst of the storm. They managed to save only a box or two of valuables and mementos. (Stacey’s parents, former trustee John and Barbara Kohler, lost everything from their former winter home next door.)

“I guess Katrina did a lot to change my game plan of where my life was headed,” Stacey says. “When you’re faced with a disaster – natural or otherwise – you can either wallow in it or do something positive.” For the time being, doing something positive means taking a break from her long career with the St. Paul Companies to spend more time with her family, recently resettled into a new home while they consider rebuilding on their former home’s site (“at a much higher elevation” next time).

Stacey and the children had a four-month evacuation to a relative’s home in South Carolina (Fred stayed in Mississippi, working on community salvage and rebuilding projects). It was during that time that she had another experience she would never have imagined. In filling out the paperwork to register her sons at school, she had to list herself as "homeless."

But studying change, after all, has been the focus of Stacey’s entire career. "Workers' stress and reaction to organizational change can have such a huge impact on their job performance, safety and health," she says.

While few of her own Breck mementos survived Katrina, Stacey did find one small piece of her father’s memorabilia. When they were sorting through a large pile of debris from her parents’ house, they found the seat and back barrel of the Breck chair he’d been awarded by the Board of Trustees. "The name plate was tarnished, but it was still there," she recalls.

As she reflects back on her Breck experience, Stacey says she feels very blessed. She remembers many faculty members fondly, including her first-grade teacher Jean Eastman, Betty Hancock, Ann Young and Lois Fruen. Of her Distinguished Alum award, she remarks, "I’m so honored and appreciative of the environment that Breck supports. It’s a community of such caring people. I probably took it for granted while I was a student, but I don’t anymore."