Standing 5’2” with No Fear: Meet Rebecca Stephenson

Q: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get into safety?

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I went to college. I was torn between engineering and public relations. I liked figuring out how things worked, and I also really liked people. I used to take apart weed eaters and lawn mowers as a kid. Putting them back together did not always go as well.

During one of EKU’s academic open houses, a professor named Joe Beck stopped me and asked what I was planning to study. I told him I was not sure. He said, “Come take my class.” It was an introduction to environmental health and safety.

I signed up, and it just clicked. Environmental health and safety gave me both sides of what I was looking for. I could understand operations and how things functioned, but I could also work directly with people. That is really what drew me in.

Q: Early in your career, you had a big decision to make. What happened?

I had an opportunity to go back home to a company where I had interned. It was familiar, it was close to family, and it was almost double the salary of the entry-level safety role I was also considering with Georgia-Pacific.

I didn’t want to just go back to what I knew; I wanted to set my own trail. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this. So, I took a leap of faith.

I moved to Georgia shortly after grad school and jumped in. I was managing contractor safety at a pulp mill where we could have 1,000 contractors on site. I was giving safety orientations, walking the field, telling people when something was not safe. I took my role very seriously because it was my job to protect people.

Q: There’s a story about a contractor saying you “scared” him. What’s behind that?

My husband used to work at Alltel Wireless, and a guy who worked at the mill came in. When he found out my husband was married to me, he said, “She scares me.”

I think what he meant was that I was direct. I was not afraid to speak up. I would stand up to anyone and tell them what they needed to hear to go home safely. I am 5’2”; this man was a clear foot taller than me, but safety isn’t about physical presence. It is about being clear, consistent, and confident. I don’t care if you are bigger than me; if you are up in the air without fall protection, you are getting down.

Q: What led you to Gray?

I had been with Georgia-Pacific for a long time and really enjoyed the work. I was looking to shift into a different role within the company with a little less travel, especially after having kids. But around that same time, there were some organizational changes, and I ended up being part of a reduction in force.

My son was about four months old when that happened. That was a tough time. I remember even being on work calls in the hospital because I knew the layoff was a possibility, so it was not something I had planned for.

I started looking for the next opportunity and took a role in Winchester, Kentucky at a pharmaceutical manufacturing company. I had never worked in pharma before, so it was a new experience, but the commute was about 55 minutes, and that just was not sustainable long term.

Around that time, I came across an opportunity with Gray Solutions (now known as Gray AES). I didn’t know much about Gray, which is funny because I am a Kentucky girl and had seen the name before, but I did not really know what they did, especially on the automation side. So, I called a friend who worked for Gray Construction and asked what he thought. He said, “I do not know much about that side of the business, but Gray is an awesome company. You should go for it!” So, I threw my hat in the ring and somehow convinced the team to hire me.

I came in as a safety manager, and I was focused on building a safety program that matched the work we were doing in automation and engineering. The role was about connecting what we thought the work looked like with what was happening in the field.

From the beginning, it just felt like the right fit. The people, the collaboration, and the way safety is truly valued here all aligned with how I like to work.

Q: How would you describe your leadership style today?

A lot of it comes down to relationships. I make sure to talk to the operator, the engineers, and everyone in the field. I go see the work so I can understand what is happening versus what we think is happening. My favorite days are when I’m in the field talking to people. It’s where I feel like I am making the most impact.

When someone picks up the phone and calls to ask a question before something goes wrong, that is a big win. That tells me there is trust.

I’ll be honest; I don’t always see myself the way others might. Sometimes I look back and think, how did I get here? Especially when I stepped into roles outside my comfort zone, such as Director of Risk, taking accountability for areas outside of safety.

Sometimes I have to use people’s confidence in me to build myself up.

Q: What guiding principles shape how you lead?

One that has always stuck with me is this: perception is reality. It doesn’t have to be accurate to be what people consider reality. This is why I make it a point to talk to the engineers, the millwrights, the people in the field and on job sites. I want to make sure I have a clear understanding of the work so I can do my job to the best of my ability. On the other side, this is something I’ve had to address from time to time with teams I’ve worked with in the past. I’ve had to challenge preconceived notions people have had about me based on how I look. So, address it early. Ask questions and get clarification, and do not let assumptions sit.

The other principle is something I learned growing up. Treat everybody the same. Whether someone is at the top of the organization or brand new in the field, you treat them with respect. Nobody is above another. You do not always know what someone is carrying or what their background is, so you lead with respect and without judgment.

Lastly, I truly believe in surrounding myself with people who are smarter than me in certain areas. I don’t need to know everything. I just need to know who to call. There is a lot of trust in that. Trust your team, trust your leadership. Trust that if someone has put you in a position, it’s because they believe you can grow into it.

I think back to that moment in college when a professor I barely knew said, “Come take my class.” He saw something before I did. I have been fortunate to have leaders do that again and again throughout my career.

So, when I step into something new, I study. I read. I ask questions. I lean on people who have deeper expertise. That is not weakness. That is how you build strong teams.

Q: What stands out to you most about working at Gray?

The alignment around safety.

Gray’s leadership ensures that safety is a daily conversation through daily emails that are sent to every single team member at Gray, regardless of their role. Additionally, they hold weekly safety meetings to discuss various topics pertaining to safety. These meetings will cover any and everything that touches safety, from previous incident reviews to topics like fatigue management and heat safety.

When leadership says safety is a core value and actually does the work, it makes my job easier. You see it in the way our leaders talk about safety and the way they show up. We are not perfect. We are far from it. But we are on a true learning journey—let’s solve this and get better.

There is also a real sense of camaraderie. We work hard, but we also take time to celebrate and build relationships. Some of my favorite memories are simple team moments. I remember after one annual meeting, we ended up playing gel blaster (kind of like paintball) after a long day of sessions. We were laughing, competing, and just enjoying our time together. That matters.

Q: What does life look like outside of work?

Controlled chaos at work to complete chaos at home.

We live on a 30-acre farm. My husband and I have two kids, my parents live with us, and we have 31 animals— some we own, some we board. We have horses, goats, a donkey, a Highland cow, dogs, cats, and a lamb named Pearl who just sort of found her way to us. My dream job, outside of my safety career, would be to own a petting zoo.

It is constant mud and various animal smells. The kids are in sports, piano, swim, and golf. There is always something happening.

It can be a lot sometimes, but I am lucky to have it.

Q: How do you recharge?

Getting outside. The outdoors is like my sanctuary. I love hunting, so sitting in a tree stand in the quiet, sitting by running water and just listening, even going for a horseback ride by myself is kind of like my meditation.

It calms me. It re-energizes me.

I don’t do it as often as I should, but every time I do, it brings me back to center.

Q: What does “standing 5’2” with no fear” mean to you?

It doesn’t mean being loud or aggressive. It means speaking up when something is not right. It means having hard conversations. It means choosing growth over comfort.

It means protecting people, even when it is uncomfortable.

That is what safety is and what leadership is, too.

Rebecca Stephenson’s presence is steady and unmistakable. She leads with clarity, treats people with respect, and builds trust one conversation at a time. Whether she is walking a jobsite, guiding a team through complex risk decisions, or managing life on a farm full of animals and activity, Rebecca shows up the same way every day: grounded, direct, and deeply committed to the people around her.

Standing 5’2” with no fear is not about stature. It is about conviction. And at Gray, that conviction helps ensure everyone goes home safely.