Philanthropy Feature – Jason ’94 and Stacy (Mills) Goddard ’96

Stacy: “We have two college-age sons. As we started paying for their educations, I realized that without the James Graham Brown Scholarship I probably would not have been able to attend KWC (at least not without a lot of student loan debt). I want to give others the same opportunity I had – to attend a great college where I received a top-notch education, made great friends and met the love of my life.”

Jason: “I give to KWC to help other students who might need the financial support to attend. KWC helped shape who I am today, and I would encourage others to give to continue the College’s success in our community.”  

Why we attended KWC
Stacy: “I wanted to go away (but not too far) and, for some reason, I didn’t want to attend the same college that all my friends were attending. I toured KWC in the fall of my senior year in high school and fell in love with the campus. My major was criminal justice.”

Jason: “After attending WKU for a semester, I had the opportunity to come home, attend KWC and play soccer for the Panthers. I majored in business administration.”

Special memories of our KWC years
Stacy:  “Of course, my best memory has to be meeting Jason. In addition to that, I have great memories of playing on the tennis team. We were not very successful on the court, but we sure did have fun – especially on road trips. I’ll never forget those very long drives to St. Joe and Lewis stuffed in a 15-passenger van.

“Dr. Ayers was a big influence to me while I was at KWC and after I left. While I did not pursue a career in criminal justice, his classes prepared me for law school. He pushed me to think about things differently than I had all my life. I’ll never forget telling him I got accepted into law school and him shaking his head, laughing and telling me he had just mailed my letter of recommendation the day before!”  

Jason:  “Little did I know when I joined Sigma Nu fraternity I would meet my future wife, Stacy, who was a Kappa Delta. We had fun attending basketball games and just hanging out on campus with our brothers and sisters. Professor Welch was a big influence to me during my time at KWC. His genuineness and lecture style allowed me to absorb the material better than in other traditional classroom settings.”

How KWC prepared us for our lives and careers
Stacy:  After graduating, I attended the University of Louisville Louis D. Brandeis School of Law. My time at KWC prepared me for the rigors of law school. Being in a sorority while also playing tennis taught me time management and how to prioritize. My professors challenged me to think critically and write effectively, which were definitely necessary skills for my career and life in general.”

Jason:  “I always had the desire to own my own business, and KWC helped prepare me for my first career path in real estate by providing me with a sound background in business. I also took some criminal justice classes as there was always a desire to get into law enforcement. Ultimately, I chose that path and feel that KWC provided me with leadership skills that I would use later.”

Our careers
Stacy:  “I am the manager of Employee Benefits at Boardwalk Pipelines. I started at Boardwalk 21 years ago as an attorney in our legal department. After about six years in that role, I transitioned to employee benefits where I now lead a team responsible for ensuring our health and welfare and retirement benefits are compliant with legal requirements and also meet the needs of our employees and retirees.”

Jason:  “After a 21-year career in law enforcement with the Owensboro Police Department, I got back into real estate where I work part-time as a licensed agent. Then an opportunity to work as a school resource officer came along. I am currently employed by Daviess County Public Schools as an SRO.