Piper Hansen is a local business and regional economic development reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader.
She previously reported on the same topics at Louisville Business First and covered four sessions of the Arizona Legislature for a handful of outlets as it dealt with COVID-19 and shepherded the state to recovery. While on the state government beat, she covered the 2020 presidential election, subsequent ballot audit and the 2022 race for governor. During session, her coverage spanned quick hits, feature pieces and enterprise stories on housing, higher education and some financial policy, including public-private tax incentive agreements.
Hansen was editor-in-chief at the Arizona State Press — the student-run, independent newspaper at Arizona State University — where she managed written content published online and organized a staff of more than 100 across coverage areas. She was a politics writer before joining a senior reporting duo to cover Covid and investigate an incoming dean's problematic, past behavior, the school's safety policies during the height of the pandemic and its processes for evaluating sexual assault cases. As the paper's top editor, Hansen prioritized community engagement reporting and gained back the trust of campus groups. She's most proud of leading the paper's coverage of ASU football and men's basketball, a special election for an entertainment district near campus and the 2022 race for governor.
In June 2025, SPJ Louisville named Hansen its Rookie of the Year. A portfolio submitted for the award included her coverage of Kentucky's statewide affordable housing crisis, including stories on local efforts to update Louisville's 70-year-old land development code. Her work, in student and professional capacities, has been recognized numerous times for its excellence by SPJ, the Arizona Press Club, IRE and other groups.
Hansen is a non-voting board advisor for SPJ Louisville following a year as an elected board member serving on its education and events committees. She's a SABEW member and frequents professional development conferences and seminars, most recently completing the Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program hosted by the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York in July 2024.
When Hansen — born and raised in Kentucky — isn't writing about the Commonwealth, she's exploring its trails, waterways and public libraries.