Stephanie has been a diversity, equity, and inclusion professional for many years, and twice served as the Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) in higher education. Serving in these roles has equipped Stephanie with experience and subject matter expertise in both diversity, equity and inclusion strategies, and change management. Stephanie has a deep commitment to equity work and a passion for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) training and education. She has also worked as a corporate sales manager for Phillip Morris.  In her current role, Stephanie serves as the Equity and Inclusion Manager for the City of Durham.

Stephanie is a native of Philadelphia, PA, and relocated to Raleigh NC in 2017 to work as the first Director of Diversity & Inclusion at William Peace University (formerly Peace College). During her tenure at WPU, Stephanie worked collaboratively at every level of the institution and among many achievements, she wrote the university’s first bias reporting system, bias education and support tam and university bias reporting policy.  In her final year there, Stephanie led the work to implement, train and manage this university policy and process. Prior to that she served as Director of the Student Diversity Initiatives office for a small liberal arts college in the suburbs of Philadelphia for 6.5 years. In addition to her career, Stephanie also has entrepreneurial pursuits in which she writes, consults, provides training and creates community programs. Stephanie has been published on an array of topics including diversity & inclusion in higher education, racial equity, and the career development and workforce readiness of college students. Most recently, Stephanie published a book chapter on values-driven DEI leadership and transformative social change in organizations for IGI Global (a publisher of reference and academic textbooks). Stephanie's community programming includes the creation and execution of the Hip Hop IS Higher Education Symposium, which in its first year earned a partnership with the inaugural Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, NC.

Stephanie is an alumna of Johnson C. Smith University, where she received her B.A. in Psychology. She also received an MA in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. What Stephanie is most proud of is her role as a mother of three (two teens and a 9-year-old) with her long-time partner, and her deep ties to her family.