Diversity and Inclusion

Joining Fuqua’s leadership team in early 2019 as the school’s inaugural head of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (formerly the Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion), Stephanie works closely with students, staff and faculty to create a more inclusive and welcoming community while building an overarching culture of empathy and allyship.

She received her BA in German Language and Literature and International Comparative Studies from Duke and worked in Germany after graduating in 2001. After returning to the states, she continued her education and received her JD from Georgetown University Law Center in 2006. The highlight of her time at Georgetown Law was working with the Street Law Clinic, which provided law-focused education to high school students in Washington, D.C., and her Education Law and Policy classes. After graduating from law school, Stephanie worked at Thacher Proffitt and Wood LLP in New York City in their structured finance department, but realized during that time that her passion lay in education.

In 2009, she began a career in higher education and worked predominantly in admissions and graduate recruitment for business and law school before her current role. She has had the opportunity to work for amazing institutions including her alma mater, Georgetown Law, and Duke’s rival down the street, UNC Chapel Hill. During this time, Stephanie developed programs and created pathways to enable diverse populations to apply for, and enroll in, graduate school programs.

In her current role at Duke's Fuqua School of Business, Stephanie is dedicated to empowering individuals to be their authentic selves and active allies who support, protect and celebrate others' identities. Additionally, along with Dean Bill Boulding and Professor Rick Larrick, she makes up the Racial Equity at Fuqua team and is tasked with examining practices around racial equity, providing guidance on best practices to develop and sustain diverse and inclusive student bodies, and collect data and present in an annual report to provide transparency and accountability.

Stephanie is a dedicated mental health advocate and believes that mental health is an integral part of the diversity, equity and inclusion conversation. She is a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor and leads the MHFA efforts at Fuqua. Through this, and other initiatives, her goal is to destigmatize mental health challenges and give students, staff and faculty the tools needed to effectively and safely support their peers and colleagues.