Stephanie brings experience in cultural planning, facilitation, program design, engagement, and partnership development, as well as a practical understanding of how to strengthen cultural ecosystems. She leads special projects for GCDN, supporting research, programs, and collaborations that help cultural districts learn from one another and act on shared questions. She also co-hosts The Three Bells, GCDN’s podcast about cultural vitality in urban life. Through interviews and reflective essays, Stephanie brings a public humanities perspective to conversations about cultural leadership and civic practice. She is interested in the people behind institutions and policies, and in the choices cultural leaders make about participation, care, equity, and public purpose.
Before joining GCDN, Stephanie worked at the intersection of culture, civic engagement, and cities. As former director of a municipally-based local arts agency, she oversaw staff, budgets, cultural planning, placemaking initiatives, public art commissions, festivals, and cross-sector partnerships. During her tenure municipal support for the arts grew significantly as her team worked with residents, artists, cultural organizations, and civic partners to develop innovative policies, resources, and programs that created new opportunities for arts, culture and creativity to flourish and for communities to thrive. In addition to city government, she has also worked in nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, economic and community development agencies, museum and freelance consulting.
Stephanie is especially interested in what brings people together and how shared arts and cultural experiences can deepen connection, curiosity, and belonging. Her work explores how people make meaning, how artists’ work reflects place, how stories shape communities, and how cultural organizations can create more opportunities for people to participate in civic life. She brings this people-centered point of view to her work with cultural districts.
Stephanie holds an M.A. in Public Humanities from Brown University and a B.A. in Humanities, cum laude, from Providence College.