As AmeriCorps VISTA Leader for the Rural Opportunities Program, Stephanie, or Stevie, as she tends to go by, helps coordinate the VISTA members placed in this new program, which is a partnership with the Michigan Main Street Center and the Council of Michigan Foundations to support anti-poverty programming in Michigan’s rural communities. Through this program, 10 AmeriCorps VISTA members will build capacity within their organizations by expanding an existing program or creating a new program from the ground up. Most of her time is spent recruiting for open AmeriCorps positions, creating webinars, developing trainings and supporting currently serving members.

After earning her B.S. in Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Education from Central Michigan University, Stevie joined the Peace Corps and served for two years in Nanjota village in Tanzania as an Agricultural Volunteer. For her work, Stevie presented at the Feed the Future Forum in Washington, D.C. and gave a TED talk on Women in Agriculture.

Prior to joining CEDAM and VISTA, she worked as a Green School Coordinator for the Youth Energy Squad, where she facilitated green teams in Detroit Public Schools.

Stevie has experience with program development in and out of schools, as well as sustainable project development and management.