Stephanie joined the Whakatāne District Council as Chief Executive in November of 2018

Before joining the Council in late-2018, Stephanie worked as Bay of Plenty Senior Advisor for the Government's Provincial Growth Fund and previously served as a Treaty Settlement Negotiator for Raukawa iwi in the Waikato, and CEO of Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ranginui. From 2006 to 2015 Stephanie held the position of Environment Group Manager for the Raukawa Charitable Trust.

Stephanie also held numerous governance roles, including the Waikato River Authority, Tauranga People's Project and Chairing the Advisory Board for the University of Waikato Adams High-Performance Centre.