Stephannie Lewis

Associate Vice President, Community Impact

Inspiration: “Charity asks, ‘What’s wrong, how can I help?’ Justice asks, ‘Why is it happening and how can I change it?’”— Marshall Ganz

What working in this community means to me: “It means understanding the importance of when and how to lead, follow and partner. When thoughtfully and consistently practiced, these disciplines build community trust creating a pathway for sustainable change.”

Stephannie drives the development and effective implementation of operations strategy, team performance and project management initiatives for the community impact team.

Prior to joining the team at United Way, Stephannie as the director of strategic partnerships for Social Impact Strategies Group (SISG). During her tenure at SISG, she also served as a visiting assistant professor at Macalester College teaching Black entrepreneurship. As a consultant, Stephannie established operation systems and processes for startups and early-growth staged businesses. She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in sociology from Hamline University and a master’s degree in public policy with a self-designed concentration in social welfare policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

As a member of the Forge North Collective, Inclusive Capital Collective, and advisory board member of the City of Lakes Commercial Land Trust, Stephannie works to advance equity and inclusion in the Twin Cities entrepreneur ecosystem. In her downtime, she enjoys concert-going, dining out, traveling and being an “aunt mom” to her 13 nieces, nephews, and dog-niece, Reeses.