BNEDC Welcomes Office Manager Stephanie Stone

On episode #46 of the Building BN podcast, BNEDC CEO Patrick Hoban sits down to speak with Stephanie Stone, BNEDC Office Manager. Stone brings over 10 years of experience in Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) and Network Building and Management to her role at the EDC. She is a 2020 graduate of the Multicultural Leadership Institute—formerly known as MCL Program— and says of the experience, “It isn't your average leadership program. In addition to building a toolbox of transferable leadership skills I gained family I didn't know I was missing through the process.”

Stone holds a BA in Social/Criminal Justice and was recently accepted as a Director on the Executive Board of ABC Counseling and Family Services, a private, not-for-profit, non-sectarian agency with its home office located in Normal, Illinois. The agency was opened to meet the need for specialized services in adoption and sexual abuse assessments and treatment. She says of the appointment, “ I look forward to serving and doing what I can to support their mission.”

While Stone doesn’t have extensive prior experience in Economic Development, she is currently enrolled in professional development courses on the subject, recently completing an introductory course. She says, about the course, “I'm learning a whole lot about Economic development as a whole and the fact that we can make really positive impacts to the community, specifically workforce development. I'm interested in learning more and getting involved, to see what this team can do to make it easier for students that probably wouldn't go to college normally get the training and development they need to better themselves and their families.”

Listen to the entire podcast here, which includes Stone’s favorite local restaurants, her personal philosophy on Economic Development, and what a day at the BNEDC office looks like for her.