Finding her career, a home in Maryland

By GRACE HOGGARTH '22 on August 8, 2024

From a young age, Stephanie Shea knew she wanted to be a lawyer. Now serving as TU’s new general counsel and vice president of legal affairs, she brings her expertise to campus to support the university community while reporting directly to the president.

Serving as the university’s chief attorney, a member of the President's Cabinet and an officer of the university, she and her colleagues advise on legal matters and represent TU in an official capacity: providing legal advice, operational coordination help and mission support in faculty matters related to research, tenure, promotions, Title IX, federal funding and more.

Hailing from California, Shea moved to the East Coast to pursue her undergraduate studies in politics at Princeton University and never left. After meeting her husband, a Baltimore native himself, Shea eventually made Maryland her home.

“I joke that I’m not a California person,” she says. “Everyone in California is way too relaxed for me. They’re not worried enough and nothing’s a big deal—and to me everything’s a big deal.”

Shea’s passion for practicing law and love for education stems from growing up with parents who were both educators and who instilled in her the importance of contributing to public service in a meaningful way.

“From an early age, I knew I wanted to engage in a career that was analytically challenging but could also advance the public good,” says Shea.

While working in general corporate litigation and private practice in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas, Shea kept education close to her heart and never closed the door on the possibility of practicing law in higher education.

“As I got older in my career, I wanted an area of the law that I could really own and develop an expertise in. With my family history and my love of higher education, it made sense,” she says.

In 2015, she began her career in higher education law at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), where she most recently served as the senior associate general counsel and chief compliance officer.

Shea has found practicing law in higher education to be invigorating and multifaceted.

With her first three weeks at TU in the books, she is excited to work collaboratively with campus partners and anticipate needs.

“It’s the most fun way to practice law. The clients are sophisticated, the issues are complex and challenging and you’re working to advance a really important mission,” she says.

“Everyone [at TU] is collaborative and collegial and wants the institution to succeed. I’ve found people to be very thoughtful when approaching problems and, overall, really welcoming. It’s about identifying potential problems and then helping leadership find solutions in a risk-aware way. That way everyone understands when they’re making a decision that the potential benefits outweigh the potential harms.”

Outside of work, Shea enjoys spending time with her husband and two young sons and their dog, Biscuit. She looks forward to involving them in all things TU, specifically where sports and the arts are involved.

As a former swimmer at Princeton, Shea is excited to attend meets for the TU swimming and diving team.

“I’ve watched TU’s rise over the past 12 years since moving here. It strikes me as a very forward thinking and upward-moving institution—and that’s exciting,” says Shea. “I’m looking forward to better understanding how I can advance the mission and support leadership.”