About Stefanie

Stefanie grew up in North Hollywood, California, with her older brother and four older sisters in a tight-knit family that loved riding horses and performing in the Carson Family Western Show. Started in the early 1930s by their grandfather, Buss Carson, the show featured Roman riding, trick roping, liberty drills, and dog acts, touring across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Buss was a peer to legendary cowboys like Roy Rogers and Gene Autry and rode in the Pasadena Rose Parade on his Bohlin sterling silver saddle for 35 straight years. Stefanie’s dad, Merrill Carson, carried on the tradition, turning the show into a popular after-school fundraiser for elementary schools across Southern California.

 

While most kids spent their afternoons playing sports or hanging out with friends, Stefanie and her siblings were riding horses, cleaning corrals, practicing trick roping, learning clogging routines from their mom, or helping their dad maintain the show equipment. At the time, she didn’t realize the work ethic her parents were instilling — lessons that would shape her for life. Their parents taught them that “there’s a time to work and a time to play” and that you never stop working until the job is done— and done right.

 

Stefanie’s love of art started young. She was often found with a sketchpad and colored pencils, dreaming up the next big fashion trend. That creative spark led her to design school in Costa Mesa, California. After graduating in 2005, she began her career as a graphic designer at a real estate investment bank in Newport Beach. In 2007, she relocated to Phoenix and quickly fell in love with the desert, proudly calling it home ever since.

 

In 2015, Stefanie joined the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC), where she serves as the creative lead for all things design, branding, and photography. Her expertise has been recognized both internally and externally, including a Spectrum Award from the American Marketing Association (AMA) for her branding, design, and photography of GPEC’s Convening the Community event series, and a MarCom Gold Winner Award in the Special Events category for GPEC’s annual event, Greater Phoenix is Poppin’.

 

Stefanie leverages her creative expertise and deep passion for art, design, and the local community to drive GPEC’s creative vision and regional brand. Known for her collaborative spirit, she continually looks for ways to innovate and improve processes.

 

A strong advocate for the arts community, Stefanie built and curates GPEC’s art program, which showcases hundreds of local artists annually. She also champions key programs and partnerships that foster collaboration between economic development and the arts.

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In 2023, Stefanie was selected to join the Board of Directors for the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) Arizona, where she served as the Programming Chair. AIGA is the profession’s oldest and largest membership organization for design, with more than 70 chapters and over 15,000 members, advancing design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, and vital cultural force.

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When she’s not working or trying to keep up with her adorable cockapoo and two hilarious kids, Stefanie enjoys baking, cooking, entertaining friends, practicing yoga, reading, traveling, and soaking up the Arizona sunshine.