Stephanie Peters, '97

Stephanie Peters is the founder and Global Government & Corporate Affairs Advisor of Dragonfly Strategies, LLC. Prior to this, she served as Microsoft’s Director of Federal Government Affairs for the House of Representatives Democrats, following an extensive 20-year career focused on corporate social responsibility, immigration, trade, intellectual property and foreign sovereign representation.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Stephanie was a Partner at Patton Boggs LLP, one of the most prestigious lobbying law firms in Washington, DC. There, she represented a number of major corporate clients including the Recording Industry Association of America, AOL Time Warner and Mars Incorporated. In her international practice, Ms. Peters focused on global sustainability and supply-chain issues for major corporate clients, and foreign sovereign representation primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In addition, she devoted a significant portion of her time to pro bono matters, including issues relating to refugees, human rights and global development. In recognition of her pro bono work, she received the Patton Boggs LLP Pro Bono Award in 2002.

During her tenure as a congressional staff member, Ms. Peters served as the Democratic counsel to members of the House Judiciary Committee from 1995-1999. Among other highlights, she advised members during the impeachment proceedings of former President Bill Clinton; aided in the drafting of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act; and served as the lead Judiciary Democratic Counsel for floor consideration of the 1996 Immigration Reform legislation. She has traveled extensively including seven countries in Africa, Haiti, Azerbaijan, and Russia, to assess the U.S. role in care and maintenance of refugees and immigration reform issues. Before joining the House Judiciary Committee, she was an Attorney-Advisor in the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. She began her career in Washington as a law clerk with the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Technology and the Law. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Women’s Studies at The Ohio State University, her Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center and her Master of Arts in Political Management from George Washington University. She has served on the Boards of Directors of the U.S. branch for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Women’s Refugee Commission, and the Board of Directors of the Ohio State University Alumni Association. Stephanie has served as an Adjunct Professor and guest lecturer at American University School of Law and has lectured in the U.S. and internationally. In 2007, she received The Ohio State University’s Distinguished Alumni Award from its Department of Political Science.

Stephanie resides in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Charles Fishman, a GRAMMY Award winning jazz music produce and the founder and Executive Producer of the D.C. Jazz Festival; and their son Moses.