Stephanie Stuckey Benfield

85th. Georgia Legislative District Representative

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Stephanie Stuckey Benfield has effectively represented DeKalb County citizens in the Georgia General Assembly since 1998 after winning election by nearly a sixty-six percent margin. She is currently serving her fifth term House District 85 in Dekalb County, a new district, that includes portions of her former district, that was created through reapportionment. The district includes neighborhoods in Avondale Estates, Candler Road, Columbia Drive, Fernbank, Forest Hills, Knollwood, Midway, Oakhurst, South Decatur, Wadsworth and Winona Park.

During her over eight years of public service as a state representative, Stephanie has worked hard to produce social and economic changes that measurably improve the quality of life for DeKalb County’s citizens.

Among her many achievements:

• she authored legislation to lower property taxes for DeKalb’s senior citizens,
• mandate equal treatment for girls’ athletic programs in our public schools,
• increase patients’ access to their medical records,
• crack down on domestic violence,
• and reform Georgia’s child custody laws.

When she was vice-chair of the House Judiciary Committee and chair of the Juvenile Law Subcommittee, Stephanie was recognized for her leadership in reducing the crime rate among our teenage population. She was

• instrumental in funding full-time juvenile judges for every judicial circuit in Georgia,
• increasing the cases tried in juvenile court and access to rehabilitation programs,
• and passage of child endangerment legislation.

She also serves on the Banks and Banking and Natural Resources committees.

Stephanie has a reputation for being very accessible and responsive to the citizens in her district and is actively involved in community life.

• She hosts regular town hall meetings,
• volunteers at community events,
• aggressively advocates for and assists constituents and
• is devoted to the needs of the neighborhoods in her district.

During the legislative session,

• Stephanie conducts a constituent survey at the beginning of each session,
• sends weekly legislative updates to her constituents by email,
• and publishes a newsletter at the end of every session to keep her district actively engaged and informed.

Stephanie was a partner and family law practitioner in the Decatur law firm of Stuckey and Manheimer, LLC. Prior to starting her own practice, she was a public defender. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Georgia in 1989 and graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1992.

Stephanie has been repeatedly recognized for her leadership in the community. She was

• named one of “40 under 40" promising Georgians by Georgia Trend magazine in 2002;
• recognized as one of “16 Attorneys to Watch” by the Fulton County Daily Report in 2003;
• honored with the Environmental Leadership Award by the Georgia Conservation Voters in 2001;
• presented with the Golden Shoe Award by Pedestrians Educating Drivers about Safety in 2001 for her work on traffic safety legislation;
• and honored with the Outstanding Public Service in Child Advocacy Award in 2001 by the Georgia Younger Lawyers Association.

Stephanie at the grand opening of the Memorial Drive Wal-Mart. Pictured with Ann Brown, Comunity Liasion for the Meorial Drive Wal-Mart,  Manager Henry Green and a recipient of the community grants given out at the ground opening.

Stephanie’s commitment to improving our communities has included service in the following organizations:

• board member of the DeKalb Council for the Arts;
• board member of the Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault;
• Rotary Club of Decatur;
• board member of The Nature Conservancy of Georgia;
• member of the Georgia Commission on Women;
• member of the Georgia Child Support Commission.

A native Georgian originally from Dodge County, public service is a Stuckey family tradition dating back three generations. Stephanie’s father, Billy Stuckey, represented the 8th District of Georgia for 10 years in the U.S. Congress, and her grandfather, Williamson Sylvester Stuckey, served in the Georgia Legislature and founded the Stuckey’s candy store chain which is still a family owned and operated business.

Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Atlanta) represents the 85 th District (DeKalb County) in the Georgia House of Representatives. Contact her at 512 Coverdell Office Building, Atlanta, GA 30334; by phone at 404-656-7859 or by e-mail at stuckey@mindspring.com.

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