Stephanie Stahl Hamilton is a proud Arizonan who spent her early childhood on Navajo Tribal Lands. She is married to Derek Hamilton, a middle school teacher in TUSD, and together they have been blessed with three children and a dog over their 27 years of marriage.
After earning her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, Stephanie and Derek made Tucson their home. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Her deep faith and love for her community have driven her extensive involvement – from coaching cross country and coordinating after-school garden programs to working as a substitute teacher, and serving on both the Site Council and PTO. The more she engaged with Tucson’s public schools and families, the more she witnessed how underinvestment in public education negatively affects all Arizonans.
As Executive Director of Montlure Presbyterian Church Camp, Stephanie served children from across Arizona. Their faces, stories, and connections to their communities gave her a broader perspective on how state policies deeply impact lives throughout the state.
In 2017, Stephanie worked tirelessly to collect signatures to refer SB1431 to the ballot as Proposition 305, aiming to reverse the voucher expansion law. In 2018, she served as the Regional Lead for Save Our Schools Arizona, fighting to halt voucher expansion and push for accountability within the system.
Stephanie also dedicated hundreds of hours on TUSD’s Family Life Curriculum Committee, reviewing and revising the curriculum to ensure it was inclusive, updated, and relevant to the well-being of all students, despite strong opposition.
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 and the Arizona Supreme Court ruling that reinstated the 1864 anti-abortion law, Stephanie was ready with HB2677 to repeal that archaic legislation. The law was successfully repealed on May 2, 2024.
Stephanie was first elected to the Arizona State House of Representatives in 2020 and reelected in both 2022 and 2024. She currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Appropriations Committee and is a member of the Government, and Land, Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees. Additionally, she is appointed to three Joint Oversight Committees: JLAC, JLBC, and JCCR.