Stef worked in the Wisconsin library community for over 20 years, beginning her career at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, providing technical support for statewide collaborative projects. She found that she liked the work of helping people work together, and her jobs from that point forward were all in “collaborative librarianship.” She was the New Technology Coordinator and then Associate Director of the South Central Library System. In 2011, she assumed the role of director of WiLS. Not only did she do the usual director things (budgets, policies, personnel, etc.), she also acted as a facilitator and consultant, providing services for projects like the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium.
In 2020, she left WiLS to begin a non-profit, River Valley Commons (RVC), which works to “increase the well-being of the River Valley Community and those who live within it.” It does this by building community, developing shared resources, and undertaking projects to meet the community’s immediate needs.