By Megan Venable
Meet Stephanie Bauer Daniel. She is a lawyer, a wife and mother, and she is passionate about working in her East Tennessee community.
Her first experience in volunteerism was in Alpha Delta Pi where she ultimately served as president of her chapter at East Tennessee State University. She enjoyed working in leadership, and that led her to join the Junior League – which was a crash course in how to excel as a volunteer. Stephanie says that the skills she learned working events such as Tinsel and Treasure and Bag-A-Bargain are still applicable today.
After living in Cincinnati with her husband Scott, the couple moved to Knoxville where they are raising their two boys, ages 12 and 14. Although their time in Cincinnati grew on them, they found Knoxville a vibrant place with a bustling downtown. Both sets of grandparents are here now, making it a really great place to raise their children. Stephanie admits that it would be harder to leave Knoxville than it was to leave Cincinnati – and they have no intention to do so.
The roles Stephanie currently enjoys are with the Knoxville Museum of Art Guild Board, the Town and Country Garden Club and especially the Friends of the Smokies. She recently served her fifth year as Co-Chair of the Evergreen Ball. Last year, the signature fundraiser for the Friends raised more thank a million dollars for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Stephanie is also proud of the work she does with the KMA. “I really think that we are fortunate to have the caliber of museum in the community,” she says. “The quality of exhibits that we have here in Knoxville is great.” With her support, their annual Holiday Homes Tour sold out in six minutes, earning more than $100 thousand for the museum. “The Holiday Homes Tour sold out faster than a Taylor Swift concert,” Stephanie jokes.
She currently is also the president of the Town and Country Garden Club. Stephanie has a knack for flower arranging, but claims that plants come to her to die and gardening isn’t her favorite pastime. There is an upcoming judged flower show she is looking forward to, although as president she is exempt from submitting an arrangement herself. “I need to work more on saying no,” Stephanie quips.
As a full-time lawyer for Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati, Stephanie works out of her house most days. After getting the kids up and going each morning, her most satisfying days are days that she gets out of the house herself to pursue her dedication to the community, and she has no plans to slow down anytime soon. She knows that Knoxville and its citizens have so many amazing resources at their fingertips, but says “Free isn’t just free”. Under her leadership, expect many more years of galas and tours that are pivotal to build resources to keep KMA and Great Smoky Mountains National Park free to the public.