Stephanie R. Hartman is a native of Baton Rouge. She graduated with a BA in English from Louisiana State University (LSU) with some courses completed at the University of Essex in Colchester, England. Following her undergraduate education at LSU she completed her Masters in Business Administration in the LSU Flores MBA Program while working for the E.J. Ourso College of Business Office of Advancement and interning for Celtic Media Studios in Baton Rouge.

Following the completion of the Flores MBA Program, Stephanie worked for a little over a year in the Louisiana film industry and later began working for a small consulting business assisting an out of state Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) with their New Market Tax Credit allocation and related SBA 7(A) loans.

Stephanie joined the LED Small Business Services team in 2012 and has worked with planning, coordinating, and implementing programmatic and policy based efforts that enhance the entrepreneurial environment across the state of Louisiana. Since joining the Small Business Services team, Stephanie has completed certification as an Economic Development Finance Professional and has had the privilege of working to implement programs and resources for business owners and prospective business owners across all industries to help start, sustain and grow their businesses.