Stephen brings to the NextGEN program a background in Christian social and political thought, social policy, and religious freedom advocacy. He holds an MPhil degree in political theory from the Institute for Christian Studies and additional degrees in German and political science from Central University of Iowa in Pella, Iowa, with a year of study at the University of Vienna. Prior to joining the Cardus team in 2016, Stephen was based at the CBC in Toronto, as a television producer, writer, and researcher for Context with Lorna Dueck. He has also served as a consultant and researcher for the Henri Nouwen Society.

Stephen served for ten years as a public policy researcher and program director in Washington, DC at the Center for Public Justice. He helped found the Coalition to Preserve Religious Freedom on Capitol Hill. He consulted with state and federal government agencies to implement policies to improve government partnerships with faith-based social service organizations. Stephen also taught religion and politics at Iowa Wesleyan University, but his real brush with fame was once being interviewed by Stephen Colbert for the Daily Show.

His passion for the kind of social and political insights that animate the Cardus mission was nurtured during his studies of political philosophy and human rights with Paul Marshall at the Institute for Christian Studies. His thesis focused on the moral and political thought of Czech president and playwright Vaclav Havel. He grew up in Texas and Louisiana and immigrated to Canada from the Washington DC area in 2008.