Stephanie Carter

Stephanie Carter’s next verse is The Verse, a media platform delivering publications, tools and live events that provide a fresh voice and renewed confidence to help those 40+ to seize their second half and fearlessly chase opportunities. It’s a mashup of her decades of leadership in business, public service, advocacy and the arts. She is a storyteller, ideas person, mentor, connector, relentless seeker of results and all-around badass. When it came time for Stephanie to explore a new direction for her second half, she realized she was one in an army of grown-ups seeking reinvention and launched a platform designed to lead the way.

Stephanie is not a friend of the status quo. In her previous life as a corporate titaness, she served as General Partner of the growth equity firm ABS Capital Partners, raising $1.6B for the firm’s funds in her 25-year tenure. Official resume stats aside, Stephanie also changed the firm for the better, establishing an investor relations function; evolving marketing, events and investment research; and serving as a go-to for managing partners’ gut checks. Sound advice is one of her superpowers. 

Stephanie earned the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2017 for her outreach to military families and veterans during and following her husband Ash Carter’s years as Secretary of Defense. In 2022, Ash sadly passed away unexpectedly, leaving Stephanie to explore yet a new direction for her second half. 

Stephanie seeks growth and evolution as their own ends, fueled by a relentless curiosity for all things arts, pop culture, sports, music, literature and beyond. She hopes by sharing her setbacks and wins—and now, her experience of loss and grief—she can help people to view their second half with optimism and anticipation. She has put The Verse’s normal publications on hiatus while she is working on a book on loss that will be a handbook focused on day-to-day, action-oriented ways to move forward after loss.