Stephanie Gatewood

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Stephanie Gatewood

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 3, 2022

Education

Associate

Southwest Tennessee Community College, 2004

Personal

Religion

Baptist

Profession

Founder and CEO of Empower Me!

Contact

Campaign website

Personal website

Personal LinkedIn

Stephanie Gatewood (Democratic Party) ran for election for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk in Tennessee. She lost in the Democratic primary on May 3, 2022.

Gatewood completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Gatewood was born in Mannheim, Germany. She earned an associate degree from Southwest Tennessee Community College in 2004. Her career experience includes serving as the founder and CEO of Empower Me!

Gatewood has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Girls on the Run Memphis, Executive Board Member
• Dixon Gallery, Executive Board Member
• Student Achievement for Urban Boards of Education, Executive Task Force
• Tennessee School Board Association, Advisory Editorial Board

Gatewood has the following professional experience:

• 2009-Present: Consultant/principal, Empower Me!
• 2005-Present: Commissioner, Unified Shelby County Board of Education
• 2012-2013: Tour guide operations, Graceland
• 2010-2012: Marketing/training and development consultant, H&R Block
• 2009-2011: Research coordinator, Jackson Madison County Schools
• 2005-2009: Research associate, University of Memphis
• 1999-2003: Reimbursement specialist/special ops team member, Accredo Healthcare

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Shelby County, Tennessee (2022)

General election

General election for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk

Janeen Fullilove Gordon won election in the general election for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk on August 4, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Janeen Fullilove Gordon (D)	97.3	91,593
		Other/Write-in votes	2.7	2,554

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 94,147
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Rob White (R)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk

Janeen Fullilove Gordon defeated Reginald Milton, Stephanie Gatewood, and Marcus Mitchell in the Democratic primary for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Janeen Fullilove Gordon	47.5	22,357
		Reginald Milton	21.9	10,302
		Stephanie Gatewood	21.6	10,175
	Submit photo	Marcus Mitchell	9.0	4,237
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	43

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,114
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk

Rob White advanced from the Republican primary for Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk on May 3, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Rob White	99.6	13,838
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	57

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 13,895
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Municipal elections in Shelby County, Tennessee (2018)

General election

General election for Shelby County Board of Commissioners District 7

Tami Sawyer defeated Sam Goff in the general election for Shelby County Board of Commissioners District 7 on August 2, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tami Sawyer (D)	80.5	7,701
	Submit photo	Sam Goff (R)	19.4	1,854
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	11

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,566
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Shelby County Board of Commissioners District 7

Tami Sawyer defeated Stephanie Gatewood and Eric Dunn in the Democratic primary for Shelby County Board of Commissioners District 7 on May 1, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Tami Sawyer	50.3	2,249
		Stephanie Gatewood	35.7	1,599
	Submit photo	Eric Dunn	14.0	627

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,475
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Shelby County Board of Commissioners District 7

Sam Goff advanced from the Republican primary for Shelby County Board of Commissioners District 7 on May 1, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Sam Goff	100.0	646

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 646
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2015

See also: Memphis, Tennessee municipal elections, 2015

The city of Memphis, Tennessee, held elections for mayor and city council on October 8, 2015. Because this race could not move to a runoff, the candidate with the most votes was declared the winner, regardless of whether he or she won a majority. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015. In the District 9 Position 2 race, Stephanie Gatewood, Lynn Moss, Paul Shaffer, Philip C. Spinosa, Jr. and Kenneth Twigg Whalum, Jr. faced off in the general election on October 8, 2015. Incumbent Shea Flinn did not run for re-election. Spinosa won the general election.

Memphis City Council District 9, Position 2 General Election, 2015
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Philip C. Spinosa, Jr.	47.2%	23,695
Kenneth Twigg Whalum, Jr.	23.5%	11,807
Paul Shaffer	14.1%	7,082
Stephanie Gatewood	11.1%	5,579
Lynn Moss	3.9%	1,950
Write-in votes	0.1%	56
Total Votes		50,113
Source: Shelby County Election Commission, "Memphis Election 2015 October," accessed October 8, 2015

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Stephanie Gatewood completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Gatewood's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

As a member of a military family, Stephanie grew up traveling to various cities, an experience that has helped her to embrace and appreciate diversity. Born to the parents of an Educator, and a career Army 1st sergeant; she learned the value of hard work, integrity, and interpersonal skills. Mrs.Gatewood is also a mother, grandmother, and voice for the voiceless. She has 2 adult children.

Serving 2 full terms as an elected School Board Commissioner, Stephanie served in a leadership role as Vice President of the board in 2009.

Some of Stephanie’s accomplishments are: Executive Board Member- Girls on the Run Memphis Executive Board Member- Education Committee- Dixon Gallery Served on the Executive Task Force for Student Achievement for Urban Boards of Education Advisory Editorial Board- Tennessee School Board Association

Ambassador for Tennessee Published Author National School Board Journal 2009, 2011

Graduate of Leadership Memphis

Graduate of FBI Citizens Academy

Graduate of Dale Carnagie Leadership Program

Member of the American Society for Public Administration

Member of the Graceland Toastmasters, holding the Title of Distinguished Toastmaster

Has focused on voter education and transparency

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Respect

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Court Efficiency, Customer Service, Respect, Accountability, Staff Development, Fairness

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The office of Juvenile Court Clerk is the official record keeper of all Juvenile Justice. This is a critical office in Memphis and Shelby County. Efficiency in the court enables all other systems to move in an effective manner.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My daddy! My dad was a career Military Man, serving in the Vietnam War. He taught us the value of Respect, Accountability, Dedication, and hard work. No doubt he shaped me into the person I am today

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Responsiveness, customer service, integrity, ability to connect with all people

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The Court Clerk is the official record keeper of the court. They are responsible for collecting fees and fines, and assist with setting the docket.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I took my first job at age 26. I worked for Arby's Restaurant in Clarksville TN. I held this job until my Senior year of high school. It taught me the value of hardwork

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Customer Service

Court Records Security

Collaboration with other court clerks throughout the nation

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

YES! They must know how to navigate the political climate, advocation is key in ensuring that state and national legislation supports the office of Juvenile Court Clerk

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Personal skills, collaboration, critical thinking, outgoing, organization, and the ability to build teams.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2015

Gatewood's website highlighted the following campaign themes:

Safe neighborhoods

• Excerpt: "While I believe that long-term solutions to crime involve both police action and neighborhood uplift, we must make people safe now, we must protect our children now, and we must protect neighborhoods now. The Memphis police department must be given the tools to curb crime immediately while we set in motion preventive measures over the next several years."

Comfortable neighborhoods

• Excerpt: "Neighborhoods should be clean and free of blight and pollution. Neighborhood enhancements like the Wolf River Greenway that will serve District 9, especially at places like Kennedy Park and Epping Way in Raleigh, should be supported by the City Council."

Healthy neighborhoods

• Excerpt: "Economic struggles of families increase the risk that young children will suffer from delayed development and nutritional deficiencies. The Special Supplemental Nutritional Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) provides nutrient-rich foods and nutritional counseling to those who need it. This program should be part of a coordinated delivery system."

Productive neighborhoods

• Excerpt: "Every household in Memphis should have jobs and income that support neighborhood stability. Workforce development/basic education, business incentives, & start-up assistance should be targeted to creating and attracting businesses that pay at least a living wage for a family of four."

Government accountability and transparency

• Excerpt: "The ultimate test of Memphis’ future lies in its government’s ability to be accountable and transparent to the citizens on policies for public financing. This means a balancing of the revenues and expenditures, while providing a fair deal to employees/retirees and delivering facilities and services in a more efficient manner."

See also

2022 Elections

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Candidate

Shelby County Juvenile Court Clerk

Website

Personal

Website

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