Settling In

Meet Mayor Stephanie Terry
Hometown: Evansville
Age: 47
Family: Husband Marques; sons Denereo, 31, and Myles, 18; stepson Marques, 30
Education: Benjamin Bosse High School; Bachelor of Science in Biology, Kentucky State University; Master of Science in Health Service Administration, University of Evansville
Evansville Mayor Salary: $135,000

More than six months after her historic inauguration as the first woman and first Black person to be elected Evansville mayor, Stephanie Terry says the changes in her life are palpable, from the demands on her time to being recognized nearly everywhere she goes.

Terry says one challenge has been trying to control her schedule rather than letting it control her, and she wants her administration’s goals to align with how she spends her day. She’s also striving to be accessible, even if there are instances when lines are crossed.

“I really try my best to interact as much as I can if I’m approached,” she says. “I was approached at even my dad’s funeral, and I thought, ‘Oh gosh, really?’ But yes, people want to be heard. And so, we’re trying to do our best to listen.”

Terry’s journey to being her hometown’s most visible leader started early on, with her father –  the Rev. Robert Allen Esters Sr., who died June 30 at age 75 – among her influencers.

Terry says her father and mother, Tressie, were married for 51 years and displayed “what service means” and “how you care for other people.”

“Being able to watch him is why I’m able to do what I do,” Terry says of her late father. “I wasn’t called to preach or take over a church … but I do have to care for the people, and that’s responsibility for the city of Evansville. And I hope that I’ll continue to make him proud.”

Other Evansvillians who shaped Terry’s career and political paths were Sheila Huff, a former Benjamin Bosse High School principal who was her teacher and track coach; longtime City Council member Connie Robinson; and the late Marvaline Prince, a local civil rights pioneer.

In 1994, Terry left for Kentucky State University, where she majored in biology, with a chemistry minor. She had given birth to a son while a senior at Bosse, and she commuted home frequently from Kentucky State’s in Frankfort, Kentucky, campus. After graduating, she earned a master’s degree in health services administration from the University of Evansville.

She held jobs at a local nursing home and as public health administrator with the Indiana Department of Health, and she pondered a career in nursing home administration. “But I really didn’t feel like I was thriving or could be at my best,” she says. “I left that industry and really found my love in the nonprofit sector.”

Terry’s career then took off, first with the Carver Community Organization in 2006, and then a 13-year stint as executive director of the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville.

Along the way, she felt a calling to politics. In addition to the life influencers she mentioned, Terry says her membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority also drove her political involvement. The organization of college-educated, mostly Black women dates to 1913.

“I went to (Washington) D.C., I went to the statehouse every year with my sorority advocating for things that were important to us as citizens,” Terry says. “That really got me fired up about the government space.”

Terry’s first forays into politics came up short: She lost a race for the school board in 2002, and five years later, she fell short in a Democratic Party primary for an Evansville City Council seat.

But she stayed engaged, and a Democratic caucus in 2010 picked her to fill a vacancy on the budget-writing Vanderburgh County Council. Elected to that position in subsequent years, she entered the race for Evansville mayor in 2023.

Her history-making victory already is the subject of a paperback book, “Evansville Excellence,” and Terry is well-aware of the impact of her achievement.

“The moments that I’ve held closest to my heart are when little girls that are seeing me and seeing potential and opportunities that (they) could be anything when they grow up,” Terry says. “The other moments are when other women have shared just how much it means to see me in this position.”

The mother of two sons and stepmother of one is passionate about youth-related issues. She loves “creating things” and planning events. And singing always has been a part of Terry’s life. She sang in high school and college and performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” before an Otters baseball game this summer.

It all started at Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church – her father’s church.

Terry won a historic mayoral election last November, but she says the time she didn’t win a West Side Nut Club Fall Festival talent show while growing up still stings.

“Everybody was on their feet after I sang,” she says. “But I didn’t win that night, and I’ll never forget that. But I love to sing.”

What To Know About The Mayor’s Office
Much of Mayor Stephanie Terry’s recent focus has been preparing her first budget for the Evansville City Council’s consideration. The Council will conduct hearings on Terry’s 2025 budget proposal, with passage expected in October. Without tipping her hand too much, she says the budget will prioritize public safety, neighborhood revitalization, and economic development. She says one of her goals is seeing to it that “people can connect directly with the work that we’re doing in City Hall on their behalf. I’m really excited about being able to present this first budget.”