Stefani Vargas (she/her,ella) is a Peruvian American student affairs educator, speaker, consultant, trainer, community organizer, & social scientist with 10+ yrs of experience in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion work. She is the CEO of Stone Hearth Consulting LLC and is currently leading DEI initiatives for the City of Marquette, MI.

Her work is rooted in community care, decolonization, & student development. Stefani holds bachelor's degrees in sociology and photography, and a master's degree in student affairs, all from Northern Michigan University. She is a widely requested speaker, consultant, & trainer for organizations throughout the country on a variety of topics ranging from inclusive policy design to LGBT+ history & identity.

Stefani’s current research focuses on the experiences of rural marginalized students in higher education, the intersections of technology & LGBT identity development, & institutional betrayal. She is an expert in butch/femme history and identity, stone identity, and fat liberation. Stefani's ethnographic work on butch/femme and stone identity and her educational lectures on the topic are in high demand and she is one of only a small number of scholars worldwide focused on these communities.

Stefani spent three years as the head of the Student Equity & Engagement Center at Northern Michigan University where she chaired The President's Committee on Diversity and served as the Chair of the UNITED Conference. Her work in higher education is used as the model for diversity services at institutions across the Midwest and beyond. 

Stefani is a first-generation American who was born & raised in Detroit however, she has called the UP home since 2010. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her chosen family, hiking with her dog Millie, & listening to podcasts.