ABOUT SHELIA

Representative Shelia Stubbs is the first African American elected to the Wisconsin Legislature from Dane County. Her record of service, leadership, and achievement sets her apart in this campaign.

As an advocate, a neighborhood organizer, and an elected official Shelia has helped enact criminal justice reform, created programs to involve young people in social change, championed initiatives to clean up Madison’s lakes and streams, fought for safer neighborhoods where all children thrive, increased funding for services for seniors and people with disabilities, and worked to elect strong Democratic candidates to office.

In the Assembly, in a divided legislature where common ground is hard to find, Representative Stubbs has authored or co-authored more than 25 bills that have been signed into law. They include:

  • Criminal Justice Reform legislation which passed with support from both parties

  • Expanded use of  Silver Alerts to protect children 

  • Co-Authored a bi-partisan bill to fight human trafficking 

Shelia grew up in family of advocates and her involvement in the community has been lifelong. Her mom has been a community leader for 50 years, involved with the local NAACP chapter and the UW African-American Alumni Foundation of the University of Wisconsin among many others.  Together, Shelia and her mom helped establish the NAACP Madison Branch Youth Council in 2003.

Shelia has served as  First-Vice President of the NAACP Madison Branch, Third Vice-President of the Wisconsin State NAACP Conference of Branches and President of the Bridge/Lake Point Neighborhood Association.  She is a member of Madison Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

She served for 18 years as a member of the Dane County Board.

Born in Camden, Arkansas, Shelia moved to Beloit at age 5. After graduating from Beloit Memorial High School, she attended Tougaloo College (BA in political science 1993) and has also earned degrees from Mount Senario College (BS in Criminal Justice Administration, magna cum laude) and Cardinal Stritch University (MS in Management). In 2021, she was a Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development (BILLD) Fellow.  Her professional career includes service as a special education teacher in Madison Schools and as a Senior Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Wisconsin.

She and her husband, Bishop Dr. Godfrey Stubbs, are the proud parents of a daughter, Aquila, 14.