When Stephanie Thrasher was younger, she imagined a future with organizations like UNICEF or the Peace Corps. She spent time doing community farm work and cultural education in Cuba and later taught fifth-grade math in South Africa. While her career eventually led her into technology consulting, her desire to help people never changed.
Today, Stephanie has found a different path to the same purpose.
“Wipfli heals my teen heart,” Stephanie said. “I get to reconnect with the things I cared about then while using the skills I have now to do good in the world.”
Humanity first at the UN
That perspective shaped a recent opportunity to speak at a United Nations Youth and AI Summit, where young people from around the world gathered to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. Rather than focusing on the technology itself, Stephanie focused on the people behind it.
Her message was simple: Technology should help people do more of what makes them human.
“AI should create efficiencies that allow more of the human-to-human elements of people’s jobs,” she said. “It should help people do their work better, not remove the people doing it.”
For Stephanie, that belief is personal. Her husband works as a peer support counselor, and she has seen how administrative tasks can take time away from supporting people in need. She believes technology is most valuable when it gives professionals more time to listen, connect and serve.
Let youth lead
The most memorable part of the experience came after her presentation, when she listened to young attendees share their perspectives on how AI could shape education, careers, creativity and equity.
“The goal was to give youth a voice in shaping what they will have to live with,” she said. “They should have a seat at the table as AI policies and guidelines are developed.”
More human, by design
Those conversations reinforced something Stephanie has learned throughout her life: Meaningful progress happens when people are invited into the conversation and empowered to make a difference.
Whether she is working with clients, speaking with students or exploring new technologies, Stephanie brings the same mindset to every opportunity. She stays curious, listens first and looks for ways to help others succeed. That commitment to people, community and purposeful innovation continues to guide her work every day.
For Stephanie, technology is not the goal. It is a tool. What matters most is how it helps people connect, contribute and create positive change in the world.
