Her tour of duty in South Korea included roles as internal political unit chief at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul (1984–1987) and Principal Officer at the U.S. Consulate in Busan (1987–1989).

[4] Stephens assumed her duties as Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs on December 5, 2003, during which her primary responsibility was policy oversight and management of relations with the countries of South-Central Europe.

[5][6] In September 2015, she was named the William J. Perry Distinguished Fellow at Stanford University's Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC).

[7] As of September 1, 2018 the board of directors at the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) announced [8] they approved Ambassador Stephens as the next President & CEO.

[10] The Chosun Ilbo reported that Stephens spoke to Lee in fluent Korean during parts of their meeting and said she would strengthen ties between the two countries.

She is a trustee at The Asia Foundation, on the boards of the Korea Society and Pacific Century Institute, and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.