Stephanie Coleman

Stephanie D. Coleman (born April 13, 1988) is a Chicago politician. Coleman is the current alderman of Chicago's 16th ward, taking office as a member of the Chicago City Council in May 2019. She defeated incumbent alderman Toni Foulkes in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic elections. She is also the Democratic Party Committeeman in the 16th ward. Since June 2023, she has been the chair of the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus.

Early life and career Coleman was born on April 13, 1988. Due to this background she has sometimes used the nickname "Daughter of Englewood." She attended Emannuel Christian School and Chicago Military Academy High School, and later received her B.A. in business management from Robert Morris University and her M.S. in non-profit management from Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. She first ran for office in the 2015 Chicago aldermanic election against Toni Foulkes, and lost by a narrow margin in the run-off election. She challenged Foulkes again in 2019, and this time won with 67% of the vote in the run-off. In 2025, Coleman introduced an ordinance requiring sailors on Lake Michigan to wear mandatory life jackets whilst out on the water. Later in the year, she received criticism for attending the Gospel Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee wearing designer clothing whilst her district was facing heavy flooding in storms.