A native of Rhode Island, Stephanie Chafee is married to Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Boston University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Connecticut. She received an honorary doctor of humane letters from the University of Rhode Island.

Mrs. Chafee helped found the Rhode Island Free Clinic in South Providence, which provides health care for people who are uninsured, and she is a co-founder of Women Ending Hunger.  She was the first AIDS nurse in Rhode Island.  She has served on the boards of directors for Miriam Hospital, Rhode Island Hospital, South County Hospital, the Rhode Island Zoological Society, and the Rhode Island Foundation.

The Chafees live in Warwick with their three children: Louisa, Caleb, and Thea.