Restoring Bridge-Building Leadership in Washington

In 1984, Jayme, an accomplished vocalist, sang at her childhood friend’s wedding, where she met Stamford/Darien native John Stevenson, her eventual husband. Jayme and John married in 1987. Jayme served as Vice President of Asset-Backed Finance at Standard & Poor’s Corporation before leaving New York to raise her five children, Alexandra (32), Samantha (30), Charlett (28), and Mckenna (26), and John (23). Jayme and John are the proud grandparents of two grandchildren.

In 2009, Jayme joined Republicans David Campbell and Jerry Nielsen to run for the Board of Selectmen. The Campbell/Nielsen/Stevenson ticket prevailed, with Jayme as a selectman. In 2011, she was elected as First Selectman, where she remained until her final term, which ended in November of 2021. After a decade of service as Darien’s Chief Elected Official, Jayme did not seek re-election in 2021. She believes in term limits, and without them, elected officials need to know when to pass the torch.

Beyond the daily responsibilities of managing a town of 22,000 residents, she has navigated the SARS CoV 2 pandemic, numerous hurricanes, damaging floods, protests, and racial tensions throughout her tenure. Beyond Darien’s borders, she was elected by her bipartisan peers to serve as Chairman of numerous regional and statewide boards, including the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, Southwest Metropolitan Planning Organization, Connecticut Interlock Risk Management Agency, and 1st Vice President of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities immediately before the November 2021 election. Jayme understands that her work has been successful, in large part, because she’s developed positive working relationships with her residents, local businesses, and Chief Elected colleagues of both major parties and government and non-profit agencies statewide.

Since leaving office, Jayme has continued to expand her community outreach. She serves on the Board of Directors of LifeBridge Community Services in Bridgeport, which provides mental healthcare support and partners with Bridgeport youth and families to build resilience. Jayme recently joined the Board of Directors of Stamford Emergency Medical Services and has served on the Board of Rowan Center, which offers support and counseling for victims of sexual violence, since 2016. Jayme is an active member of Stamford-Norwalk State’s Attorney’s Community Engagement Board.