Attorney Stinson Woodward Ferguson is the product of sustainable business.  Reared by servant leaders, Stinson has served in various roles for her family’s 107-year-old business, including that of Treasurer, Director of Organizational Development, Client & Vendor Relations Manager, General Counsel, and the creative mind behind the organization’s year-long, community-focused Centennial Celebration in 2016.  She helped the business navigate the unexpected death of a financial officer, a multi-year pandemic, and continuous changes in industry standards and customer preferences while maintaining focus on the society and people who have supported her family for over four generations.  Stinson has devoted her life and career to community service, uplifting other businesses and entrepreneurs, environmental stewardship, and the legal profession.  She understands first-hand the numerous demands of running a business with her name on it and believes that the most effective way to do so is to prioritize those who depend on and are affected by the business.  Stinson launched Sustainability By Stinson in 2022 to leverage her diverse business, civic, and environmental education and experience to empower small and medium enterprises to develop, pursue, and achieve goals that translate to more profitable, sustainable, and impactful operations. 

Stinson is a Certified Sustainability Consultant and a Certified Sustainability ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Practitioner.  She earned her Certificate in Sustainable Management from Duke University.  She earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification from Purdue University.  She earned her Master of Laws, Environmental Law (LL.M.), summa cum laude, from Vermont Law School, with a concentration in Energy Law and Policy.  She earned her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from the University of Georgia, where she was the recipient of the School of Law’s Public Interest Fellowship.  She received her Bachelor of Arts, French Language and Literature (B.A.) with a Minor in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Converse University.  She is a member of Gamma Sigma Honor Society for Arts and Sciences (criteria for selection based on Phi Beta Kappa standards) and Phi Sigma Iota Honor Society for Foreign Languages.  She is certified to Teach English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and has taught adult students from Asia, Europe, and South America.

In addition to advising clients on sustainable business practices, Stinson has been a licensed attorney for over a decade and works in private practice.  She has experience in areas including environmental and regulatory law and policy litigation, construction and utility litigation, wrongful death and personal injury litigation, commercial dispute litigation, and financial services litigation.  She has represented private businesses both large and small, individuals, pro bono clients who could not otherwise afford an attorney, community groups, and public entities over the course of her legal career.

She has presented to other professionals on topics including the role of sustainability in economic development, climate change solutions at the local level, the role of water in economy and quality of life, the strategic development of effective boards, grassroots leadership, women’s leadership, work-life balance and maintaining boundaries, and strategies for engaging millennials in non-profit board service and charitable giving.

Stinson is a graduate of the inaugural class of the Sustainability Leadership Initiative, an innovative leadership development program for future-minded leaders in South Carolina hosted by the Furman University Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities in partnership with Sustain South Carolina, which focuses on the intersection of commerce and conservation.  She is a graduate of the Greenville Health System (now Prisma) Medical Scholars Program, the Furman University Women’s Leadership Institute, the South Carolina Bar Leadership Academy, and the Furman University Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative.  She was named Rotarian of the Year in 2016 by the Rotary Club of Greenville, and one of Converse University’s 125 Outstanding Alumnae in 2014.  Greenville Business Magazine recognized Stinson in 2020 and 2021 as a Legal Elite Honoree in Environmental Law.  Lawyers of Color, Inc. recognized her as one of their “Hot List” of 100 outstanding minority attorneys under 40-years-old.

Stinson currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Converse University; and the Board of Directors for Ten at The Top, which seeks to foster trust and collaboration through partnerships and cooperation that impacts economic vitality and quality of life across Upstate South Carolina.  She also serves on the Vermont Law and Graduation School Alumni Association Master’s Only Committee; and the Green Ribbon Advisory Committee, a seven-member committee appointed by Greenville City Council to advise on ways to develop programs and initiatives that further sustainability efforts throughout Greenville. 

She has served full terms on the Boards of Directors for the Converse University Alumnae Association, the Rotary Club of Greenville, Upstate Mediation Center, Warehouse Theatre, Lead Academy Charter School, Opportunity Greenville for the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, and the Greenville Housing Authority.  Her additional civic experience includes service on the Judicial Election Taskforce for the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association, as an Upstate Coordinator for the Special Olympics for the Young Lawyers Division of the South Carolina Bar, as the inaugural Chair of the South Carolina Bar Diversity Committee, and as a subcommittee chair and member of the South Carolina Bar Judicial Qualifications Committee. 

Stinson is a skilled and accomplished author – having been published both internationally and nationally by the American Bar Association, South Carolina Lawyer Magazine, the McGill International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, the Upstate Business Journal, and the Seattle Environmental Law Journal.

In her free time, Stinson enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking, writing poetry, traveling, working out, and reading.