Valerie Stephenson’s introduction to handbells came when she discovered a set of bells in her school storage closets in 1979. She soon became a trendsetter in the world of handbells in education. Her school, Trinity Episcopal, received one of the first Exemplary Handbell Program in Education awards. From the surprise discovery of handbells in her school, Valerie then moved into areas of local, area, and national leadership and service as part of the Guild. She was active on the area leadership team in Louisiana for over 14 years and has served as Florida state chair for the last several years. Nationally, she was a chair of the bylaws committee—reviewing, rewriting, and assisting all 12 areas in bylaw compliance and revisions—and she was a member of the original handbell notation committee. She has also served on numerous national event planning teams, including the 50th anniversary celebration. She has been a regular contributor to Overtones and, for three years, authored the humorous column called “Potpourri.” As a composer, her published compositions number over 250.
