Shelley Stephenson works with faculty and senior administrators to plan, implement, and assess new academic programs and initiatives. She staffs the Academic Priorities Committee, assists in searches for faculty leaders of major initiatives, and works closely with new initiatives in the humanities and social sciences, including the Cogut Humanities Center, the Political Theory Project, Spatial Structures in the Social Sciences, and the Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship program.

Shelley Stephenson assists the Provost with the university's international initiatives, particularly in Asia, and also serves as the Provost's representative on the Creative Arts Council, the Brown-RISD Consortium, and the Rhode Island Independent Higher Education Association. She coordinates Brown's named professorships and also works with the Provost, the Dean of the College, faculty, and administrators on efforts to strengthen undergraduate education and the undergraduate experience at Brown.