Judge Cynthia Diane served as the chapter's Vice-President and was one of the initiators of the LaRue Heard Scholarship which continues to be awarded to an Ann Arbor Youth. A Life Member, she was selected by President Mona Bailey to serve on the National African Diaspora Committee and to chair the Communications Committee for the last national convention held in Michigan. Locally she was a charter board member and past president of the Delta Manor Senior Residence, and has been a member of several Detroit Alumnae Chapter committees.
Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeals in 2008, Judge Stephens served as Judge of the Third Circuit Court and the 36th District Court. An Emory Law School graduate, Judge Stephens has been admitted to practice in Georgia, Texas, and Michigan. She was the Vice-Chair of the Wayne County Charter Commission, Associate General Counsel to the Michigan Senate, Regional Director for the National Conference of Black Lawyers-Atlanta office, and consultant to the National League of Cities Veterans Discharge Upgrade Project.
She has been active in bar work including 16 years as a Commissioner of the State Bar of Michigan. She is the co-chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. Judge Stephens has held leadership positions in the Association of Black Judges of Michigan and the National Bar Association. She serves on the board of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Court. An adjunct faculty member of the University of Detroit Mercy Law school for 20 years, she is author of numerous publications. A Recipient of numerous awards and honors, Judge Stephens was awarded the State Bar of Michigan's highest honor, the Roberts P. Hudson Award in 2005.