Stephanie Carter is the wife of Ash Carter, who served as Secretary of Defense under President Barack Obama. But these days, Stephanie Carter is probably best known for an encounter she had with Joe Biden, back in 2015.
Biden, who was Vice President at the time, swore in Ash Carter as Secretary of Defense. Stephanie was also on-hand for the ceremony. After Ash was sworn in, he made a few remarks, and Stephanie came up to the stage too. As she stepped across the stage, Biden gripped her by the shoulders and held her that way during Ash Carter’s remarks. At one point, Biden leaned down and whispered something in her ear. You can see video of the encounter, which many people said was “creepy,” right here.
In late March, Lucy Flores, who was the Democratic candidate for Nevada’s lieutenant governor, came forward to say that Biden had come up behind her, smelled her hair, and given her an awkward kiss on the back of the head. Flores said that the encounter totally changed her view of Biden; she said she didn’t want Biden to get away with making other women uncomfortable. Biden has said that he did not behave inappropriately with Flores.
But Stephanie Carter says Biden never made her uncomfortable at all. In fact, she says the vice president was just doing his best to calm her down while she was feeling stressed out and anxious. You can read her article about Biden here. Here’s what you need to know about Stephanie Carter:
1. Carter Says Biden Was a ‘Close Friend’ Who Was Helping Her ‘Get Through a Big Day’
Carter came to Biden’s defense in an article published on March 31. She said that the viral photo which showed Biden whispering in her ear had been totally misunderstood and taken you of context. And she said she wanted to “reclaim” her story from strangers, Twitter, the pundits and the late-night hosts who were all making assumptions about Biden and about her.
In fact, Carter said, Biden wasn’t doing anything creepy at all. He was just trying to calm her down because she was having a tough day. Carter writes that she and her husband had visited Arlington Cemetary before Ash’s swearing-in ceremony. She slipped and fell on some ice, and felt self-conscious because journalists saw and tweeted about her fall. By the time she and Ash got to the White House, Carter said she was feeling “uncharacteristically nervous.” She said Biden picked up on her mood and gave her a hug. After the swearing-in ceremony, she said Biden put his hands on her shoulders as a show of support. She says he also leaned in to whisper “thank you for letting him [Ash Carter] do this.”
Carter says that she and her husband had been friendly with Joe and Jill Biden for years, and that the incident was just a matter of an old friend — Biden — showing support. She says she didn’t talk about the encounter for years, because she was hoping it would blow over. But now, she says, she’s not willing to let other people tell her story any more.
2. She Is a Partner at a Leading Private Equity Firm
Stephanie Carter is a general partner at ABS Capital, a private equity firm based in Baltimore. Carter is charged with overseeing marketing, fundraising, and investor relations for ABS Capital. She first joined the firm in 1994, although she has also worked for Deutsche Bank.
3. She Is Ash Carter’s Second Wife & He Says She Is Perfect
Ash Carter has been married twice. His first wife was Ava Clayton Spenser; the couple had two children, Will and Ava. Clayton Spenser is a lawyer who now serves as president of Bates College.
After their divorce, Ash Carter married Stephanie. They have no children together. Ash has referred to Stephanie as his “perfect wife” who is always on hand to support him.
4. She Is the Stepmother of Ash Carter’s Two Grown Children
Ash Carter and his first wife, Ava Clayton Spencer, have two grown children, Will and Ava. Ash and Stephanie do not have children together.
During his time as Defense Secretary, Ash Carter proposed a set of reforms to make military life more “family friendly.” He suggested improving access to affordable child care, extending parental leave, and making it easier for families to stay in one place at a time. Carter said the reforms would make life much easier for families in which both parents worked. He said it would also help retain female soldiers, who tend to leaave the military after having a family.
5. She Attended William Smith College, a Private Liberal Arts School in Upstate New York
Bloomberg’s executive biography of Stephanie Carter notes that she is a graduate of William Smith College. William Smith College is a private, all-female liberal arts college located in Geneva, New York. The college is well-respected for its academics and especially for its emphasis on study-abroad. It traces its roots back to 1797.