NOTE: Throughout the month of July, BrownwoodNews.com is publishing stories daily on 40 standout citizens under the age of 40 making a positive impact and contribution within the Brown County community.
After previously serving as a member of the Early Chamber of Commerce, Domonique Stephens is three months into her stint at the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, where she is one of two executive assistants to the executive director.
For the next two weekends, however, Stephens will be featured at the Lyric Theatre in one of the feature roles of “Sister Act: The Musical.” Stephens, 37, will be play the role of Delores Van Cartier, made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the movie.
“People ask me this all the time and I cannot get over it,” Stephens said of being the face of the production. “I walk into a store and see my face and look for another entrance. A couple of friends messaged me about being on the billboards. It’s really overwhelming in a good way. I’m just humbled and honored to be able to have the opportunity to play this iconic character and show people how much fun we had creating this and hope they enjoy it.”
“Sister Act: The Musical” will take the stage seven more times at the Lyric – 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9; 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 10; 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 15; 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 16; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17.
“It has the same fun and same energy as the movie brought, but it is a stand alone with original music,” Stephens said. “None of the music from the movie is in the show. We were able to put this show on in eight weeks. It has definitely been a labor of love and we’re excited to show this magic to the community.”
Stephens also plays a key role at Abundant Life Church.
“I’m on the worship team at Abundant Life Church,” Stephens said. “I have an amazing family there and love them and appreciate them so much.”
Regarding her role at the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce, Stephens said, “I handle the membership part of it. I keep membership profiles up, I do a lot of the billing and invoice aspect of it. That’s just one of many responsibilities on the membership side.”
Stephens, a 2003 graduate of Brownwood High School, attended Angelo State University and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, while minoring in Theatre and Communications. She returned to Brownwood in 2013 after thinking she would never return.
“There’s something about Brownwood and this community that keeps you coming back,” Stephens said.
Prior to her current job, Stephens worked at Factory Connection for 5 years and served as store manager for 3 years. She was then recruited to be an assistant at the Early Chamber in 2018 where she worked for almost 2 years before COVID struck. She then moved on to the Center for Life Resources and worked in the IT department handling administrative duties for the electronic health records for the state and the center.
“A job opportunity came open in Brownwood, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to jump back into the chamber world after being out for two years,” Stephens said. “I went in with a see what happens thought. I was offered the job and here I am three months later. I was familiar with it, but it’s a whole different ballgame over here at the Brownwood Chamber because it’s a bigger scale. Because of the connections I made doing networking events while working in retail and at the Early Chamber, I was able to start some relationships with some really great people in this community and now that I’m working here, they’ve just blossomed.”
Stephens continued, “There is nothing on this earth that will prepare you for what it’s like to work in the chamber,” she said with a laugh. “It’s a whole different world of responsibilities, people and skills that you learn on the job. The relationships between businesses are completely invaluable.”
Regarding the benefits of the chamber for the community, Stephens said, “I’ve always thought of the chamber as an information hub. No matter what time it is, someone is always going to call the chamber looking for some sort of information. It’s imperative for us to make sure that we have as much information about the community and our members as possible. If we don’t quite have the information we will search and find it for you in some form or fashion.
“We’re kinda of like cheerleaders for our members. The chamber is membership based so our members are the most important thing. We’re doing what we can to make sure our members are recognized, that they are appreciated for their work in their community and that their work does not go unnoticed.”
Among the current and upcoming activities Stephens is working on, she said, “Lemonade Day, the Business Expo in September, those are community events I loved to attend as a community member, now I’m able to work behind the scenes to help get those going. The service aspect I’ve loved my entire life, I’m able to do by working at the chamber.”
Stephens is engaged to Jerry Galeske and the couple will be married later this year. Stephens also thanked her mother, Emma Hawthorne, and sister, Erica Stephens, for their continued support in all her endeavors.