GSBA Director - Edna Y. Baugh, Esq.

Edna Baugh currently wears two professional hats. As Managing Member at Stephens & Baugh, LLC in Maplewood, New Jersey, she is responsible for all administrative aspects of the business. Her practice areas are real estate property tax appeals and transactional real estate. As the Assistant Director for Clinic Administration for Rutgers School of Law in Newark, she supports the Director and Deputy Director in the overall management of the administrative functions of the Law School's clinics.

A New Jersey native, Ms. Baugh is a product of the East Orange School system. Nurtured and supported by her parents, neither of whom completed high school, she received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York. Having made the decision to become a lawyer at age 7, Ms. Baugh continued her education and became the first African-American woman to graduate from the then newly accredited Vermont Law School. She received her Juris Doctor in 1983.

Her career began at the firm of Williams, Caliri, Miller & Otley during the real estate boom of the 80's. In 1986, she was given the opportunity to bring her skills home to the City of East Orange as an Assistant Corporation Counsel; later serving as Corporation Trial Counsel. She then entered private practice as an associate with Medvin & Elberg.

Within the legal community, Ms. Baugh has served in various capacities. She served on the New Jersey Supreme Court District V-B Ethics Committee and currently sits on the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on the Tax Court. She is Vice President of Essex-Newark Legal Services Board of Trustees. She just completed a multi-year tenure as a member of the Board of Trustees of Essex County College (ECC) where she was elected Secretary. Ms. Baugh continues her commitment to ECC as a member of its Foundation Board.

Girl Scouting is also an important part of Ms. Baugh's life. She attributes much of her success to the encouragement to excel and leadership training she received as a young girl in scouting. In 1995, Ms. Baugh was elected the first African-American President of the Girl Scout Council of Greater Essex and Hudson Counties. Although her tenure ended in 2001, she continues as a lifetime member of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. Other organizational memberships include the New Jersey State Bar Association; Garden State and Essex County Bar Associations where she has presented seminars on real property tax appeals.