As pressure builds for Grady Memorial Hospital CEO Pam Stephenson to answer questions regarding her law degree, efforts are under way to oust her as chairwoman of the Grady authority board.

Stephenson has been the focus of several controversies in recent months. Grady officials last week voted to replace her as CEO of the massive hospital. Her removal as head of the Grady authority would mark another loss of power.

Some state and local officials have criticized Stephenson for the multiple hats she's donned in Grady management, asserting they represent conflicts of interest. The latest controversy over her law degree is adding momentum to efforts to remove her as the Grady authority chairwoman.

The 10-member board, formally called the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, meets Monday to elect its officers. While it remains unclear whether there are enough votes to oust her as chairwoman – three have stated publicly they favor new leadership — some authority members say Stephenson's controversies have become a distraction from overseeing the business of Grady.

Otis Story "I'll be blunt, I think we need a new chair," said Carl Patton, an authority board member and president of Georgia State University. "I think Pam's issues have been a distraction."

Patton added, "I think we need a chair who will be inclusive, who will engage all board members in discussions. That's not happening."

Authority board members Thomas Dortch and Dick Teters also say they favor new leadership.

Stephenson has come under increasing scrutiny since the Grady authority fired former CEO Otis Story in January and placed her in the post. For several months she has served in those two positions as well as being the vice chairwoman of the new Grady nonprofit board.

But she has also been criticized for questions regarding her CEO contract with Grady, problems paying bills in her personal life and, most recently, discrepancies regarding the educational degrees listed in her resume and a hospital press release.

Last week, questions arose about whether Stephenson, an attorney, has a law degree. She has said she received a law degree from the now-defunct Woodrow Wilson College of Law in Atlanta. Woodrow Wilson student records — now in the custody of Oglethorpe University — show Stephenson attended the school from 1976 to 1979 but don't reflect that she graduated, according to the registrar's office.

In Georgia, lawyers need to receive a law degree as well as pass the bar exam to practice.

On July 17, Stephenson said she would provide verification of the Wilson law degree. She has declined since then to discuss the matter, nor did she return calls seeking comment for this article.

"I'm sure it has an impact on how we're all thinking," said authority member Teters.

Teters, Patton and Dortch have all called for Stephenson to provide verification of the law degree.

"In my years of knowing Pam, she is an honorable person," Dortch said. "When something like this casts a shadow, it would be good to provide the documentation just to remove the doubt."

Authority vice chairman Geoffrey Heard said he believes Stephenson has a law degree.

"The state bar approved her as a lawyer," he said. "It's my understanding the state does it's background work."

Heard is the head of the authority's nominating committee for officers, and he said the committee has yet to finalize a slate of officers for the authority vote Monday. Even if Stephenson is removed as authority chairwoman, she would remain an authority member.

Repeated attempts to reach other board members were unsuccessful.

The authority lost much of its control over the hospital when the new nonprofit board was created this year. But the authority retains ownership of the Grady real estate and a level of oversight over the nonprofit hospital corporation.

Staff writer Heather Vogell contributed to this article.