Stephen Beal has been Provost of the California College of Arts and Crafts since 1997. From 1995 to 1997, he was Vice President of Academic Planning and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where from 1993 until 1995 he served as Chair of the Graduate Design and as an associate professor of painting. At The School Beal has taught courses in studio painting and still-life painting, and has also served as a Post-Baccalaureate Seminar and Graduate and Post-Baccalaureate Advisor. He was also a faculty counselor in admissions for Portfolio Review (BFA), SAIC Days, Merit Review Committee (BFA), NASAD Portfolio Reviews, and BFA registration. Prior to joining its faculty, Beal was a Visiting Artist at The School, at which time he taught the First Year Program, Studio Drawing, and Painting.

From 1980 to 1983, Beal was a both a full-time and a part-time assistant professor of Art Appreciation, Collage, Photography Studio, and Design Studio at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. His teaching experience began at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, where from 1972 to 1973 he underwent a Graduate Assistantship in Sculpture and where from 1973 to 1977 he was a part-time instructor and technician. Since 1972, Beal has had numerous exhibitions of his work, and he has also been the recipient of many commissions and grants.

Beal attended Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and earned his M.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He also completed a Graduate Program in historic preservation at the University of Vermont in Burlington.