Meet the Team
At the heart of Concordance is a desire to help our participants move forward. Our team members and board of directors include a wide range of backgrounds and expertise in criminal justice, Fortune 500 leadership, behavioral sciences, and beyond — and we are dedicated to restoring individuals, rebuilding families, transforming communities, and advancing the field of re-entry.
Concordance Operating Team
Susan Stith
Interim Chief Executive Officer and Current Board Member
Michael Fuller
Chief Operating Officer
Kate Kay
EVP, Head of Community & Life Skills and Behavioral Health & Wellness
Tom Grant
Interim Head of Employment and Education; SVP, Senior Director of Concordance Employment Agency
Rokas Varanavicius
SVP, Senior Director of IT
Mike Hennessey
Chief Human Resources Officer
Dave Steward
Chairman of the Board
Mr. Steward began his journey with Concordance in 2015 when he was asked by Founder and former Chairman, Danny Ludeman, to join the mission as an investor. He was appointed to the Concordance Board in 2016 and became Chairman in June 2024 when Mr. Ludeman stepped down to focus on his health.
One of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs, thoughtful humanitarians and generous philanthropists, he has been an active supporter of Concordance since its formation.
Mr. Steward attributes his legacy of selfless generosity to his parents, Harold and Dorothy Steward, and to the deep Christian faith they instilled in him from his youth. Growing up on a small farm in rural Missouri in the 1960s, he watched as his parents shared their humble bounty with others, often with people who did not look like them. This reflects his personal commitment to finding an eternal return on investment in the spirit of, “To whom much is given, much is required.”
With 100 million people in the United States affected in some way by incarceration, Mr. Steward sees the issue as one of the most significant challenges facing society today. He believes it imperative that the mission of Concordance and the generational impact the program has on participants and their families continues to expand to more communities across the United States.
Launched in 2020, Mr. Steward leads the organization’s First Chance Campaign, which is tasked with raising $200 million to further the goal of expanding Concordance beyond its base in Missouri.
Mr. Steward is the Founder and Chairman of World Wide Technology, the largest Black owned company in North America with more than $20 billion in annual revenue and over 10,000 employees.
A global business leader renowned for his faith based approach to business and his inclusive, values driven leadership, Mr. Steward started World Wide Technology in 1990. His vision, ambition and determination are widely responsible for catapulting WWT from a small government contractor with a handful of employees into a global technology solutions provider.
Mr. Steward holds an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Washington University, as well as Honorary Doctorates in Humane Letters from numerous colleges and universities. He is a graduate of Central Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in business management.
He and his wife, Thelma, have been married for 48 years. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Danny Ludeman
Founder and Immediate Past Chair
Danny Ludeman previously served as CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors, where he increased revenue from $300 million to $10 billion during his tenure. Upon retirement, he followed a spiritual calling to serve others, leading to the founding of Concordance. Danny remains active in industry and civic affairs, serving on several local boards. He also attends Covenant Seminary, where he is pursuing a divinity degree. He is a visionary for the organization, setting long-term goals designed to solve some of society’s largest problems and effectively identifying key leaders to guide the process. In June of 2024, Danny announced he was stepping away from Concordance to address a pancreatic cancer diagnosis and to fully focus on his family.
Board of Directors
Kelvin Adams
CEO & President, St. Louis Community Foundation
Retired Superintendent, St. Louis Public School District
Associate Dean & Regents' Distinguished Professor for the College of Education, Harris-Stowe State University
Angela Adler
SVP, Networks & Transformation, Optum
Elcio Barcelos
Senior EVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, U.S. Bank
Lynn Britton
Executive Board Chairman, Mercy Health
SCOTT BROWN
Regional Director of State Government Affairs, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
ERIC BRUNNGRABER
Chairman & CEO, Cass Information Systems Inc.
Jim Bullard
Dean of Business School, Purdue University
Ken cella jr.
Principal, Branch Development, Edward Jones
Ken CHENAULT
Chairman & Managing Director, General Catalyst
TONY CHENG
President, Reinsurance Group of America
HAROLD CLARKE
Former Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections
tad edwards
Chairman, CEO & President, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.
David Eichhorn
CEO & Head of Investment Strategies, NISA Investment Advisors, LLC
steve fox
Chairman, SV Capital Management
Sal Hernandez
Senior Compliance & Ethics Advisor, Husch Blackwell
Former Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Former VP of Compliance & Ethics, Enterprise Mobility
Rick Holton, Jr.
COO, Hermann Companies
Dan Isom
Vice President of Corporate Safety, Security & Crisis Management, Ameren
Laurent Javois
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant, LJ Transformation Initiatives
Retired Regional Executive Officer, Division of Behavioral Health at the Missouri Department of Mental Health
eric karlovic
CEO & Co-Owner, Hughes Leahy Karlovic
Diane Katzman
President, Diane Katzman Art
JEREMY Keele*
Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Catalyst Opportunity Funds
Co-Founder & Partner, Sorenson Impact Group
Rusty Keeley
CEO, Keeley Companies
Robert Kirkland
Former SVP & CFO, North America at Stanley Black and Decker
David Kowach
Former Head of Community Banking, Wells Fargo
Retired President & CEO, Wells Fargo Advisors
Ken Kranzberg
Chairman Emeritus, TricorBraun
Greg Kraus
Managing Director/Resident Director – Wealth Management Advisor, Merrill Lynch
nina leigh krueger
CEO & President, Nestle Purina North America
Ron Kruszewski
Chairman & CEO, Stifel Nicolaus and Company
Marc Lazar
Founder, Domaine Wine Storage
MINGU LEE
Managing Partner, Cleveland Avenue
Steve Maritz
Executive Chairman, Maritz Inc.
Rich McClure*
Former Co-Chair, The Ferguson Commission
Ken McDonald
Co-Founder, Global Counseling Network
Senior Director of Business Development, Covenant Theological Seminary
ESSYE MILLER
CEO, Executive Business Management
Michael Moehn
Chairman & President, Ameren Missouri
Carrie Nelson*
President & CEO, Atlas Point LLC
james nevels*
Chairman, Business Council for International Understanding
Board of Directors of West Rock and Renew Financial
Bob Newmark
Managing Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
roderick nunn
Vice President of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, SSM Health
Kathy Osborn
President & CEO, St. Louis Regional Business Council
Steve Ponciroli
Managing Director – Client Partnerships & Growth, Catalyte Leadership Acceleration
Eriko Pope
CEO/Founder, Katalyst STL
emily proctor
Actress, Activist
Nick Ragone
EVP, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Ascension
Ben Rassieur III
President, Paulo Products
Kitty Ratcliffe
President, Explore St. Louis
Joe Reagan
Founder & CEO, One Stone Development
Rev. B.T. Rice
Pastor, New Horizon 7th Day Christian Church
Michael Scully
Missouri Regional President, PNC Bank
Susan Sherman
Board Chair, St. Louis Fashion Fund
Joe Sivewright
Chairman, Nestlé Purina PetCare
DavE Steward*
Founder & Chairman, World Wide Technology
Susan Stith
Interim CEO, Concordance
Former – Cigna Foundation VP, Diversity & Equity
Donald Suggs
Publisher & Executive Director, St. Louis American
Susan Talve
Founding Rabbi, Central Reform Congregation
Mark Thom
Chairman & CEO, MiTek
John thompson
Venture Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Chairman, Microsoft
Greg Trapp
Former Division President & General Manager, Progressive Corporation
JAMES TURLEY*
Retired Chair & CEO, Ernst & Young
Mary Unnerstall
Executive Manager, Office of the Chairman, World Wide Technology
Rob Vitale
President & CEO, Post Holdings
Sara Wade
Retired SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Express Scripts
Caprina Wakefield
SVP, Human Resources, Bethesda Health Group, Inc.
Tim Wentworth
Retired CEO, Evernorth
JAMES E. Williams, Jr.
President & CEO, Estel Foods, Inc.
Craig Workman
President, Workman Communications Group
Mark Wrighton
Chancellor Emeritus, Washington University in St. Louis
Jackie Yoon
President, YFB Consulting
CEO & Managing Principal, BLACKGEM ADVISORS
*Denotes Executive Committee Member
Our Investors
We couldn’t do the work we do today without those who’ve invested in us since day one. Learn more about our individual and corporate supporters and how you can join the charge.
Our Locations
We are headquartered in St. Louis and preparing to expand nationwide over the next five years.