Meet the Team

Susan Stith

Chief Executive Officer

Susan Stith was appointed CEO of Concordance in April 2025, following her service as Interim CEO and as a member of the Concordance Board of Directors. She leads Concordance’s day-to-day operations and long-term growth strategy, with a focus on expanding participant and employee programs, strengthening fundraising, and deepening community partnerships. 

Before joining Concordance, Susan was Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Charitable Giving at Cigna, and President of the Cigna Foundation. In this role, she led initiatives to attract and support diverse talent, built national nonprofit partnerships, and amplified employee volunteerism and engagement at both Cigna and Express Scripts, helping to create a more inclusive workplace. 

Susan also launched major community programs, including Healthier Kids for Our Future®, a five-year, $25 million global effort to fight hunger and improve child health, and co-founded the Brave of Heart Fund with the New York Life Foundation, providing over $31 million in financial support to families of frontline healthcare workers who died during COVID-19. She was instrumental in starting Cigna’s Building Equity & Equality Program in response to social justice challenges. 

Susan founded the Experience Diversity Summit, a nationally recognized annual event focused on advancing conversations around diversity and inclusion. Her leadership has been recognized by Diversity Woman Magazine, Black Enterprise, Diversity Plus, Savoy, and others. 

An active community leader, Susan serves on the boards of United Way of Greater St. Louis, FamilyForward, Gateway Arch Park Foundation, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. She is also an advisory member at Washington University’s Brown School and Institute for Public Health. 

Susan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. She has been married to Drexel for 39 years and together they are the proud parents of Alexandria and Clark.  

Kate Kay

EVP, Head of Community & Life Skills and Behavioral Health & Wellness

Kate Kay is the Executive Vice President, Head of Community & Life Skills at Concordance. Kate oversees case management services, life skills, family reunification, legal services, spirituality, housing services, and the Concordance House. She also manages relationships with community resources, including Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Kate joined Concordance in October 2017 because of her belief in treating the whole person during their healing journey. Kate earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master of Social Work degree from the School of Social Work at St. Louis University. Kate brings 18 years of experience working with vulnerable populations in areas of substance use, mental health, re-entry, and supported employment. Prior to working at Concordance, Kate worked as a program director at a community mental health organization that provided case management and substance use services to adults living with severe and persistent mental illness. 

Rokas Varanavicius

SVP, Senior Director of IT

Rokas Varanavicius is the Senior Vice President, Senior Director of Information Technology at Concordance. He is responsible for strategy development and owning overall comprehensive technology, including Dynamics 365 Solution Architecture, Azure, Data Platform & Analytics, and Custom Development. Rokas joined Concordance in December 2020 and believes in making the benefits of innovative technology available not only to organizations but also to all members of society regardless of socioeconomic status. Rokas earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Missouri in St. Louis. He brings 18 years of experience in implementing business applications, including budling highly effective teams and architecting and implementing business-critical technology solutions. Prior to joining Concordance, Rokas was the Director of Customer Engagement & Technical services at Turnkey Technologies.

Chris Preston

Interim Chief Development Officer

As Chief Strategic Partnerships Officer for BlueSKY Collaborative Partners, Chris Preston brings over 23 years of partnership experience through his time spent with the United Way network. He was most recently the Chief Development Officer for United Way of Metro Chicago where Chris led fundraising and strategy efforts of a $45 million annual campaign. Prior to that role, Chris led the Corporate Relations team for United Way Worldwide. The team’s purview included the Global Corporate Leadership program, United Way’s flagship corporate partner and recognition program which consists of 94 corporate partners that raised a combined total of over $900 million for United Ways in communities around the globe and provides support to local United Ways in their overall fundraising efforts as part of the $4.7 billion United Way network. In addition to the Global Corporate Leadership program, the Corporate Relation team’s purview included working with the United Way network to support and amplify other national and global corporate partnerships, cause marketing efforts for United Way and the National Football League partnership.

Chris spent the first 11 years of his United Way career at United Way Worldwide with roles as National Sales Manager of the United Way Store and Corporate Relations Manager for the Global Corporate Leadership team. In addition to those roles, he was Resource Development liaison for United Way Worldwide’s Africa Region, convener for the Young Leaders Business Resource Group of United Way Worldwide’s Diversity & Inclusion Council, and Project Manager for the Network Engagement and Support Team Committee for United Way’s U.S. Task Force on Economic Model & Growth.

In addition to his roles at United Way Worldwide, Chris has served two other local United Ways. First, as the Senior Vice President, Strategic and Regional Management at United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. In that role, Chris assumed Chief of Staff duties and was responsible for the management and execution of United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey’s organizational strategies across the region. Chris also served as Vice President, Resource Development, at United Way of the National Capital Area in Washington, DC. In that role he led the development team in managing a $33 million annual fundraising effort.

Chris attended George Mason University and has continued to support his alma mater where he has served as President of the University’s Alumni Association and was named the university’s 2021 Alumnus of the Year and 2022 George Mason School of Business Alumni Service Awardee. He currently serves as Chair of the Green Machine Ensemble Advisory Council (George Mason Band) and as a Board Member of the Business for a Better World Advisory Board (George Mason School of Business) and a Member of the George Mason Honors College Advisory Council. Beyond his volunteerism at George Mason, Chris serves as Board Member for the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium.

Maureen Hergenroether

EVP, Employment, Education, and Housing

Maureen is the Executive Vice President of Employment, Education, and Housing at Concordance, where she spearheads national initiatives aimed at advancing career education, creating employment pathways, and ensuring housing stability for individuals in re-entry. In this role, Maureen oversees strategic initiatives that enhance job placement, foster partnerships with industry leaders, and develop innovative solutions to achieve long-term economic mobility and self-sufficiency.

“Access to stable living resources—such as secure housing, reliable employment, and a supportive network—serves as a catalyst for long-term growth, resilience, and self-sufficiency. I am deeply committed to helping individuals acquire the skills and meaningful employment they need to thrive during their re-entry journey and build a strong foundation for their futures,” Maureen states.

With nearly two decades of experience in social impact, Maureen has held key roles at Edward Jones, Mastercard, and Cigna, in addition to serving as an executive in an education nonprofit. She is also the founder of a mission-driven social enterprise focused on removing barriers to employment. Her multidisciplinary expertise encompasses human resources, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), strategic communications, and workforce development, with a strong emphasis on equity and community collaboration.

Maureen has a proven track record of developing impactful programs that connect underserved populations with critical resources, education, and meaningful career opportunities. She is passionate about transforming systems to create more inclusive and supportive pathways to economic independence.

Maureen holds both a Master of Science in Communications with an emphasis in Adult Education from the University of Missouri—St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Missouri State University.