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.

Danny Ludeman
Chairman & CEO
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.
Concordance Operating Team

Michelle Smith
President & Chief Operating Officer

Sarah Topal
Chief Quality & Research Officer

Kate Kay
EVP, Head of Community & Life Skills; Managing Director, St. Louis Center

Roderick Nunn
EVP, Head of Education & Employment

Julie Russell
EVP, Head of Behavioral Health & Wellness

Tom Grant
SVP, Senior Director of Concordance Employment Agency

Jill Lewin
SVP, Senior Director of Marketing, Communications & Development

Rokas Varanavicius
SVP, Senior Director of IT
Board of Directors
Kelvin Adams
Superintendent, St. Louis Public School District
Angela Adler
SVP, Networks and Transformation, Optum
Elcio Barcelos
Chief Human Resources Officer, U.S. Bank
Lynn Britton
President & CEO, Mercy
Jim Bullard
President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
Scott Carter
SVP, COO of Distribution Operations & President, Spire Missouri
Ken Cella
Principal, Branch Development, Edward Jones
Tad Edwards
Chairman, President & CEO, Benjamin F. Edwards & Co.
Dave Eichhorn
CEO & Head of Investment Strategies, NISA Investment Advisors, LLC
Sal Hernandez
Former Assistant Director, FBI
Rick Holton, Jr.
Managing Partner, Holton Capital Group
Dan Isom
Director, Department of Public Safety, City of St. Louis
Laurent Javois
Regional Executive Officer, Missouri Department of Mental Health – Division of Behavioral Health
Diane Katzman
President, Diane Katzman Fine Arts
JEREMY Keele
Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Catalyst Opportunity Funds
Rusty Keeley
CEO, Keeley Companies
Robert Kirkland
Senior VP and CFO, Stanley Black and Decker
David Kowach
Head of Community Banking, Wells Fargo
Ken Kranzberg
Chairman Emeritus, TricorBraun
Greg Kraus
Managing Director, Resident Director, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Ron Kruszewski
Chairman of the Board & CEO, Stifel
Marc Lazar
Founder, Domaine Wine Storage
Joe Leahy
Chief Creative Officer, HLK
MINGU LEE
Managing Partner, Cleveland Avenue
Danny Ludeman
President & CEO, Concordance
Steve Maritz
Executive Chairman, Maritz
Rich McClure
Former Co-Chair, The Ferguson Commission; Former President & CEO, Unigroup
Ken McDonald
Senior Director of Business Development, Covenant Theological Seminary
Dick Miles
Retired Chairman & CEO, Valitas Health Services, Inc.
ESSYE MILLER
CEO, Executive Business Management
Michael Moehn
Chairman & President, Ameren Missouri
Carrie Nelson
CEO & Founder, Atlas Point LLC
Bob Newmark
Partner, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP
Steve Nystrom
Retired Senior Vice President, U.S. Bank
Kathy Osborn
President & CEO, Regional Business Council
Steve Ponciroli
Associate VP – Partnership Strategy and Growth, North Highland
Eriko Pope
CEO/Founder, Katalyst STL
emily procter
Entrepreneur, Activist, and Actress
Nick Ragone
Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Ascension
Benjamin Rassieur III
President, Paulo Products Company
Kitty Ratcliffe
President, Explore St. Louis
Joe Reagan
Founder & CEO, One Stone Development
B.T. Rice
Pastor, New Horizon 7th Day Christian Church
Lamont Robinson
Director, Supplier Diversity at AmerisourceBergen
Michael Scully
Missouri Regional President, PNC Bank
Susan Sherman
Co-Founder, St. Louis Fashion Fund
Craig Silliman
Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative, Legal, and Public Policy Officer, Verizon
Joe Sivewright
Chairman, Nestlé Purina PetCare
David Steward
Chairman & Founder, World Wide Technology
Donald Suggs
Publisher & Executive Editor, St. Louis American
Susan Talve
Founding Rabbi, Central Reform Congregation
Mark Thom
Chairman & CEO, MiTek
John thompson
Venture Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Greg Trapp
Former Division President & General Manager, Progressive Corporation
Mary Unnerstall
Executive Manager, Office of the Chairman, World Wide Technology
Rob Vitale
President & CEO, Post Holdings
Sara Wade
Former Chief Human Resources Officer & SVP, Express Scripts
Caprina Wakefield
Regional Vice President, Human Resources, SSM Health – Health Business
Chip Walker
Former Managing Director, Client Experience and Growth, Wells Fargo Advisors
Tim Wentworth
Retired CEO, Evernorth
JAMES E. Williams, Jr.
President & CEO, Estel Foods, Inc.
Craig Workman
President, Workman Communications Group
Mark Wrighton
Interim President, George Washington University; Professor & Chancellor Emeritus, Washington University
Jackie Yoon
President, YFB Consulting
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.