Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Steffan Robert Johnson attended the only African-American, all male Catholic high school in the state (St. Augustine). Steffan’s parents instilled in him early the importance of academic excellence and the value of service through leadership. Whether in the classroom or in the office corridor of a major corporation, Steffan has always sought to lead by example and engage people on issues of significance to him, namely: the importance of education, the virtue of tolerance, the value of diversity and the strategic imperative of embracing globalization. 

Steffan attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. While at St. Thomas, Steffan served as a mentor and tutor to the students of Benjamin E. Mays Magnet school, through a program funded by the Wilder Foundation. Steffan held various positions within the St. Thomas’ African-American Student Alliance, before graduating in 1997 with his B.A. in Business Administration and a minor in Japanese. 

After graduation, Steffan joined 3M as a Supply Chain Analyst for their Stationary Office Supply Division. In 1999, he decided to make a career switch into the realm of Information Technology consulting. For over 4 years Steffan worked for Ultimus, Incorporated, a software company based out of Raleigh, NC. There in his role as a Senior Business Process Consultant, he worked with companies such as Microsoft, GE, Zales Corporation, Siemens and Temple University, helping them to automate their internal and external business processes. After working as a consultant for a number of years, Steffan then decided he would pursue his entrepreneurial passions and founded his own management consulting company, S. R. Johnson & Associates. 

After two years of management consulting, Steffan entered the University of St. Thomas - Opus College of Business to pursue his MBA. While at St. Thomas, Steffan was placed in a number of leadership roles; his most honorable was being elected CEO of xLinks – a sophisticated, team based, business management and marketing strategy simulation project. In his final year at St. Thomas, he was also elected Vice-President of Administration for the National Black MBA Association - Twin Cities. Four months into his role as Vice President, Steffan was presented the opportunity to lead the Chapter as President.

After graduation, Steffan decided to return to his entrepreneurial roots and was appointed Managing Partner of a durable Medical equipment firm – Stratus Medical Group (“Stratus”). In this role, Steffan led all operational and business strategy initiatives by providing the business, legal and financial framework for all strategic partnerships and formal relationships. Since his recent relocation to Pittsburgh, Steffan has been spending his time putting together his next entrepreneurial venture. Steffan is also an active member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities and has served as a mentor for over five years. 

On the personal side, Steffan and his wife Chereé have an eighteen month old daughter, Paige Kyndall and love to travel the world to see exciting places. Steffan enjoys making time for outdoor activities, cooking and playing golf. Also in his spare time, Steffan loves dining out at local restaurants that often reminds him of growing up in his hometown of New Orleans. 

Personal quotes:

“In order to succeed, your desire for your success should be greater than your fear of failure” 

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail”

Success factor:

Never underestimate the value of maintaining mentors outside your work environment.