I am Brady Stephenson, an American author, researcher, educator, and public speaker with expertise in strategic thinking, program management, information governance, and risk management.  I have extensive experience in both the financial services and information technology industries.  With a broad educational background in medicine, business administration, technology, and information governance, I believe continuous learning and servant leadership are the keys to overcoming any challenge.

After a diverse career spanning three decades at USAA, the nation's leading financial services provider for the men and women of the US Armed Forces, I currently serve as the Vice President of the Data Program Management Office (PMO) for Nothern Trust.  One of the World's Most Admired Companies, Northern Trust is a preeminent global financial institution that has provided asset servicing, investment management, and wealth management services for institutions, high-net-worth individuals and families for over 130 years.  The company's core values of Integrity, Service, Expertise, and Innovation closely align with my own.

In addition to my leadership role at Northern Trust,

• I am an author and online columnist
• I coach others in motivational, transformational, and servant leadership
• I lead the Psalm 119 Foundation, an educational non-profit organization
• I serve as Senior Creative Director for Psalm11918.org

BACKGROUND

Born to parents of Czech and English-Irish heritage, I was raised amid the agricultural and energy industries of West Texas.  In an environment where every farm and ranch is a small business, I learned the lessons of management early while developing the skills required to enable the family farm to thrive.  Honesty, integrity, dedication, and service were the core values that emerged from the crucible of hard work in the Texas heat.

Always eager to learn, I attended Angelo State University in pursuit of a degree in medicine.  After concluding my studies there, I turned my focus again to business and earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio.  Recognizing the accelerating pace of change and the value of software automation, I completed my BBA with a concentration in Information Technology.

Applying the knowledge and skills learned through my studies, I began leading teams of software developers in creating solutions in mainframe and desktop environments in the 1990s.  While I did not invent the Internet, my most recent experience in the IT world was leading multinational teams in developing web-based services for banking, insurance, and investments.  Shifting from building technology to managing technology products, I took ownership of USAA's electronic document and messaging capabilities as channel manager in the early 2000s.

Throughout my career, I have coached and guided others through professional speaking with an emphasis on motivational leadership.  As VP of the Data PMO, I have shifted my attention to transformational leadership to enable leaders at every level to build their teams' risk management, data management, and program management disciplines.

Currently living outside of San Antonio, I am married with two adult children.