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Person

Jennifer Steans

Occupation:

Investment Banker, Manager

Board Chair, Arabella Advisors

Political Fundraiser
Nationality:

American

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Jennifer W. Steans is president and CEO of Financial Investments Corporation, a company she co-founded in 1994 with her father Harrison Steans. 1 Steans is the chair of the board for Arabella Advisors, which manages a network of left-leaning organizations 2 that observers have characterized as “dark money” groups. 3 She has also donated more than $200,000 to the Democratic Party political candidates since the 1990s. 4

Steans was named as one of American Banker’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance. 5

Background

Jennifer W. Steans is the president and CEO of Financial Investments Corporation, 6 which has about 15 employees and handles investments between $500 million and $600 million. 7

She is also the chair of the board for Arabella Advisors, a philanthropic consulting company that guides the strategy, advocacy, impact investing, and management for high-dollar left-leaning nonprofits and individuals. 8

She has donated at least $226,000 to Democratic Party candidates since the mid-1990s. 9

In 1994, Steans co-founded Financial Investment Corporation—a Chicago-based real estate and venture capital investment firm—with her father, former LaSalle Bank Chairman Harrison Steans. 10

Steans earned a bachelor’s degree at Davidson College and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. 11

Steans was named as one of American Banker’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance for 2013. 12

Ms. Steans lives in Chicago. She is married to Jim Kastenholz and has an adult son, Nicholas. 13

Arabella Advisors

Steans is the chairwoman of the board of Arabella Advisors. 14

Steans is a partner at Concentric Equity Partners, which is a subsidiary of Financial Investments Corp. 15 Concentric Equity Partners in turn is listed as a beneficial owner of Arabella Advisors Holdings LLC, a private corporation believed to act as a holding company to Arabella Advisors. 16 17

Steans is also listed as the sole beneficial owner of Arabella Advisors in filings with the District of Columbia. 18

Personal Life

Steans’ father, Harrison Steans, formed Financial Investments Corp. in 1967 to buy the Hyde Park Bank & Trust Company. This resulted in numerous other mergers, and the company losing its name before it was revived in 1994. 19

When growing up, Steans and her sisters Robin and Heather were involved in charitable organizations. They bought Christmas presents for a needy family in Chicago each year. Steans said that she, her husband, father-in-law, and son cook meals at a homeless shelter. 20

The family founded the Steans Family Foundation in 1986. Next, it launched the “I Have a Dream” program that offered mentoring and college scholarships to a class of 36 students at a Chicago elementary school. 21 The Steans Family Foundation shares office space with Financial Investments Corp. in Chicago. She spends 10 percent of her time with the foundation. 22

Previous Work

Steens was a former high school math teacher before she went on to head eight different companies. 23 24

Steans has been the chairwoman of the Phoenix Pact. 25 Steans is a past chair of the board of directors of USAmeribancorp, Inc., a private bank in the Tampa Bay area. 26 Steans was also the chairwoman at Mortgage Contracting Services LLC. 27

She was an advisor at Waud Capital Partners LLC. 28 Steans was previously treasurer of Prime Graphics, Inc. She also worked as a senior consultant for the management consulting arm of Deloitte and Touche, where she focused mostly on the finance and health care industries. 29

References

  1. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  2. “Arabella Advisors Appoints Rick Cruz as President and CEO.” Arabella Advisors. August 11, 2022. Accessed September 16, 2022. https://apnews.com/press-release/globe-newswire/26d0294565fa4f5a2768cb407ca940d3
  3. Green, Emma. “The Massive Progressive Dark-Money Group You’ve Never Heard Of.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, November 2, 2021. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/11/arabella-advisors-money-democrats/620553/.
  4. “Contributions from Jennifer Steans in Chicago, Illinois.” Federal Elections Commission. Accessed Sept. 8, 2022. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=jennifer%20steans
  5. [1] “Jennifer Steans.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/jennifer-w-steans/
  6. “Jennifer Steans.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/jennifer-w-steans/
  7. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  8. “Arabella Advisors Appoints Rick Cruz as President and CEO.” Arabella Advisors. August 11, 2022. Accessed September 16, 2022. https://apnews.com/press-release/globe-newswire/26d0294565fa4f5a2768cb407ca940d3
  9. “Contributions from Jennifer Steans in Chicago, Illinois.” Federal Elections Commission. Accessed Sept. 8, 2022. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=jennifer%20steans
  10. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  11. “Jennifer W. Steans.” Business Leaders. Market Screeners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Jennifer-Steans-05FP41-E/biography/
  12. “Jennifer Steans.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/jennifer-w-steans/
  13. “Jennifer Steans.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/jennifer-w-steans/
  14. “Arabella Advisors Appoints Rick Cruz as President and CEO.” Arabella Advisors. August 11, 2022. Accessed September 16, 2022. https://apnews.com/press-release/globe-newswire/26d0294565fa4f5a2768cb407ca940d3
  15. “Jennifer W. Steans.” Business Leaders. Market Screeners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Jennifer-Steans-05FP41-E/biography/
  16. District of Columbia Business Filings. “Arabella Advisors Holdings.” Sept. 8, 2022. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/arabella-advisors-holdings-beneficial-owners-03.10.22-e1647028966933-644×808.png
  17. Hayden Ludwig. “What Is Arabella Advisors Holdings? And What Is It Hiding?” Capital Research Center. March 11, 2022. Accessed Sept. 8, 2022. https://capitalresearch.org/article/what-is-arabella-advisors-holdings-and-what-is-it-hiding/
  18. “District of Columbia Business Filings: ‘Arabella Advisors, LLC.’” Accessed Sept. 8, 2022. https://capitalresearch.org/app/uploads/arabella-advisors-llc-beneficial-owners-03.10.22-644×290.png
  19. “Company Founder.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/company-founder/
  20. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  21. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  22. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  23. Jennifer W. Steans.” Business Leaders. Market Screeners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Jennifer-Steans-05FP41-E/biography/
  24. Farrell, Rachel. “Jennifer Steans ’89: Poised between business and philanthropy.” Kellogg World. Alumni Magazine. Spring 2009. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/kwo/spr09/alumni/steans.htm
  25. “Jennifer W. Steans.” Business Leaders. Market Screeners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Jennifer-Steans-05FP41-E/biography/
  26. “Jennifer Steans.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/jennifer-w-steans/
  27. “Jennifer W. Steans.” Business Leaders. Market Screeners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Jennifer-Steans-05FP41-E/biography/
  28. “Jennifer W. Steans.” Business Leaders. Market Screeners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.marketscreener.com/business-leaders/Jennifer-Steans-05FP41-E/biography/
  29. “Jennifer Steans.” Concentric Equity Partners. Accessed September 15, 2022. https://www.ficcep.com/jennifer-w-steans/

Connected Organizations

  1. Arabella Advisors (For-profit)
    Board Chair, Beneficial Owner
  2. Arabella Advisors Holdings, LLC (For-profit)
    Beneficial Owner (via Concentric Equity Partners)
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