David Steward wife Thelma Steward established the Steward Family Foundation in 2013. Thelma is an equally talented businesswoman.
David L. Steward is a reputed American businessman and a billionaire. He is the founder and chairman of World Wide Technology, Inc (WWT), a technology services provider based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Steward is an African American born to parents Dorothy Elizabeth Massingale and Harold Lloyd Steward on July 2, 1951. He grew up in the segregated South in Clinton, Missouri, along with seven siblings.
The 71-year-old started his career as a production manager at Wagner Electric in 1974. A year later, he joined Missouri Pacific Railroad Company as a sales representative. From 1978 to 1984, he served as a senior account executive at Federal Express.
The billionaire is well-known for his humble appearance and philanthropy. He donates generously and has established a charity foundation, Steward Family Foundation.
The Chicago-born is the author of Doing Business by the Good Book: Fifty-Two Lessons on Success Straight from the Bible. He wrote the book with author Robert L. Shook, which was published in 1990.
Thelma Steward Is A Philanthropist
David Steward wife Thelma Steward is the founder of the Steward Family Foundation. Thelma has been together with David for over forty years.
The Steward Family Foundation was established by the billionaire couple to support the arts, education, and causes that improve quality of life.
Thelma is a graduate of the St. Louis Municipal School of Nursing. She is a former Sunday school teacher just like her husband.
Thelma is also a registered nurse who started her professional career by working in the medical line. David and Thelma are actively involved in Variety the Children’s St. Louis. The foundation honored Thelma as the Woman of the Year in April 2022.
The couple sees their success as an opportunity to help causes they firmly believe in, with a focus on children, families, and the arts.
Thelma began to get involved in nonprofits at a young age. She recalls canvassing the neighborhood to raise money for multiple sclerosis as a teenager.
Mrs. Steward shared about the way charity worked back then and said that donors would send an envelope and she would get the money. Then, she would put the money in the envelope and send it to the people in need.
Philanthropy is not a mere act of kindness for the billionaire’s wife, it is a passion. She takes her inspiration from her mother who was a generous giver.
Thelma’s son, David II, wished her mother’s day via Instagram on May 9, 2022. The producer wrote that his mother is the most selfless, loving, and compassionate person. He further thanked his mother for her dedication to her family.
The Couple Has Been Married Since 1976
David And Thelma Steward tied the knot in 1976. The Steward couple has been together for forty six years.
The Stewards live a life of happiness and prosperity in Missouri. They are one of the richest couples in the world.
David was 25 years old when he exchanged vows with his partner Thelma. They are the proud parents of two children, Kimberly and David.
Both of their kids are grown-ups and they have earned great success in their endeavors.
David Steward Family
David Steward family apart from wife includes his parents Harold Lloyd Steward and Dorothy Elizabeth Massingale. David was one of their eight children.
His Dad Is Harold Lloyd Steward
David Steward father Harold Lloyd Steward was a mechanic. Mr. Steward also worked as a janitor and trash collector.
Harold was born in 1925 and spent most of his life in Chicago. He married Dorothy and became a father of eight kids.
Harold Lloyd moved to Clinton, Missouri, with his family in 1953. The family lived in a segregated area in the town. The family lived in poverty and discrimination.
Harold passed away in 1999 at the age of 74, leaving behind his widow and eight children. Sadly, he couldn’t witness his son, David, make it to the list of billionaires.
His Mom Is Dorothy Elizabeth Massingale
David Steward mother Dorothy Elizabeth Massingale is a homemaker. Dorothy was a proud mother of eight children.
David founded the Harold and Dorothy Center for Jazz in St. Louis in 2014. The then-86-year-old Dorothy inaugurated the music institution by cutting the ribbon. She was helped by her grandson, David Steward II.
The beloved mother of the Steward siblings passed away in 2020, aged 92. David immortalized his parents by naming the institution after them. This is the epitome of love for parents.
David was inspired by his mother’s love for Jazz music to establish the institution. Dorothy was David’s first piano teacher while he was growing up in Missouri. The billionaire claims that his mother had a tremendous voice.
For the Stewards, music was a family affair. David has said in the media that all eight of them were good at playing at least one instrument.
David And Thelma Has Two Children
David Steward and Thelma Steward kids include their son David Steward II and daughter Kimberly Steward.
Both of them are entrepreneurs and film producers.
1. Daughter Kimberly Steward
David Steward daughter Kimberly Steward is a film producer. She is the owner of the production company K Period Media.
Kimberly has served as the producer of hit films including Manchester By the Sea, Suspiria, and Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographer and the Emergence of a People.
Kimberly’s film from 2016, Manchester By the Sea, was nominated for the Academy Awards. She became the second black woman producer after Oprah Winfrey to have their film nominated for an Oscar.
Kimberly developed an interest in films because of her mother, Thelma, who was a film buff. Her mother introduces young Kimberly to directors including Bergman, Kubrick, and Polan-ski.
Kimberly had a knack for entrepreneurship from a very young age. She started her first-ever business of events and bridal planning service, at the age of 19.
After college, she relocated to New York and worked as a fashion assistant at Women’s Wear Daily.
In 2010, the young aspirant established the Kess Agency for makeup artists and photographers. While working at the agency, she met Lauren Beck, and the two decided to venture into the movie business.
2. Son David Steward II
David Steward son David Steward II is a film producer. He is the founder and CEO of the portfolio company called Polarity.
Polarity, founded in 2018, oversees portfolios of companies with content offerings including graphic novels and comics, animated television, streaming and cinematic features, and gaming.
Steward II is also the founder of the production company, Lion Forge Animation Studios based in St. Louis. The studio partnered with Nine PBS on the multimedia literacy initiative Drawn In.
In 2019, Steward II’s Lion Forge produced Hair Love which earned him an Academy Award. His other film and TV series include Rhymes through Times, Eraced, and Drawn In.
David graduated from the American University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.) in International Marketing. He completed his schooling in 1995 at mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School.
After completing his studies, David Jr. served as CEO of PhotographX from 2000 to 2006. In 2010, he started working at Lion Forge Comics as a Managing Member before he was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2019.
David Steward II is active on Instagram under @lionforgedave with over 1.1K followers. You can follow his profile to keep posted about his recent endeavors.
The Stewart Family Has A Net Worth In Billions
David Steward net worth is valued at $6 billion dollars as of 2023. Steward made his eye-watering fortune with his IT company World Wide Technology.
Forbes listed David Steward as the second richest Black billionaire in the US in 2019. He is behind the Vista Equity owner, Robert F. Smith, who has a net worth of $8 billion.
The 71-year-old is the founder of the largest African-American-owned business, World Wide Technology. According to a Forbes report, The IT company with customers like Citi, Verizon, and the federal government, has a total valuation of $14.5 billion as of 2023.
Steward entered the Forbes billionaire list in 2019 with a total net worth of $3 billion. He created history by being one of the only four Black billionaires in the US.
Inspired by the work ethic of his father, David started his entrepreneurial venture with Transportation Business Specialists by borrowing $2,000 from his father. Later, he started his second company, transport Administration Services.
Steward’s business venture culminated with the foundation of World Wide Technology (WWT) in 1990. The company started with a few dedicated and hard-working employees in a small office. Now, it employs over 9,000 people around the globe.
In 2018, Steward donated $1.3 million to the University of Missouri-St. Louis to create the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies.
Kimberly Steward Net Worth
Kimberly Steward has amassed a huge fortune as an entrepreneur and a movie producer.
According to the Married Biography article, the daughter of billionaire David Steward, has a total net worth of $10 million. She is the founder of the production company K Period Media.