Steve Havemann

Executive director, St. Vincent de Paul

Age: 39

Children: Zoe Havemann

Mentor: Jim Wachuta, retired federal investigator 

Reasons he is a Forty: Steve increased the number of individuals served by St. Vincent de Paul from 7,500 to over 33,000 locally. He helped develop and roll out two nationally replicated programs through the St. Vincent de Paul network. He published “The Excellent Persuader,” his first book, co-authored posthumously with his grandfather Joe D. Batten. He is a member of the national St. Vincent de Paul board of directors.

What are your goals in your role at your company? My mission is to help those we serve reach their God-given potential. We do so by meeting their basic needs first, moving on to continuing education, job attainment, ongoing follow-up and service options, with the end goal of reaching self-sufficiency. This creates a family culture of self-sufficiency, providing a brighter future to younger generations. We offer this work with the key values of dignity, kindness, respect and ever-stretching expectations.

What are your goals for your community involvement? In my role, I also aim to continue to champion the replication of our evidence-based programs (Back2Work and Immersion Reentry) across the United States. Additionally, I want to use the lessons learned through my work and personal journeys to complete my second book. Also, I hope to get involved in enhancing the accessibility of tennis facilities in Des Moines.

What's your biggest passion, and why? My biggest passion is being a good dad, setting an example for my daughter, and continuing to learn and grow as time moves forward. While my work motivates me to help others reach their full potential, I recognize how critical my role is in helping my daughter build a healthy, happy life, especially as a single dad.

What is it that drives you? Growing up, I wasn't rich financially, but I was rich with family, love, mentorship, values and education. My grandfather Joe D. Batten was an internationally recognized author, speaker and consultant. He was my best friend and my mentor. As he lay dying in hospice, I promised him I would take care of our family and I would carry his work forward. That is the crux of my mission today.

As a result, a key goal is to grow St. Vincent de Paul (locally and through my position on the national board) in order to help individuals and families address whatever type of poverty is plaguing their life/lives. 

What are your future aspirations? In the future, my goal is to continue to develop and grow opportunities to positively impact the entire state of Iowa. This may be through long-term growth at St. Vincent de Paul, serving in public office, or starting a human resource development firm focused on helping organizations think, act and behave more positively and productively. 

Three hobbies: Golf, tennis and traveling (as COVID allows).

Fun fact: I am fascinated by the country of Wales, and can't wait to go back.

One word to describe you: Opportunist.

What is your wish for the Central Iowa business community? My wish for Central Iowa is that we retain our identity as innovators, leaders and problem solvers. Too many legendary Central Iowa businesses are changing hands to ownership outside of our state, which will hurt us long-term. I wish our schools would get more funding, creating better public education opportunities for children in our community, and I wish we could be less reliant on screens for communication and more reliant on humans.

Anything else you haven't addressed that people must know about you? Gratitude is always my theme. I am grateful to be a dad, an Iowan, a community leader, an author and the executive director of St. Vincent de Paul. There were some real lessons learned along the way, and I am grateful to have learned from them.

What's one piece of advice that you would give to a young professional? Set your dreams and goals and grind it out until you get there. Nothing great is accomplished without hard work and thought, nor is it accomplished with ease. Learn written communication, it really makes an impact. Build on strengths, don't dwell on weaknesses.

What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address? Investing in our residents and our entrepreneurial leaders is critical to the ongoing success of Des Moines. It would be amazing to see Iowans earn more leadership roles within their companies so that we can retain and attract top talent. If we invest in our own people, local graduates, and give local leaders next-level opportunities, we can build an even stronger workforce in Central Iowa. The current workforce shortage is a serious issue that we need to fix together.