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Steve Distante

Stephen Distante is the CEO (or as Steve likes to be called, “Chief Entrepreneurial Officer”) of Vanderbilt Financial Group, which was founded in 1965. As the leader of Vanderbilt, Steve serves the advisors and clients by responsibly managing the firm and by instilling a culture of compliance, kindness, and helpfulness. His most impactful purpose is to ensure that all facets of the company are working effectively and efficiently while always looking for the next, smarter, and better way to do things. Steve keeps constant focus on the big picture and working on the business not in the business. He also holds the Vanderbilt Management Team accountable for preserving the vision and goals of the firm to ensure its success and longevity. A key ideal held among the Management Team is being in alignment. As Steve puts it—“We all have our oars in the water and rowing the same way!”

I HAVE A DREAM - Our first event towards SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Posted by Steve Distante on 8/20/20 4:51 PM

When I first heard Stephon Ferguson perform a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I felt like I was transformed back into the era of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The richness of Stephon’s voice, his precise movement and the intentions of his words all perfectly match with the most famous orator of our time. I knew that we needed Stephon at this moment to bring us back to the days of Dr. King and allow his words to once again heal a nation reeling from issues of injustice, inequalities and inequities. His performance allows us to relive this historic moment viscerally and better understand how the context of Dr. King's words are still incredibly relevant today.

On Juneteenth of this year, Vanderbilt Financial Group made a public commitment to UN Sustainable Development G oal 10: Reduced Inequalities. This event is the first in a series meant to further the conversation we as entrepreneurs, Financial Professionals, and humans can have in exposing and dismantling systemic racism. We felt an important first step was to look back on the words and dream of unification between all races that Dr. King preached. Stephon and his reenactment of “I HAVE A DREAM” lets us feel the significance of Dr. King’s words in the context of our current times.