Age: 35
Occupation: Associate director of finance
Email: asteiner@springfieldymca.org
Education: Over 30 Y-USA leadership and development certifications.
Family: Engaged to Michelle Graven; cats, Remy and Roo
Affiliations/community activities:
Springfield YMCA’s SNAPping Turtles, Saturday Strikers, Strong Kids, Team River Runner and Leadership Springfield
What led you to your career? My family inspires me: my mother’s 40-year career at the YMCA, my father volunteered with the Boy Scouts as a swim coach and a mentor, my brother’s 25 years of service to our country.
What do you wish your younger self had known when you started on this path? Being right does not matter if you cannot get people to buy in. I mistakenly gave orders instead of uniting a team with a common goal and purpose.
What is your guiding principle in life? My grandparents’ wisdom, “Virtue is not about the strength you show through your own trials and tribulations but the strength you give to others to help them through theirs.”
What obstacles have you overcome in your career path? Mistakes are obstacles if you refuse to learn from them.
What has been your greatest professional achievement? The Stormy Webster Award for outstanding aquatics director, which is an award my mother received — my biggest mentor.
What’s the best purchase (under $100) you’ve made in the last six months? S’mores Oreos.
This article appears in July SBJ 2026.