Thelma Steward is a registered nurse and philanthropist from St. Louis, Missouri, best known as the co-founder of the Steward Family Foundation and wife of World Wide Technology chairman David Steward. Her personal net worth is tied to the Steward family’s estimated $11.4 billion fortune, accumulated through WWT and related ventures.
Who Is Thelma Steward? A Quick Background
Thelma Steward is a registered nurse and philanthropist based in St. Louis, Missouri. She trained at the St. Louis Municipal School of Nursing and worked in hospital nurseries before co-founding the Steward Family Foundation in 2013 with her husband, David Steward.
If you’ve searched “Thelma Steward Lennar,” you’re probably looking for one of two things — either a board or business connection to the homebuilder Lennar Corporation, or you’ve mixed up search terms entirely. To be clear: Thelma Steward has no documented professional role at Lennar. Her career is rooted in nursing and philanthropy, not real estate development. This article covers the real story.
She’s not the loudest name in the room. Thelma Steward is a reminder that lasting influence doesn’t require a public platform — it requires a clear set of values, sustained effort, and the willingness to direct resources toward structural change instead of visible credit.
Early Life and Education
Thelma Steward was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and trained as a nurse at the St. Louis Municipal School of Nursing. Growing up, generosity was modeled at home before it was ever a career choice.
Her mother, Dorothy, was an early role model. As a teenager, Thelma recalls canvassing the neighborhood to raise money for multiple sclerosis. That wasn’t a one-off — it was the beginning of a lifelong pattern.
From Nursing School to Hospital Floors
Early in her career, she worked as a registered nurse in the newborn and premature nursery at the former Homer G. Phillips Hospital, laying the foundation for a lifelong commitment to care and service.
She later joined Barnes-Jewish Hospital, another cornerstone institution in St. Louis. Working in newborn units — where care is constant, margins are thin, and stakes are high — shaped how she would later approach philanthropy: with precision, not sentiment.
Thelma Steward Income and Net Worth Explained
The Family Fortune Behind the Name
Thelma Steward doesn’t draw a salary in the traditional sense. Her income and wealth are directly linked to the Steward family’s business empire, anchored by World Wide Technology.
David Steward has firmly established himself as the wealthiest Black person in America. His remarkable ascent has seen his net worth soar to $11.4 billion — a significant jump from $7.6 billion just a year prior.
As David’s wife and co-founder of the family’s philanthropic arm, Thelma Steward’s financial standing is part of this shared wealth. Her reported net worth as of 2024 sits at approximately $7.6 billion, though some estimates now place the combined Steward family fortune closer to $11 billion following WWT’s continued growth.
How the Steward Wealth Was Built
In 1990, with little capital but a lot of faith, David Steward founded World Wide Technology in St. Louis. The early years were tough — there were times when WWT struggled financially, barely able to make payroll.
Today, WWT generates over $20 billion in annual revenue and is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States. Steward has been on committees and boards that include Civic Progress of St. Louis, the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, Missouri Technology Corporation, Webster University, and BJC Health System, among others.
Thelma was not a passive bystander. When WWT was founded on Weldon Parkway with five employees and 4,000 square feet, both David and Thelma were former Sunday school teachers and believers that “faith without corresponding works is dead.” That shared conviction ran through every stage of WWT’s growth.
Thelma Steward vs. Lennar CEO Net Worth (Clarification)
Many searches pair Thelma Steward’s name with Lennar — a common confusion worth addressing directly. Here’s a quick comparison to separate the two:
| Figure | Company/Role | Estimated Net Worth |
|---|---|---|
| Thelma Steward | WWT (co-owner/family) | ~$7.6B–$11.4B (family est.) |
| Stuart Miller | Lennar (Executive Chairman) | ~$2.5B (per Forbes estimates) |
| David Steward | WWT (Founder/Chairman) | $11.4B (Forbes 400, 2024) |
Thelma Steward and Lennar are unrelated. The Lennar CEO net worth searches appear to land near her name due to keyword clustering in SEO tools — not any actual connection.
Thelma Steward’s Business and Philanthropic Role
Co-Founding the Steward Family Foundation
In 2013, David and Thelma established the Steward Family Foundation to support education, health, the arts, and community development. To understand how this foundation actually operates on the ground, read our full breakdown: The Steward Family Foundation: Philanthropy That Actually Moves the Needle in St. Louis. This wasn’t a vanity project. It was structured with long-term commitments in mind.
Through the foundation, the Stewards have provided millions in donations to causes related to education, youth development, military families, and underserved communities. Thelma’s nursing background directly shaped where much of that funding goes.
The Nursing Scholarship That Bears Her Name
One of the clearest markers of her personal priorities is a scholarship she created herself.
She helped create the “Thelma Steward Future Nurse of Excellence Scholarship” at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing — a full-tuition award for African American nursing students designed to increase diversity in the nursing field.
This scholarship isn’t symbolic. Full tuition at a competitive nursing program can run $30,000–$60,000 per year. The commitment is real and repeating.
Board Positions and Civic Work
Through her role on boards like the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, she helps expand arts access and strengthen community programs. The Steward Family Foundation supports scholarships, nursing programs, and youth initiatives, giving underserved populations real opportunities to thrive.
She also serves as a board member at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. These aren’t ceremonial roles — they represent consistent, long-term civic engagement across multiple sectors.
Thelma Steward’s Lifestyle
How the Stewards Actually Live
Despite holding a combined fortune that places them among the wealthiest families in America, the Stewards don’t chase visibility. When asked to be featured as Most Dynamic People, David’s first response was, “Are you sure you’ve got the right people?” That humility filters through everything — including how they live.
The family is based in St. Louis. They haven’t relocated to New York, Miami, or Silicon Valley. Their philanthropy stays local because their roots do too.
Faith as a Lifestyle Anchor
The spirit of community care, combined with the family’s faith and civic engagement, has inspired Thelma to pursue volunteering, church leadership, and support for vulnerable populations throughout her life.
This is worth naming directly: the Stewards are devout Christians, and that faith isn’t separate from their lifestyle or business approach — it runs through all of it. David and Thelma, both former Sunday school teachers, operate on the belief that faith requires action.
Giving at Scale
The Stewards donated $1 million to the United Way of Greater St. Louis through its Charmaine Chapman Society, making them among the first African American philanthropists in the region to reach this level of annual giving.
That’s not a one-time headline. It reflects a sustained pattern of charitable investment that’s been consistent across decades.
Thelma Steward Family: Husband, Children, and Legacy
Married to David Steward Since 1976
Thelma Steward is married to David L. Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology. They’ve been together for close to 50 years — a partnership that has survived startup struggles, billion-dollar growth, and public scrutiny.
Steward frequently credits his family as a vital source of support and grounding throughout his business journey. Despite his billionaire status, he prioritizes maintaining a close-knit family and instilling values of faith, hard work, and humility in his children.
Children Who Carry the Mission Forward
The Steward children didn’t coast on the family name.
Kimberly is an Oscar-nominated film producer, and David II leads Lion Forge Animation, a media company dedicated to diverse storytelling.
Both children built careers with purpose, not just ambition. Kimberly’s production work addresses representation in media. David II’s animation company explicitly focuses on diverse narratives. The family philosophy shows up in their professional choices.
A Multigenerational Impact Model
What makes the Steward family’s legacy notable isn’t just the money — it’s the structure. The foundation, the scholarship, the board seats, the community giving — all of it is built to outlast any individual’s involvement. Thelma’s role in designing that structure is central, even when her name isn’t the one in the headlines.
Awards, Recognition, and Public Legacy
Formal Honors
In 2014, she received an honorary degree from Saint Louis University, celebrating her remarkable contributions to healthcare, education, and community development. She and her husband were also awarded the Jane and Whitney Harris St. Louis Community Service Award in 2008, honoring their sustained philanthropic efforts across the region.
She has also been recognized as Variety the Children’s Charity’s Woman of the Year in St. Louis.
These aren’t honorary plaques on a shelf. Each one represents a different institution’s acknowledgment of impact that goes back years.
Why Her Story Gets Overlooked
Thelma Steward doesn’t run a company with her name on the door, doesn’t have a social media presence, and doesn’t seek press coverage. Most of what she’s built lives inside institutions — a scholarship program, a foundation, a hospital nursery that shaped her values before she ever had money to invest.
That’s actually what makes her story worth knowing. Influence built on systems and relationships tends to last longer than influence built on visibility.
FAQ: Thelma Steward
Q1: Who is Thelma Steward? Thelma Steward is a registered nurse, philanthropist, and community leader from St. Louis, Missouri. She’s best known as the wife of World Wide Technology founder David Steward and co-founder of the Steward Family Foundation, established in 2013.
Q2: What is Thelma Steward’s net worth? Thelma Steward’s personal fortune is part of the broader Steward family wealth. The family’s combined estimated net worth stands at approximately $11.4 billion as of 2024, making David Steward the wealthiest Black person in America according to the Forbes 400.
Q3: Does Thelma Steward have a connection to Lennar? No. There’s no documented professional or board relationship between Thelma Steward and Lennar Corporation, the publicly traded homebuilder. The “Thelma Steward Lennar” search combination appears to be the result of keyword grouping tools, not any real connection.
Q4: What does Thelma Steward do professionally? Her background is in registered nursing, with early career roles at Homer G. Phillips Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. Since co-founding the Steward Family Foundation, she’s focused on philanthropic work in healthcare, education, and the arts. She also serves on boards including the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.
Q5: What is the Thelma Steward Future Nurse of Excellence Scholarship? It’s a full-tuition scholarship at Barnes-Jewish College Goldfarb School of Nursing, created to increase the number of African American nurses in the profession. The scholarship was inspired directly by Thelma Steward’s own nursing career.
Q6: How long have Thelma and David Steward been married? They married in 1976 — nearly five decades of partnership that has run parallel to the founding and growth of World Wide Technology.
Q7: What are Thelma Steward’s children doing now? Her daughter Kimberly Steward is an Oscar-nominated film producer and CEO of K Period Media. Her son David Steward II leads Lion Forge Animation, a media company focused on diverse storytelling.
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