More on Steven E. Fitch MBA. . .

I was born in the early seventies in Chicago, IL (south side). I grew up in a small family of four (2 girls, 2 boys) with my mom, in a small, but family oriented community (Maple Park).  This community was special because everyone knew everyone and gave a damn about the affairs of the area. I grew up a sports fanatic... I played every sport: baseball, football, basketball (no jokes please), kick baseball, off-the-wall, get-back, pitch pennies, 4-corners, piggy, strike out, cross-country cycling (long bike rides), catch-a-girl.... let me keep it clean - but you get the picture (wink). And we played these games from sun up to sun down - no matter the weather. These types of neighborhood games kept me along with my childhood friends out of trouble and busy in a positive manner overall.

Fast forward. . .
In secret, throughout elementary school (John Whistler) and high school (Chicago Vocational - CVS), I wrote short stories and poetry - short silly stories and poetry, but never really developed my writing skills,  especially since I was convinced by counselors that it wouldn't pay the bills.  In the meantime, I had to find a job to assist my mom and pay for things I wanted... I landed my first official job, where FICA was automatically taken out of my checks, as an inventory management specialist - a glorified title for a stock boy at F.W. Woolworth.  This job taught me a lot. In fact, it showed me what it feels like to really earn your keep, as well as made me respect the value of money.

In high school (CVS), I studied architecture (traditional and computer-aid drafting), where I just knew I would be able to design my own mansion that had never been seen before. Unfortunately, that all changed when I wasn't able to attend the college of my choice due to lack of $$$. So, I did what any person would do that didn't want to make a career of asking "paper or plastic," I applied to every local university and college in my area. If I had a dollar for every ounce of desire I had, I would be Trump wealthy!

But any hoot, I received a couple of acceptance letters, but again based on $$$, I had four choices: be all I could be (military), community college, an affordable south side university, or curbside university. Well, the latter was out of the question.  I knew I had to work, not only hard in the classroom, but I had to keep a job to help pay for things... 

With that being said, I was accepted and started attending Chicago State University (CSU), where I knew I wanted to do something with computers, since I was exposed to them during my  high school days.  This worked out okay since I had a decent, full-time job and was able to stay at home with mom.

During this time, my mother introduced me to a senior partner at Arthur Andersen™. To be honest, during that time I didn't know who or what Arthur Andersen™ was, but since he was a partner of a company, and my mother knew him, it had to be something good. To make a long-story short, we met and had an informal interview, where I can remember him challenging me to think outside of the box and one of his questions was the infamous in five years, where will you be? That question was poised to a 19 year old, low-middle class kid, who didn't really know... so I told him the first thing that came to my mind "work towards having your job or at least parallel in the organization." Apparently that was the right answer (if there was one), we shook hands and he gave me a full tour of the beautiful, executive wing of the company (35th & 36th floor) including the spiral staircase. I knew then that this was the lifestyle I wanted. . . didn't know how I was going to get there, but I wanted it. Shortly after this meeting and while still in school (CSU), I was hired to work in the telecom (telephone communication) department where I assisted with fax transmissions (yup - faxes) and telephone infrastructure. About nine months after joining Andersen™, I transferred (or received promotion) to the Information Systems department, where I became a DBA (database administrator).  This position provided me with a wealth of knowledge and information about the technology sector, that in retrospect, is purely invaluable.

Going into my last semester of school, an opportunity fell into my lap  that I couldn't ignore nor turn down.  I decided to leave Andersen™ and advance my career by accepting a position with the City of Chicago - Budget Department, where I was the Systems Administrator, in which I oversaw the small, yet complex systems of this department.

Along this journey, I rekindled a small fire with my wife Cynthia, who I met in high school (CVS).  We both attend Chicago state where I majored in Computer science and she majored in Accounting. We later married in 1993 and now have a daughter, Jazmine Lanee' (7). Cynthia is currently a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Illinois.

My life was going great - married, educated and running a steady marathon-style pace with my career.  Even though, the experience of being the main technical person in a department was monumental, the political atmosphere was a little more than I could handle at that time of my life (career). See, when the head of the department passed away, Alderman Lemuel Austin, Jr., my job became, well, under scrutiny - meaning who ever took over his position, could, and usually brought in their own staff.  Thus, I didn't want to give someone else that much control over my personal welfare, so I began to look for greener pastures.

Soon thereafter, I accepted a position, at my current employer (an investment firm in Chicago), where I oversee Information Technology (hardware).

Also at CSU, I pledge, the only real fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Incorporated (Theta Zeta Khapter - Spring 1989), and met a ton of friends, most of which,  I still have a relationship.

My career endeavors, as well as academic experiences have allowed me to be affiliated with a select group of successful information systems’ professionals who specialize in many different platforms, such as design and implementation of hardware, software development, internet design and security, technical writing, network operating systems design, and support, as well as other business industry professionals, such as accounting, marketing, real estate, retail, etc… This diverse expertise allows us to create an environment rich with the elements required to successfully meet today's business requirements, while planning for tomorrow's unforeseen advances.

And finally, I have self-published my first book, Digital Divide: An Equation Needing A Solution, which examines the widening gap between those with basic technical skills and access to information via computers, and those without such access. The book is available right now via Lulu and Amazon®. 

I am continuously working to identify other resources and expertise necessary to achieve my objectives and those around me. If you would like to collaborate on a project, feel free to contact me, or click here to read even further.  I look forward to hearing from you.

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