Successful Journey Started at Derham Hall, Lead to Supporting the School Ever Since
Greta Cunningham ‘23, Communications Intern
September 22, 2023
With decades of CFO and board experience, LeAnne Matthews Stewart ’83 has been a transformational financial expert in a variety of industries, from healthcare to civil construction. In her view, the journey started during her four years at Derham Hall, leading her to support the school ever since.
“When I was in middle school, my best friend’s mom really wanted her to go to Derham, so my friend asked if I could try to go with her,” said Stewart. “I asked my parents if they would be willing to send me, and they were totally on board. I had to take two different city buses to get there and wait in the dark through the winter, but my parents were super supportive. I ended up loving it.”
Another stalwart source of support for Stewart was Brian Lundell of the math department.
“I would say that Mr. Lundell was my favorite teacher,” she said. “He drove us to higher levels in math, higher really than what any of us thought we could do. He pushed and encouraged us all the way through higher levels of calculus.”
When Stewart started at the College of Saint Benedict, she continued along that path.
“My original plan was to be a math major because of my great experience at Derham. I loved the numbers, but as I continued studying the degree, I wanted more practical applications for what I was learning, so I started looking at a business degree,” she said. “One of the first classes you needed for a business degree was an accounting class, and I hated it. I thought I knew for sure that accounting wasn’t for me, but after the second class, it clicked. It was numbers, it was practical applications, and it was business– it had everything I wanted.”
Stewart credits Derham Hall with her easy adjustment to college academics once she arrived.
“My time at Derham was fundamentally life-changing. I was the first in my family to go to college, so the concept of a college prep school was important for me,” she said. When I got to Saint Ben’s, I think I was more prepared for what it took to go to classes, take notes, and study for exams than some other women coming from different schools.”
The resources she’d been able to acquaint herself with in high school became powerful tools in college.
“One of the high school classes that stands out to me now was typing. At the time, I didn’t understand why we were doing it, but it became such an important skill,” Stewart said. “I typed papers for all my friends in college, not to mention my own, and when word processors and computers came around, I already had a head start.”
Stewart has remained a dedicated and active member of the Saint Ben’s community, today serving as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for both Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s as part of an innovative model for school governance she helped pioneer: while the schools remain separate entities, they’re now governed by one president and have the same individuals on each of their boards of trustees.
“My service to Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s is a really big part of who I am and what I really enjoy doing. I loved my experience at Saint Ben’s,” she said. “For a long, long time, Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s have had strong relationships with each other, but more recently, just in the last four years or so, we’ve developed a one of its kind governance model for the two schools. We’re trying something that hasn’t been done before, and it’s been fascinating to work though that and collaborate with the founding monastic partners. The intent is to ensure this governance model enables Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s to continue to be successful and create the leaders of the future, like they has for over a hundred years.”
After earning an accounting degree from Saint Ben’s, Stewart started working for Ernst & Young.
“While at EY, I was thinking about doing a graduate degree, but, having been the first in my family to go to college, I didn’t really know what that meant or what I wanted to do. I thought about law school at first, even though I didn’t want to be a lawyer, because you study a decent amount of law as part of your accounting degree, and I thought it might be interesting to learn more,” she said. “Ultimately, I had a mentor at EY from the Harvard Business School, and he epitomized what I could see as the value in a business degree. He helped me pick what schools to apply to and was the first person I called when I got in.”
Stewart got her MBA from the Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania’s business school, and later received a certificate in corporate governance, Effectiveness and Accountability in the Boardroom, from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Her time at EY became a launch pad for a career of varied interests and opportunities.
“I’ve spanned a wide variety of industries, which really started with my time at EY where, you name it, I probably worked in it, from IT to mutual funds to manufacturers of heart valves or water purifying systems,” she said. “Now, I’ve worked in both the public sector and private equity sponsored companies with a functional expertise primarily in finance and managing the administrative functions of companies.”
This expanse of applications is what Stewart loves about her work.
“I’ve always said that accounting is accounting and finance is finance, but using them in different companies and different industries is what I think is fun. I just think they’re fascinating,” she said. “Even though my recent CFO and board experience has been more healthcare focused, behavioral health is completely different from radiation oncology, which is completely different from pet healthcare. I love learning about what makes each successful, what drives scalability and efficiency for a great company that’s a great place for people to work.”
Some of Stewart’s recent work has been in conjunction with Ivy Rehab Physical Therapy, Thrive Pet Healthcare, and United Urology Group. In 2021, she was named CFO of the year by the Philadelphia Business Journal for her time at Axia’s Women’s Health. Today, she primarily focuses on advising boards of directors and management teams through the LeAnne Company, LLC.
“When I’m deciding who to work with, it’s really about the values of the organization and what they’re trying to achieve,” she said. “Are they good people? Are they trying to do the right thing? How are they going about their goals?”
In 2018, CDH recognized Stewart for the eminence of this ethical leadership with the Carondelet Award, which is offered annually to a Derham Hall alum who represents the charisms of the Sisters of St. Joseph and excellence in her field. Stewart has further exemplified these values in her staunch support of CDH’s students.
“I believe in providing access to experiences like I had. My parents were able to afford to send me to Derham, and it changed my life, but I know that’s not an option for everyone. So, if I can help others, that’s important to me,” she said. “I want to ensure that we continue to invest in the school so it can continue to be the great education I had with the best co-curriculars, from sports to theater. I want it to prepare our students for everything life’s adventure is going to offer them.”
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