Yale School of Management - Steve Denne '86

"Yale SOM has a unique mission and strong sense of community. It gave me business skills and a multi-sector perspective that I have applied since in many roles in the nonprofit world. By far the most valuable learning for me was about forming and leading teams and building organizations."

Steve Denne is currently the chief operating officer of Heifer International. He manages all of Heifer’s global operations including values-based community development, education and advocacy programs, marketing and fundraising, and financial and administrative systems.

Heifer International is a $110 million nonprofit organization that operates in more than 50 countries. Its unique approach to sustainable, holistic community development through livestock, "passing on the gift," and its other cornerstones assist almost 2 million families annually. It also operates four learning centers and provides school and congregational material that touches 400,000 Americans each year to educate them on the causes and solutions to global hunger, poverty and environmental degradation.

Prior to joining Heifer, Denne had a multi-faceted career with the American Red Cross for 26 years. His last Red Cross position was as the vice president of strategic fundraising Initiative, a multi-year effort to transform Red Cross fundraising nationwide. Denne’s other professional experiences within the Red Cross included positions in fundraising, health and safety programs, national programs management, regional management, strategic planning and government relations. Additionally, he spent two years on loan from the Red Cross to the Department of Defense, where he worked at the Pentagon with a special projects group to address economic and performance issues related to the post-cold war drawdown of U.S. military forces and the Persian Gulf War.

Denne received an MBA from the Yale School of Management, after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and English with high honors from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.

Denne is a member of the Denison Alumni Council and serves on the Board of the Arkansas Boathouse Club.

Denne and his wife, Eileen, have two daughters, Callie and Julia. He enjoys baseball, music, and also competes in masters-level rowing.