HEY THERE, TSAE Family! I’m Steven Stout, and I’ve had the pleasure of serving as the Executive Director here at TSAE for nearly seven years. Before that, I was a member of TSAE for 10 years serving, with many of you, on numerous TSAE committees and eventually the TSAE Board of Directors.
As the leader of TSAE, I wear many hats, but my primary focus is working with the TSAE Board of Directors through our strategic direction of the organization, and I also get to manage the incredible TSAE staff. I am very lucky to work with a board that actually “gets it” when I or the team talk about what we do on a daily basis. Plus, I enjoy getting to know our board and their own organizations, learning about their efforts in the industries they serve. I can’t say enough good things about the TSAE staff and the heart they put into their work. Just know we truly have the best of the best standing at the ready to help you at TSAE.
Now the staff will attest I am a bit of a talker, and always have been, which has sometimes gotten me into deep waters. The only trouble I ever got into during school was for talking too much – still have copies of the detention slips for it. When TSAE takes me in various towns throughout Texas, I try to reach out to members in those areas so I can get a chance to meet and connect with all of you to hear about the fantastic things you are doing every day as well as some of the headaches you face on a regular basis. My hope is that TSAE can celebrate your wins but also assist with those challenges.
All of this plays out in my personal life, too, as my favorite Friday night activity is to meet up with a friend or two or three or four, enjoy a good meal, and talk – whether we solve the world’s problems in that time or just offer support to each other.
I have always had a passion for animals – mainly rescue animals. Dogs played a big role in my life growing up and now I am the lucky pet parent of a rescue dog, Dot, and a three-legged cat named Streak. If you ever want to talk about pets, I am your person; just be warned, if you ask me “Do you have any pictures?” I WILL keep you all day showing you multiple photos of my pets doing absolutely nothing – 20 different ways. We truly don’t deserve our pets, but my life is enriched by having them be a part of it.
Music is always playing in my house. I love music, especially live music – one of the draws that brought me to live in Austin. I’ve been a die-hard music lover since, well, forever. Back in the day, I was the proud owner of a jaw-dropping LP collection – because vinyl was cool before it was cool again. My CD collection was basically a library, and I practically lived at concerts. I even bought indie artist CDs out of their little suitcase setups. Yep, I was that guy at the side of the stage with cash in hand.
My music obsession led me down the radio DJ path. Meeting famous and not-so-famous musicians, expanding my CD collection, and getting the inside scoop on the music biz – what a blast! Plus, it honed my talking skills to perfection. You never know if the rockstar you’re interviewing will be a chatterbox or as quiet as a mouse.
Nowadays, I might not hit as many concerts as I’d like, but I’m always on the lookout for fresh talent and enjoying the classics. I’m also a movie buff! Films are my escape from reality, whether it’s solving mysteries, traveling to new worlds, or just having a good laugh (or scream). Catch me at a local movie theater, popcorn in hand, soaking up the latest blockbusters or revisiting old-time classics. There’s nothing like the magic of a movie theater – the collective gasps or laughter.
In a nutshell, I’m all about stories – the ones told through music, the ones seen on the big screen, and, most importantly, the ones shared by all of you. So, I can’t wait to connect with those of you I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting yet and hear your amazing stories. After all, life is better when you’ve got a great story to tell.
