Lisa Nichols
Co-Founder
Lisa Nichols is the CEO and co-founder of Technology Partners (TPI), a Women-Business Enterprise and provider of premier IT staffing, solutions, and software. Lisa and her husband Greg founded Technology Partners in 1994 driven by their passion to revolutionize the staffing industry with their transparent business model. They co-lead the business today. Greg and Lisa have made it their priority from day one to create mutual wins for their employees, clients, and the communities in which Technology Partners operates. This has in large part led to Technology Partners winning many awards, most recently including:
- Being named a Top Workplace by the St. Louis Post Dispatch in 2018–2021
- Additional recognition in 2018 for Best Work/Life Flexibility
- Best of Staffing – Diamond Status by ClearlyRated
- “Best of Staffing” means their customers and clients rate their customer service as world-class, with an NPS score greater than 80%, 3x the industry average.
- Largest Temporary Staffing Firm for 2020 by St. Louis Business Journal
- 2nd Largest Software Development Firm for 2021 by St. Louis Business Journal
- One of the Most Innovative Companies in St. Louis by St. Louis Small Business Monthly
- Lisa has been named among the Most Influential Business Women by St. Louis Business Journal
Technology Partners’ 360 Degree IT services include IT Staffing, Custom Mobile and Web Applications, IT Leadership Development, and many other services.
Lisa devotes her time to many professional and philanthropic organizations including CEO Forum (board member), the YPO Christian Fellowship Network (board chair), the Missouri Technology Corporation (board member), The Rooted Sisters (board chair), Spirit of Discovery Park (board member), Marian Middle School (volunteer), the St. Louis Independence Center (volunteer), and the YWCA (volunteer).
Lisa’s most recent project is her podcast, “Something Extra” produced and recorded at Technology Partners. She interviews leaders from around the world and across the “for-profit” and “non-profit” spaces. Each episode explores the guest’s journey and what they believe is the “something extra” every true leader possesses.
Cindy Owens
Co-Founder
Cindy Owens currently serves as the first CEO for The Rooted Sisters™, a women’s ministry she co-founded six years ago after searching in St. Louis to find a place where women business leaders of faith could come together to educate, equip and empower one another to live out their faith in the workplace. This includes bible study, discipleship, business forums, and immersion leadership opportunities.
Through God’s calling, The Rooted Sisters™ launched the Christian Business Women’s Breakfast in 2017 and they have seen it grow from 325 women to over 600 in 2020. Also in 2020, the ministry received its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status. Today, God is expanding their impact and influence by growing the ministry territory in 13 different markets including Nashville, Charlotte, Dallas, West Palm, Los Angeles and Shanghai, its first international member.
Prior to that Cindy served as CEO for the American Red Cross of Missouri and Arkansas. She was responsible for Red Cross Humanitarian and blood collection services with over 2000 staff and volunteers which served more than 10.7 million people. Under her leadership, the region was one of the country’s top performing Red Cross regions with revenues exceeding $28 million. In 2017, she was recognized with the American Red Cross President’s National Award for Excellence. And in 2012, she was recognized for her local successes in emergency preparedness and was invited to sit on a White House Building Resilient Communities panel.
Cindy began her career at the Red Cross as CEO of the St. Louis Area Chapter in 2009. She navigated the organization through three organizational restructurings and regional expansions, first merging seven area chapters into the Red Cross of Eastern Missouri, then realigning Eastern and Western Missouri and Arkansas into the new Missouri and Arkansas Region.
Prior to the Red Cross, she worked as a Senior Associate and Vice President of Client Services for Innolect, Inc., an organizational development and coaching firm. She supported clients including Cricket Communications, Tenet HealthCare, Liz Claiborne and Sony.
Prior to Innolect, Cindy spent 14 years working in various leadership roles for the American Lung Association. During her tenure as CEO in New York City, she created “Operation Return Home” after the tragic events of September 11. The program educated 10,000 New York City residents and rescuers about lung health.
Cindy has served as a board member and volunteer on several non-profits and for-profit organizations. She has been a guest lecturer at Washington University and St. Louis University in St. Louis. In addition to her master’s in public administration, Cindy has studied at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and in London at an Imperial College affiliated program.