Chief Operating & Integration Officer (COIO)

Jim Steddum is a 30+ year U.S. Army veteran, organizational development leader, and doctoral candidate known for building systems that make organizations more capable, connected, and resilient.

He serves as Chief Operating & Integration Officer (COIO) at Cynosure Connect, where he drives execution across product, partnerships, and delivery, aligning teams and infrastructure to scale with precision and clarity.

With over three decades of experience in leadership, program design, and enterprise knowledge management, Jim also designs and delivers graduate-level leadership instruction to mid-career and senior military professionals, focusing on organizational behavior and resilience. He is the Managing Editor of Strength in Knowledge, an Army-level professional journal, and a member of the Army’s Strengthening the Army Profession Council, where he represents warrant officer and civilian cohorts.

Previously, Jim served as Senior Technical Advisor for Career Management and Knowledge Systems with the Department of the Army, leading enterprise knowledge strategy for a large, distributed workforce. He managed full career lifecycle systems and secured institutional approval and funding for two professional education programs. His work earned him national-level engagement alongside counterparts from NASA and the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as a role within the Department of Defense Joint Knowledge Management Working Group.

Beyond his formal roles, Jim is a trusted leader within the veteran community. He holds leadership positions within the VFW at the post, district, and Department of Alabama levels, connecting veterans and their families to critical resources. His work reflects a deep understanding of the culture and trust required to engage this community, including innovative approaches such as leveraging video gaming through Combat Tested Gaming as a mental health access point. He recognizes that the greatest barrier in veteran mental health is not the absence of solutions, but the trust required to deliver them.

Jim is completing his Doctor of Strategic Leadership at Liberty University, complementing graduate work in human resource management, national security studies, and executive leadership. Across every role, his work is grounded in a clear conviction: the right systems, built for the right people, can close the gap between where someone is and where they need to be.