Steven received his bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri - Columbia in 1995, and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1999.  While in law school, Steven interned with the Missouri Public Defender's Office in their capital post-conviction unit. He began his career with stints as an assistant prosecuting attorney, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Assistant Attorney General.  Steven left the prosecution side of the criminal justice system in 2015, when he joined a private firm in Columbia, Missouri, where the bulk of his practice centered around state criminal defense and serving as appointed counsel for indigent defendants in federal court.  Steven joined the Federal Public Defender's office as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in 2017.