Jeff Lester (1966- ) born in St. Louis, Missouri. His family settled in Sikeston, Missouri, a town in southeast Missouri after his father finished his US Navy service as a dentist in 1969. He is an Eagle Scout and at Sikeston High School, he played varsity sports. He attended the University of Mississippi on scholarship as a freshman.

Jeff transferred to Southwest Missouri State University, now Missouri State University. He graduated in 1990 with a BS in Business Marketing. In 1993, he was applying for admission to Washington University's highly regarded M.B.A. program. Jeff was on his way to a successful business career when tragedy struck.

Jeff was diagnosed with ALS, commonly called Lou Gehrig's Disease, in 1993. He was told he had three to five years to live. After becoming a quadriplegic on a ventilator in 1997, Jeff became deeply involved in ALS matters. He was named Missouri MDA Person of the Year for his ALS work in 2006.

Jeff attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn as a full-time student starting in 2007. He graduated with Distinction with an M.B.A. and an M.S. in Finance in 2011.

Jeff lives in Lebanon, Missouri with his wife, Lisa. He has four daughters: Kelsey, Emily, Jordan, and Jessica. Three of his daughters were born after his ALS diagnosis.