Ken Steorts (pronounced 'storts') is the founder and president of Visible Music College in Memphis, Tennessee and founding guitarist of the Grammy-nominated band Skillet.
He is president of Madison Line Records, a non-profit artist development and music production company and a BMI songwriter/guitarist/band leader in his band "the beep."
As the child of an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Steorts spent his childhood and teen years in many different locations, moving eight times between 1966 and 1984 when he relocated to his current home of Memphis, Tennessee.
Specifically, he finds influence in many different bands: The Beatles, ELO, King's X, The Cars, Blondie, Foo Fighters, and Muse just to name a few.
The first of these being the words of Jesus in The Bible, also including early twentieth-century writers, C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton, novelist and artist Douglas Coupland, and pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
The Cost of Discipleship by Bonhoeffer, now known as a classic in Christian thought, had a great deal of influence in Ken's foundation for Visible Music College.
Ken and John met at church and the club 704b and spent time with their bands touring together, but were encouraged by their pastor to pursue their own side project.
In 1996 they released a well-received self-titled debut Skillet, leading them to tour the United States for the first time and continue to write new music as a trio.
[8] Ken oversees Visible Music College with 40+ employees and 120+ students from 50 states and 20 countries while developing the curriculum and programs at the school, representing the vibrant institution to the local music industry and church leaders, creating opportunities for musicians of all kinds to interact and be empowered, and forging partnerships with groups like Stax Academy (labs and tech help for students and organization), Ardent Studios (audio production coursework), and various churches and ministries around the world (Visible Events in Europe).
"She Entered Visible's so-called title IX process seeking justice and accommodations after another student violently raped her," continues the complaint, obtained by The Commercial Appeal.
Visible, bound to comply with the laws as a recipient of federal funds, violated them by retaliating against Louk and failing to tell her what resources she had available to her when she reported being raped, the complaint alleges.
The contract stipulated she finish school remotely that fall, and acknowledge being sexually active with another student, a former boyfriend, "outside of the sanctity of marriage."
An administrator "admittedly drafted a new disciplinary document for Louk based solely on the testimony of the man she accused of rape and a misunderstanding of (her ex-boyfriend's)testimony-which he only obtained because Luok reported a violent assault."
As a principal partner in the non-profit Cooper Walker Place, Ken serves the community through facilitating arts, faith and entrepreneurial programming in underserved areas.