Steven Altman was born on October 24,1945. He received his B.A. in Mathematics in 1967 from the University of California, Los Angeles and his M.B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California in 1969. The same year, he married Judy Ellen Ovadenko. Altman completed his education at the University of Southern California where he earned a D.B.A. in Management and Qualitative Methods from the College of Business Administration in 1975 .
Altman's teaching career spanned thirteen years. He was Assistant Professor in the Division of Management at Florida International University from 1972-1976 and also served as the Chairman of the Division of Management from 1972-1977 . He became an Associate Professor in 1976 and full professor in 1984.
Altman also pursued his career in University Administration. He was Assistant Dean at the School of Business, University of Southern California from 1969-1972 . At Florida International University, he was Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs from 1977-1978, and Vice President of Academic Affairs from 1981-1985, while also serving as Provost from 1982-1985 . In 1985, he was appointed President of Texas A & I University where he remained until 1989 when he joined the University of Central Florida as its third President. Altman resigned hurriedly in June 1991.
He went on to become president of Medical Telecommunications Associates, which was acquired by the Lido Group in 2002. After the acquisition, Altman became a vice-president with the new company. He has also served as an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association.
From the guide to the Presidential Papers of, Steven Altman, 1984-1991, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida Libraries, )
