Meet the New Co-Chairs of A Better Chance’s National Advisory Council! April 10, 2025

We are thrilled to welcome Sadasia McCutchen and Jarron Smith as the new Co-Chairs of A Better Chance’s National Advisory Council! 

A Better Chance’s National Advisory Council is made up of emerging and mid-career professionals who are dedicated to advancing the organization’s vision to help underserved and talented students access transformative educational opportunities that pave the way to college and successful careers. Together, Jarron and Sadasia represent the next chapter of bold, visionary leadership for the National Advisory Council. Read their bios below to learn more about them and please join us in welcoming them! 

Sadasia is a community builder and VC Ecosystem leader who transforms organizational culture into measurable business growth. She currently serves as the first Head of Ecosystem at SignalFire, an early-stage Venture Capital firm managing $3B in assets under management.In this role, Sadasia cultivates and manages relationships with over 200 founders, advisors, strategic partners, and customers. She also leads SignalFire’s Mentor and Specialist program and has scaled initiatives to bolster product-market fit, increase revenue, and nurture potential investments. 

 
Previously, Sadasia led a team at Google reshaping the Diversity Annual Report, improving data transparency by 40% and solidifying the company’s DEI technical reporting framework. She then built the Community and Business Development Functions at CapitalG, Alphabet’s independent late stage venture capital firm managing $7B in assets under management. There, she launched a flagship speaker series connecting 150+ industry experts and CxOs, implemented DEI strategies across 25+ portfolio companies, and established customer advisory boards that directly increased portfolio company revenue by 30%. 
 
Her advisory expertise extends to McDonald’s, Black Ambition, TechCrunch, and Wieden+Kennedy, generating $10M+ in new business opportunities and reaching over 50,000 community members through cultural programming initiatives. Sadasia is a proud graduate of Wesleyan University. She serves on the board of Colorwave, co-chairs Wesleyan University’s Alumni of Color Council, and serves as a lead mentor for Pharrell’s Black Ambition incubator. 

Jarron Smith is a seasoned executive with a proven track record in leading high-performing teams, scaling businesses, and managing risk. He currently serves as the COO of Marshfield Associates, an investment advisor with over $7B in assets under management.

Before joining Marshfield, Jarron was the COO of Zeal Capital Partners, a venture capital firm that invests in fintech, healthcare, and education startups. Prior to Zeal, he was a Managing Director at TIAA, a financial services organization that manages $1.3 trillion in assets. His impact at TIAA was recognized in 2023 with a TIAA Culture Carrier award from CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett. Before TIAA, Jarron spent over a decade at EY in the Financial Services Advisory practice, where he was a trusted advisor to risk management executives at global banks. His impact was recognized in 2018 with an EY Americas Vice Chair Award for Client Service.

Jarron holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a certificate in Artificial Intelligence from MIT Sloan School of Management, and a BA in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his role on the NAC, he serves on the boards of The Shepherds Foundation (chairman), VC in DC, and the University of Pennsylvania Baseball Team.