LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two years ago, David Adefeso began work on a platform with a singular vision: debt-free education for all. As Sootchy’s website and subsequent app have developed, so has the drive to realize that vision with the help of two women who are powerhouses in their industries.
The first of these is Emma Willis. As the Chief Operating Officer, Willis uses her decade-plus experience in both policy and operations to bring Sootchy to the forefront in the world of 529 College Savings Plans. She is a mom of one whose focus in life is community improvement through education and access to resources. As the former Executive Director of the Arkansas 529 Education Investment Plan, her innovative initiatives led the program to increase from $600 million to $1 billion in assets.
Willis is an alumnus of Philander Smith College, and her distinguished career spans categories from marketing and financial services to business strategy and thought leadership. She volunteers her time supporting fundraising efforts in the greater Arkansas area by forging relationships with community leaders. Willis currently sits on the Board of Directors for both Junior Achievement of Northwest Arkansas and Venture Noire, and assists with technical development for Spectra, a group of black-owned venture studios with the collective mission to advance innovation for a better and more equitable world.
After spending the last fifteen years leading marketing, branding and public relations efforts for multi-billion dollar brands and startups, Joanna Bunten joins Sootchy as Chief Marketing Officer. In this new role, she will be responsible for building and strengthening the Sootchy brand, accelerating the company’s go-to-market strategy and creating an amazing digital experience. Bunten has proven her marketing prowess time and time again, creating strategic communications and marketing plans for Fortune 500 companies like JB Hunt and Dillard’s. In this new role, she will serve as a key leader in achieving the company’s mission: to eradicate student loan debt. Bunten holds a Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business degree from University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“These women bring so much to Sootchy, “ Adefeso explains, “I feel very fortunate to have found such great talent who share my vision of reducing the tremendous disparity in wealth and education we witness every day in this country - in our case through 529 College Savings Plans. They are both experts in their fields, and I believe will help make this vision a reality.”
About David Adefeso:
David Adefeso is an award-winning financial advisor, writer and public speaker. His story is a shining example of The American Dream; immigrating to the US on his own, then working his way from experiencing homelessness to pursuing his MBA at Harvard to working on Wall Street with some of the world’s largest companies. This experience gave him a personal understanding of the wealth disparity that exists in the US, and became the impetus for the creation of Sootchy. This new fintech platform is driven by a mission of debt-free education for all through 529 College Savings Accounts and community gifting.
About Sootchy:
Sootchy is a powerful platform for understanding 529 Savings Plans with an app in development. With information on tax benefits, education options covered by the Plans and state-by-state guidelines, Sootchy.com helps individuals become more informed and provides gifting options to get family and friends involved in saving for a child’s future education expenses.
