Jason Smartt graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Leadership and Management with a concentration in Systems Engineering. Upon graduation, he was commissioned in the United States Army as a 2nd Lieutenant. After commissioning, Jason served on Active Duty as a Field Artillery Officer successfully completing a tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Upon leaving active duty, his passion to deliver useful and relevant products to consumers led him to a career in brand management. Subsequently, Jason earned his Master of Business Administration degree concentrating in Finance, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
As a part of the esteemed University of Chicago Booth School of Business New Venture Challenge, Jason led a team of his classmates and a professor, to form an online lending company for the sole purpose of providing more favorable personal loan interest rates and terms to our active duty Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen. He believed our servicemen and women were valuable customers beyond their credit score, and designed a credit modeling procedure to incorporate military records into the credit underwriting process. Jason was presented with the opportunity to scale these concepts with The Federal Savings Bank. He took helm as the head of the Consumer Lending Division.
Outside of work, Jason keeps busy mentoring current active duty servicemen and women seeking transition advice from active duty military to civilian careers. Jason also enjoys Crossfit, playing in an adult basketball league, hip hop music, and lounging with his two large dogs who think they’re still puppies.