Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger plans to step down on Oct. 16 and will remain as an adviser through the end of the year.
The Blockchain Association represents the cryptocurrency industry with the goal of supporting a pro-innovation national policy and regulatory framework for the crypto economy.
Kristin Smith, Blockchain Association board of directors president, will serve as interim CEO. Smith was the association’s first employee, serving as CEO until 2025.
“Blockchain Association has been part of my life since the day it had a staff of one, and coming back to lead it is personal for me. We have an exceptional team and a clear mission. I can’t wait to get to work,” Smith added.
Mersinger joined the association in June 2025 after previously serving as a Commodity Futures Trading Commission commissioner. She had also held senior staff positions in both chambers of Congress.
“Summer took the helm of Blockchain Association at the most consequential moment in the history of crypto policy, and she met it,” said Smith. “She brought the credibility of a former regulator and experience on Capitol Hill, and she put every bit of it to work for this industry. The GENIUS Act, the progress at the SEC and CFTC, and the strength of this Association today all carry her mark.”
Mersinger led the Association’s advocacy through final passage of the GENIUS Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in July 2025 as the first federal framework for payment stablecoins. Blockchain Association was also a leading voice as federal regulators delivered a series of landmark actions, including the joint SEC-CFTC interpretation recognizing that most crypto assets are not themselves securities, the SEC’s proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, the SEC’s Innovation Exemption for onchain trading of tokenized securities, and CFTC relief for software developers.