Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger to step down, Kristin Smith to return interim

Summer Mersinger will step down as Blockchain Association CEO on Oct. 16. Mersinger will remain an advisor until the end of the year. Former CEO Kristin Smith will become interim CEO on Oct. 17. Smith will keep her role as president of the Solana Policy Institute. The institute's communications director Emily Wilson said Smith's role there will not change. Congress passed stablecoin legislation during Mersinger's tenure. The legislation was signed into law in July 2025. The association also supported the Clarity Act. The House passed the bill last year. The bill has since stalled in the Senate. The bill is now unlikely to become law this year. Mersinger became CEO after serving as a commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Former President Joe Biden nominated her to fill a Republican seat at the CFTC. Mersinger was sworn in in March 2022. Smith said Mersinger led the association during a consequential period for crypto policy. Smith said Mersinger brought experience as a former regulator and Capitol Hill experience to the role.