Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger to step down Oct. 16 as Kristin Smith returns as interim CEO

Summer Mersinger will leave the Blockchain Association on Oct. 16

The Blockchain Association, a crypto trade group based in Washington, D.C., said Friday that its chief executive, Summer Mersinger, will step down. Her last day will be Oct. 16, and she will stay on as an adviser until the end of the year.

Kristin Smith, who led the group before Mersinger, will return as interim CEO. Smith is currently president of the Solana Policy Institute, or SPI, a policy group focused on the Solana network.

Key details of the leadership change

• Mersinger's final day as CEO is Oct. 16. She remains an adviser until the end of 2026.
• Smith takes on the interim CEO role at the Blockchain Association starting Oct. 17.
• Smith will keep her job as president of the Solana Policy Institute, according to SPI communications director Emily Wilson.
• Mersinger joined the Blockchain Association after leaving her post as a commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, the U.S. agency that regulates futures and derivatives markets. She was nominated by former President Joe Biden to fill a Republican seat at the CFTC and was sworn in in March 2022.

Mersinger says the association is in good hands

"I'm grateful to our team, who poured everything into this work, and to our members, who showed up for it again and again," Mersinger said in a statement. "Kristin built this Association from the ground up, and BA is in good hands. I'll be cheering them on."

Smith will keep her role at the Solana Policy Institute

Wilson told The Block that Smith's position at SPI is not changing. "Come Oct. 17, she will take on the additional role at BA as interim CEO to guide the organization to its next chapter," Wilson said.

Smith praised Mersinger's time in the job. "Summer took the helm of Blockchain Association at the most consequential moment in the history of crypto policy, and she met it," Smith said. "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." Smith added: "We have an exceptional team and a clear mission. I can't wait to get to work."

Stablecoin law passed and the Clarity Act stalled during Mersinger's tenure

Mersinger led the Blockchain Association during a period the trade group describes as pivotal for crypto policy in Washington. During her tenure, Congress passed stablecoin legislation that was signed into law in July 2025. A stablecoin is a crypto token designed to hold a steady value, usually by being pegged to the U.S. dollar.

The association also pushed for broader crypto legislation, including the Clarity Act, a bill that would set out rules for digital assets. The bill passed the House last year but has since stalled in the Senate. According to The Block, it is now unlikely to become law this year, despite hopes within the crypto industry.

What is confirmed

The Blockchain Association announced the change on Friday and gave the dates: Mersinger leaves on Oct. 16, stays as an adviser through the end of the year, and Smith becomes interim CEO on Oct. 17. Both Mersinger and Smith gave on-the-record statements about the transition, and SPI confirmed that Smith's role there is unchanged.

What is still unclear

The supplied material does not say why Mersinger is stepping down, whether Smith will take the job permanently, or when a permanent CEO will be named.

Why this matters for crypto policy in Washington

The Blockchain Association is one of the industry's main lobbying voices as U.S. lawmakers weigh crypto rules. Its leadership change comes as the Clarity Act, a bill the group supported, remains stalled in the Senate, with The Block reporting it is unlikely to pass this year.

What happens next

Mersinger's last day is Oct. 16. Smith takes over on an interim basis the following day, while also remaining president of the Solana Policy Institute. Mersinger stays on as an adviser until the end of the year.

Sources

• The Block

Read also: Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger to step down after CLARITY Act vote fails