TL;DR:
- Summer Mersinger will officially step down from her role as CEO of the Blockchain Association on October 16, 2026, remaining as an advisor through the end of the year.
- Kristin Smith, former chief executive of the organization and current president of the Solana Policy Institute, will take over as interim CEO starting October 17, 2026.
- During Mersinger’s tenure, the US Congress enacted a landmark stablecoin bill in July 2025, while the Clarity Act advanced through the House of Representatives.
Kristin Smith is the new interim CEO of the Blockchain Association, appointed this Friday, September 25, following the resignation of Summer Mersinger.
Blockchain Association CEO @SummerMersinger will step down on October 16, while remaining as an advisor through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition. Board President @KristinSmith will serve as interim CEO beginning on October 17.
We’re grateful for Summer’s…
— Blockchain Association (@BlockchainAssn) September 25, 2026
Mersinger will remain in the post until next October 16, after which she will continue in a strategic advisory capacity within the trade group through the end of this year.
Beginning October 17, 2026, executive leadership will return provisionally to Kristin Smith. Smith previously headed the Blockchain Association during its founding and expansion era in Washington before transitioning to her current post leading the Solana Policy Institute (SPI). According to statements by Emily Wilson, communications director at SPI, Smith will retain her executive duties there concurrently while steering this transition phase for the trade body.
The executive transition concludes a tenure centered on direct regulatory engagement with Congress and US federal agencies. Prior to her trade group appointment, Mersinger served as a commissioner on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), an office to which she was sworn in during March 2022 following her nomination by former President Joe Biden to fill a Republican seat.
Legislative Milestones and Regulatory Balance Sheet
During Mersinger’s stretch as chief executive, the digital asset legislative docket saw substantial activity on Capitol Hill. Among the key documented milestones was the passage and formal signing into law of a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins in July 2025.
Additionally, the association coordinated lobbying efforts around the Clarity Act, a comprehensive market structure initiative that cleared a floor vote in the House of Representatives in 2025.
However, the bill’s legislative progress remains stalled in the United States Senate. Industry analysts and policy observers view final enactment as unlikely before the current 2026 legislative term draws to a close.
In her departure remarks, Mersinger expressed gratitude for the backing of member firms and staff, emphasizing that the association is left under the care of the leader who originally built it from the ground up. In turn, Smith commended the expertise the former commissioner brought to Washington policy discourse, underscoring the team’s capacity to maintain institutional advocacy across the crypto ecosystem.
The board of the Blockchain Association will formally inaugurate duties under the interim mandate of Kristin Smith on October 17, 2026, pending the executive committee’s timeline for naming a permanent successor.
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