Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger To Step Down In October

TL;DR

• Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger will step down on October 16 and remain as an adviser through the end of 2026.
• Founding leader Kristin Smith will return as interim CEO from October 17.
• The leadership change comes during an unusually active period for U.S. digital-asset legislation and regulation.

One of Washington’s most influential crypto trade groups is changing leadership.

Blockchain Association announced that CEO Summer Mersinger will step down on October 16, with former chief executive and founding leader Kristin Smith returning as interim CEO the following day.

Mersinger will remain as an adviser through the end of the year to assist with the transition.

Kristin Smith Is Going Back To The Organization She Built

Smith was Blockchain Association’s first employee when the group launched in 2018.

She subsequently served as chief executive until 2025, growing the organization into one of the crypto industry’s most visible lobbying and policy groups in Washington.

Mersinger took over in June 2025 after serving as a commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Her tenure coincided with a period of rapid change in U.S. digital-asset policy, including new stablecoin legislation and increasingly detailed guidance from federal regulators.