Blockchain Association Names Smith Interim CEO

The Blockchain Association said Summer Mersinger will step down as chief executive on October 16 and leave the advocacy group at year-end, with former CEO Kristin Smith taking over on an interim basis the same day. The transition follows a Senate setback for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, though the association has not said the vote prompted Mersinger’s departure. The association announced the handover on September 25. Smith, who previously led the group, will return to the chief executive role while continuing as president of the Solana Policy Institute, according to the association. Mersinger will remain with the Blockchain Association until the end of 2026, after relinquishing the CEO position in October. The group credited Mersinger with work related to the GENIUS Act, which concerns stablecoins, and efforts to advance regulatory clarity at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Mersinger joined the association in June 2025 after serving as a CFTC commissioner. In a departure statement cited by the association, she said she had joined the organization to support clear rules and a unified industry voice in Washington.