Kristin Smith currently serves as the president of the Solana Policy Institute, commonly known as SPI, and its communications director, Emily Wilson, informed The Block that her responsibilities there will remain unaltered.
The prominent digital asset advocacy alliance, the Blockchain Association, is altering its executive leadership as chief executive Summer Mersinger prepares to depart next month, making way for former CEO Kristin Smith to resume leadership of the crypto advocacy group on an interim schedule.
On Friday, the Blockchain Association announced that Mersinger’s final day will occur on October 16, adding that she will continue in an advisory capacity through the conclusion of the year.
“I am thankful to our staff, who dedicated everything to this mission, and to our members, who consistently supported it,” Mersinger expressed in a formal comment. “Kristin constructed this Association from the ground up, and the BA is positioned securely. I will be rooting for them.”
Smith, who previously held the CEO position at the Blockchain Association, will assume duties temporarily. Smith currently acts as the president of the Solana Policy Institute, or SPI, and its communications representative Emily Wilson confirmed to The Block that her position there stays untouched.
“Beginning October 17, she will assume the supplementary responsibility at the BA as interim CEO to steer the entity toward its upcoming phase,” Wilson stated.
Mersinger directed the Blockchain Association throughout a crucial era for crypto policy within Washington. Under her administration, lawmakers enacted stablecoin rules that were officially signed into law in July 2025. The coalition likewise advocated for more expansive digital currency regulations, such as the Clarity Act, which cleared the House during the previous year though it has subsequently faced delays inside the Senate. The legislation currently appears doubtful to pass into law throughout the present year, despite expectations held across the crypto sector.
Mersinger assumed the position of CEO at the Blockchain Association following her departure from the post of commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. She had been chosen by former President Joe Biden to occupy a Republican position at the CFTC and took her oath of office in March 2022.
“Summer assumed command of the Blockchain Association at the most critical juncture in the annals of digital asset regulation, and she rose to the occasion,” Smith noted. “She contributed the authority of an ex-regulator alongside expertise from Capitol Hill, and she applied every ounce of it on behalf of this sector.”
“We maintain an extraordinary group and a distinct objective. I am eager to begin,” Smith concluded.
Originally published at https://www.theblock.co/news/regulation/2026-09-25-blockchain-association-ceo-summer-mersinger-tstep-down-kristin-smith-interim-ceo-416913.
