Summer Mersinger will step down as CEO of the Blockchain Association on Oct. 16, the trade group announced Friday, with former CEO Kristin Smith taking over as interim leader the following day.

Mersinger will stay on as an advisor through the end of 2025. Smith retains her current position as president of the Solana Policy Institute while adding the interim role at BA. Solana Policy Institute communications director Emily Wilson confirmed the dual arrangement to The Block.

What policy wins marked Mersinger's tenure?

Mersinger led the Blockchain Association through the most active federal crypto policy cycle in the industry's history. The signature achievement: stablecoin legislation that Congress passed and the president signed into law in July 2025. The law established a federal framework for payment stablecoin issuers, requiring them to maintain reserves and meet disclosure standards.

The association also pushed for the Clarity Act, a market structure bill that would draw clearer jurisdictional lines between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission over digital asset trading. The House passed the bill last year, but it has stalled in the Senate. Industry observers now consider enactment this year unlikely.

What is Mersinger's regulatory background?

Mersinger joined the Blockchain Association in 2024 after leaving the CFTC. Former President Joe Biden nominated her to fill a Republican seat at the agency, and she was sworn in in March 2022. Her term on the commission ran through a period of intensified SEC enforcement against major crypto firms and the early legislative drafting of the stablecoin framework.

That regulatory experience gave BA unusual standing on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers across both parties have leaned on trade associations for technical input on digital asset rules.

Who is Kristin Smith?

Smith previously built the Blockchain Association into a leading crypto trade group during her earlier tenure as CEO, and she departed to lead the Solana Policy Institute, where she now serves as president.

Wilson told The Block that Smith's role at SPI will not change.

"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.

What did the principals say?

Mersinger framed the transition as a return to familiar leadership.

"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 highlighted her predecessor's regulatory credibility and political timing.

"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."

"We have an exceptional team and a clear mission. I can't wait to get to work," Smith added.

What happens before year-end?

The interim structure keeps the association's policy operation running through the final months of the congressional session. Key items on BA's near-term agenda include monitoring regulatory implementation of the new stablecoin regime and pressing Senate leadership to advance the Clarity Act before the current Congress adjourns.