Summer Mersinger, a Republican commissioner at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is set to become the next chief executive of the Blockchain Association, a top official from the organization confirmed on Wednesday. The Blockchain Association, a leading crypto lobbying group in Washington, will be without a leader as longtime CEO Kristin Smith steps down this week to assume the role of president at the Solana Research Policy Institute. This leadership gap at one of the largest U. S. advocacy groups will be filled by Mersinger starting next month, according to Marta Belcher, the association’s president and board chair, who announced the transition during Consensus 2025 in Toronto. Mersinger’s departure will temporarily leave the CFTC with only one Republican commissioner, Acting Chairman Caroline Pham, facing two Democrat commissioners, Kristin Johnson and Christy Goldsmith Romero. However, Romero has announced plans to retire from government service once the Senate confirms President Donald Trump’s nominee for CFTC chairman, Brian Quintenz. Additionally, Pham is reportedly preparing to leave the agency, according to sources familiar with her intentions. Unlike the swift confirmation of Paul Atkins at the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Senate has been slower in confirming Quintenz. If confirmed, Quintenz’s appointment will restore a 2-1 Republican majority at the commission, leaving two seats vacant, one for each party.

Yet, if Pham also departs, it could complicate the commission’s management. The CFTC is expected to become a central regulator for the crypto industry should Congress approve new legislation governing the sector. Bipartisan lawmakers have expressed support for an expanded CFTC role in overseeing the spot market, which handles the majority of digital asset trading volume. During President Joe Biden's administration, with Rostin Behnam as CFTC chairman, Mersinger advocated for the crypto industry. In her new role, she will represent the sector as it pushes for two significant pieces of legislation aimed at establishing its regulatory framework in the U. S. This leadership change at the Blockchain Association coincides with turnover across many other prominent U. S. crypto advocacy groups, which have proliferated in recent years. Read More: U. S. Crypto Lobbyists Flooding the Zone, But Are There Too Many?