Kristin Smith Steps Down from Blockchain Association to Lead New Solana Initiative

Kristin Smith, the longtime chief executive of the Blockchain Association, a significant lobbying entity for crypto policy in Washington, D.C., is moving on to assume the presidency of the newly established Solana Policy Institute next month.

“I am incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished together and confident that the organization’s future is bright,” Smith remarked.

Earlier this week, Miller Whitehouse-Levine founded the new organization and announced his position as CEO shortly after resigning from the Defi Education Fund.

Although the organization has not disclosed its funding sources, its website indicates a focus on how decentralized networks like Solana represent the future of the digital economy.

The Blockchain Association has played a pivotal role in the industry’s lobbying efforts and is now in the process of finding a successor for Smith.

Whitehouse-Levine commented, “Innovators deserve to have the clarity they need to build a frictionless, Internet-based global economy — a future we believe is achievable with the right laws, rules, and frameworks.”

UPDATE (April 1, 2025, 19:09 UTC): Adds comment from Kristin Smith.