The Blockchain Association’s chief executive, Summer Mersinger, will step down on October 16 and hand leadership of the crypto industry’s leading Washington advocacy group back to its founding leader, Kristin Smith, the organization announced in a press release on September 25. Smith, who currently serves as president of the association’s board of directors, will return as interim chief executive on October 17, while Mersinger stays on as an advisor through the end of the year to ease the transition.