PRESIDENT HAILEY LENNON
Partner @ Anderson Kill + Regulatory Analyst @ Forbes
Hailey Lennon is a shareholder in Anderson Kill’s Technology, Media and Distributed Systems Group. She is also Regulatory Analyst for Forbes where she writes about cryptocurrency regulation and a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
Prior to joining Anderson Kill, Hailey was regulatory counsel at leading cryptocurrency platforms Coinbase and bitFlyer. At Coinbase, Hailey helped oversee regulatory relationships with the SEC, CFTC, OFAC and state regulators. During her tenure at bitFlyer, Hailey served as board secretary for the Virtual Commodity Association, a working group seeking to establish an industry-sponsored self-regulatory organization for the cryptocurrency industry. Previously, Hailey was AVP of regulatory compliance at Silvergate Bank, a leading digital asset bank.
AusTIN, TX
Executive Assistant @ Unchained Capital, Inc.
KAILY BUEMI
Kaily Buemi works for one of the leading bitcoin-native financial service companies: Unchained Capital, where she is helping build a better financial world for us, and future generations. Kaily believes that bitcoin is for everyone, and it can vastly improve the quality of life for anyone willing to reimagine their understanding of money and financial sovereignty.
Kaily has spent much of her life in the creative space. A professional dancer and fitness model with an educational background in media advertising and marketing, Kaily has had the opportunity to work in a variety of professional fields over the past decade alongside diverse groups. It is this wide-range of experience working with so many different types of people that led to her adoption and eventual career-shift into bitcoin and digital currency.
CHICAGO, IL
Product Manager, Blockchain and Digital Currency @ Discover Financial Services
ALEXANDRA (LEXY) PRODROMOS
Alexandra (Lexy) Prodromos currently serves as Product Manager for Blockchain and Digital Currency at Discover. Prior to Discover, Lexy was one of the primary initiators of the Illinois Blockchain Initiative, a state of Illinois consortium dedicated to furthering blockchain development in Illinois, and worked as the only non-government affiliated member of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology's Blockchain Working Group.
She previously worked at Bloq Inc, a leading enterprise grade blockchain software and services provider and served as Executive Director of the Chicago Blockchain Center, a public-private non-profit partnership that serves as a leading educational resource and ecosystem for the Chicago/Illinois tech ecosystem.
DALLAS, TX
Chair of the Board @ Texas Blockchain Council
NATALIE SMOLENSKI
Natalie Smolenski leads the Texas Blockchain Council as Chair of the Board. The TBC is a trade association working to advance public policy that is friendly to the blockchain industry and technology. She also leads business development for blockchain-based content services solutions at Hyland.
Previously, Natalie was the founding business development executive for Learning Machine, a Texas-based startup specializing in blockchain-anchored digital records, which joined Hyland in 2020. Natalie is also a trained anthropologist whose independent research focuses on the intersections of identity, technology, and government.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
CEO @ Association for Digital Asset Markets (ADAM)
MICHELLE BOND
Michelle Bond serves as CEO of the Association for Digital Asset Markets (ADAM).
Prior to joining ADAM, Bond served as the global head of policy and regulatory affairs at two fintech companies, where she developed and executed global regulatory strategy for digital assets, blockchain, and global payments. Bond has also worked at Bloomberg LP as head of global regulatory affairs, and she is an expert in securities, derivatives, banking, and fintech regulation.
Bond previously served as counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and counsel on the U.S. Senate Banking Committee focusing on the Dodd-Frank Act and its technical corrections bill and JOBS Act. Bond launched her legal career at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), Hogan Lovells US LLP and WilmerHale LLP.
DENVER, CO
VP Finance @ HMBradley + Co-host @ GIrls Just Want to Have Funds
SAIRA RAHMAN
Saira Rahman is VP Finance of HMBradley, which recently raised $18.25 million. Saira is also co-host of the financial literacy podcast Girls Just Wanna Have Funds, and is an investor in the Washington-based Female Founders Alliance.
Prior to joining HMBradley, Rahman spent more than 11 years at B&F Capital Markets, a provider of interest-rate swap services which works with both regional and community banks across the US. When she left the firm in 2019, she oversaw eight of the banks’ portfolios with more than $50 billion in assets, across seven states. She then had a brief stint working in commercial and retail banking at Alpine Bank, a $5 billion community bank based in Colorado.
LOS ANGELES, CA
Founder @ The O Show
WENDY O
Wendy is the host of one of the largest female crypto YouTube channels, The O Show which covers trading, news, and interviews, while bringing crypto basics to the masses. In addition, she is the founder of a consultancy focusing on providing marketing solutions to blockchain and crypto clients globally. Along with media and marketing, Wendy has hosted over 4 dozen free events in the United States and Canada to bring the community together.
Prior to crypto, Wendy worked in healthcare at the largest infectious disease company in the world. Her role consisted of working with newly diagnosed and existing patients to coordinate their care. This consisted of planning end to end care for 300+ patients monthly in addition to marketing and sales to keep patient retention.
Miami, FL
Founder & Managing Partner @ Future Perfect Ventures
JALAK JOBANPUTRA
Jalak Jobanputra is the Founder and General Partner of Future Perfect Ventures, noted by Crunchbase as one of the top VC funds investing in blockchain. After attending her first bitcoin conference in 2013, she founded FPV in 2014 to invest in decentralization, with seed investments in Blockstream, Blockchain.com (now valued at $5B+), Aza (formerly BitPesa), Everledger, Current (now valued at $2B+), The Graph Protocol, Abra, Transparent Systems, and Curio.
Born in Nairobi and of Indian descent, Jalak has been investing in emerging markets her entire career and bridging the global technological innovation gap between places like Africa and Silicon Valley.
She started her career in investment banking in 1993 and has been a VC since 1999. Jalak also founded Collective Future, an organization to foster diversity and inclusion in the nascent blockchain sector, and has given keynotes at the Dutch Development Bank, Milken Conference, Davos, Web Summit, Consensus, and SALT.
NASHVILLE, TN
Strategic Advisor & Consultant - Founder of Creeds Collective
EVIE PHILLIPS
With over 15 years of experience in brand building and digital marketing, her specific niche has been on strategic storytelling via integrated marketing campaigns and technology development. Historically, Evie's campaign optimization has been through metric analysis and successful viral campaign amplification.
Evie is the founder of creative agency and business consultancy Creeds Collective and is strategic advisor to Crypto, NFT, and Web3 companies globally. Recent collaboration is strategic advisory and fractional CMO support to multi chain crypto payment processing platform Xion Global. Examples of previous clients and companies NFTglee, Sony Entertainment, LVMH, Ferragamo, Aimee Kestenberg, Southwest Airlines and Saks Fifth Avenue.
Amidst previous notoriety with both B2B and B2C clients, she worked with Bitcoin Media and NFTglee founding team to create the 2021 Bitcoin Conference’s Golden Whale Pass NFT, setting the record for the largest purchase of an NFT minted on bitcoin in history.
NEW YORK, NY
CMO @ Lolli
AUDREY STROBEL
Aubrey Strobel is the former Chief Marketing Officer at Lolli, the leading bitcoin rewards company, where she oversaw all communications, public relations, and marketing efforts on behalf of the company.
Currently Aubrey supports crytpo niche companies with her strategic advisory.
Prior to Lolli, Aubrey was a senior executive at Wachsman, a blockchain public relations and consulting firm headquartered in New York. She has been featured in Forbes, NBC, and Buzzfeed.
SAN DIEGO, CA
Attorney @ Perkins Coie
VALERIA BYSTROWICZ
Valeria Bystrowicz-Liendo is a dual licensed attorney (California/Argentina). She joined Perkins Coie in 2015 and practiced at the forefront of blockchain technology as a Senior Attorney in the Blockchain Technology & Fintech Industry Group. She recently pivoted to a business development director role within the firm, which draws on both her professional skills as well as her deep industry alliances, to facilitate smooth and productive business relationships for her clients.
A native of Argentina who received her LL.M. degree from New York University School of Law. Prior to Perkins Coie, Valeria was an associate at Goodwin Procter, where she served as counsel to both companies and investors in venture capital financings. Valeria also directed investor relations at a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, where she assisted in the selection of Latin American companies seeking to expand into the United States.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Compliance Manager @ Binance.US
LAUREN DAY
Lauren Day is Compliance Manager at cryptocurrency exchange Binance.US, with extensive experience working in regulatory compliance.
Prior to Binance.US, Lauren was a compliance analyst at BitFlyer USA. She received a masters' degree in Financial Crime Management in 2019 from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She is passionate about expanding regulatory trust and understanding of the cryptocurrency industry in the United States.
SEATTLE, WA
Managing Director @ Yellow Umbrella Ventures + Chair @ WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council
ARRY YU
Arry is the Chair of the Cascadia Blockchain Council, a group powered by the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), the largest US tech association representing technology companies from Oregon to British Columbia. She is also the co-organizer for the States' Association for Blockchain/Crypto across the United States and was one of the early pioneers that completed a $32m tokensale in an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) in 2017.
Arry also teaches an end-to-end starter course called Blockchain Crypto Fundamentals that can be found on maven.com. She has been an avid educator, advocate, investor, and innovator in the space since 2016.
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS
Charlene Fadirepo
Charlene Fadirepo
Charlene Fadirepo
CHARLENE FADIREPO
Founder & CEO @ Guidefi
Charlene Fadirepo is a banker, former regulator, and the founder of Guidefi, a fintech platform that connects women of color with financial experts and wealth education courses. Guidefi recently launched the Guidefi Academy which includes bitcoin and cryptocurrency education courses. Charlene is a bitcoin educator and consultant who focuses on helping women, small businesses, and non-profit organizations learn about bitcoin and cryptocurrency. She is the co-host and creator of bitcoin In Nigeria, a monthly Twitterspaces discussion series on the impact of bitcoin in Nigeria.
Prior to Guidefi, Charlene led audit teams at the Federal Reserve. She also spent several years as a management consultant with PwC, advising Wall Street banks following the financial crisis. As a thought leader in the fintech and investing space, Charlene has appeared on Good Morning America and ABC News. She also has been featured in Business Insider, Tech Crunch, Forbes and Technical.ly.
Cleve Mesidor
Charlene Fadirepo
Charlene Fadirepo
CLEVE MESIDOR
Advisor @ the Blockchain Association
Cleve Mesidor is an Advisor to the Blockchain Association and leads the National Policy Network of Women of Color in Blockchain. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has appointed her to the Innovation and Technology Inclusion Council.
As a Washington insider, she previously served as an Obama Presidential Appointee, a senior staffer in Congress, and in the leadership of national political campaigns. Cleve is a Howard University alumna and author of “THE CLEVOLUTION: My Quest for Justice in Politics & Crypto.”
Gina DeFelice
Gina DeFelice
Gina DeFelice
GINA DEFELICE
Director of Sales at The Block
Gina currently serves as the Director of Sales at The Block - a company whose research & publications aspire to be the first and final word in digital assets.
Prior to The Block, Gina spent the last 10 years helping companies grow across the finance, advertising, and media industries. She holds a Bachelors in Marketing from Drexel University.
Kelley Weaver
Gina DeFelice
Gina DeFelice
KELLEY WEAVER
CEO of Melrose PR
Kelley Weaver is the CEO of Melrose PR, a leading crypto and blockchain communications agency. Kelley is also the host of Crypto Token Talk, a podcast for those looking to enter the new frontier of blockchain technology and learn “Crypto 101” from leading industry experts. Her op-eds have been published in Forbes and Thrive Global, and she has been featured in Forbes, WIRED, Entrepreneur, Inc, and more.
Kelley previously founded Pursecase, a popular fashion tech accessory that Kelley invented that was featured on ABC’s hit show Shark Tank. Kelley walked out of the Shark Tank with an investment deal from Lori Greiner. Kelley and Pursecase appeared on QVC, The View, Extra! etc. Kelley led pursecase to a successful exit in early 2017.
Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson
LEA THOMPSON
Founder & Producer @ Girl Gone Crypto
Lea is a brand and marketing professional from the tech industry turned crypto enthusiast. Known as “Girl Gone Crypto” online, she is passionate about advancing crypto adoption by making it feel more approachable to everyday users through educational content and a few too many dad jokes. She is best known for her popular news recap series - The Crypto Minute.
Lea has been featured in publications such as The Times, Yahoo! Finance, Cointelegraph, The San Francisco Chronicle, Coindesk and more.
Leigh Cuen
Lea Thompson
Lea Thompson
LEIGH CUEN
Co-founder @ Association for Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers
Leigh Cuen is a writer from California, co-founder of the Association for Cryptocurrency Journalists and Researchers. Her work has been published by CoinDesk, TechCrunch, Vice, Playboy, Business Insider, Newsweek, Teen Vogue, Al Jazeera English, The Jerusalem Post, and many others.
Prior to this Leigh was a Senior Report at CoinDesk.
Michelle O’Connor
Michelle O’Connor
Michelle O’Connor
MICHELLE O'CONNER
VP Marketing @ Taxbit
Michelle O’Connor is VP of Marketing at TaxBit, where she leads all marketing and public relations to elevate TaxBit’s brand as the industry leader amidst rapid growth across the cryptocurrency space. In addition to her role at TaxBit, Michelle is the Expansion Chair at NYC Women in FinTech.
Before joining TaxBit, she was the VP of Marketing and Community at Uphold. She drove the global expansion of the digital wallet and industry-first products across Latin America and emerging markets, building democratized access with a community-first approach.
Naomi Brockwell
Michelle O’Connor
Michelle O’Connor
NAOMI BROCKWELL
Tech journalist, film and TV producer, and creator of NBTV.media
Naomi Brockwell is a tech journalist, film and TV producer, and creator of NBTV.media -- a channel focused on privacy, tech, and crypto. She hosts the CoinDesk series “Break it Down”, and co-hosts the CoinDesk daily show “The Hash”. Naomi is the co-founder of “The Soho Forum”, a NY debate series. She is on the Advisory Council at the “Mannkal Economic Education Foundation”, and is author of the children's book “Billy's Bitcoin”.
From 2013 - 2015 Naomi worked as a policy associate at the New York Bitcoin Center. Since 2015 she has worked as a producer for 19-times Emmy-Award-Winning Journalist John Stossel. Naomi was a producer for the 2015 feature documentary Bitcoin: The End of Money as We Know It (Best International Documentary, Anthem Film Festival; Winner of Special Jury Prize, Amsterdam Film Festival), Audition (Best documentary, Lone Star Film Festival), and producer of the 2018 award-winning documentary about the housing crash The Bubble.
Tonya M. Evans
Tonya M. Evans
Tonya M. Evans
TONYA M. EVANS
Professor at Penn State Dickinson Law & Founder of Advantage Evans™ Academy
Tonya M. Evans is a professional speaker (represented by Gravity Speakers), published author, tenured professor at Penn State Dickinson Law School, founder of Advantage Evans™ Academy and host of the Tech Intersect Podcast.
Before joining Dickinson Law, Professor Evans served as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire’s School of Law, where she created and directed the school’s Blockchain, Cryptocurrency & Law online professional certificate program and developed its world-class instructor pool and curriculum. Professor Evans is the chairperson for the MakerDAO Maker Ecosystem Growth Foundation, and member of the Bermuda Global FinTech Advisory Board, Consensys Grants Board, Emerging Impact Advisory Board and observing member of the Global Blockchain Business Council. Recently, she was honored to be selected as a Fastcase 50 2021 list awardee, which honors the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders.
Karyl Fowler
Tonya M. Evans
Tonya M. Evans
KARYL FOWLER
CEO and Co-Founder at Transmute
Karyl's team is leveraging decentralized identity and verifiable technology to secure global trade and enterprise supply chains. She sits on the Decentralized Identity Foundation Steering Committee, holds a MS in Technology Commercialization from McCombs Business School at the University of Texas and a BA in English and Political Science from Southwestern University.
Karyl has directed strategic marketing and commercialization initiatives for startups in the biotechnology and semiconductor fields, ranging from novel implant polymers, III-V substrates, and microfluidic-based systems-on-chip for genetic sequencing, point-of-care testing and implantable devices (Novati Technologies, acquired by Skorpios Technologies). Her experience is centered in fields with high regulatory burdens like FDA, HIPAA and ITAR.
Layah Heilpern
Teana Baker- Taylor
Teana Baker- Taylor
LAYAH HEILPERN
Author & Host @ The Layah Heilpern Show
Layah is the author of Undressing Bitcoin. She is the host of The Layah Heilpern Show where she interviews some of the greatest thinkers and builders in the industry.
Previously, Layah worked for Malta’s leading cryptocurrency news channel. Layah is a real advocate for personal responsibility, individual empowerment and freedom, and this precise philosophy is what drives her work.
Teana Baker- Taylor
Teana Baker- Taylor
Teana Baker- Taylor
TEANA BAKER- TAYLOR
Chief Policy Officer @ Chamber of Digital Commerce
Teanna Baker-Taylor is Chief Policy Officer at the Chamber of Digital Commerce. She is passionate about the opportunities emerging from digital assets and possesses more than 20 years of experience in commercial strategy, policy and communications within the crypto, fintech, transaction banking and payments sectors. Teana is also a Steering Committee Member of Global Blockchain Convergence, and was previously a Vice-Chair of the Blockchain for Europe Board.
Prior to Chamber of Digital Commerce, Teana held leadership roles at Crypto.com and Binance, where she was responsible for the market strategy, operations and regulatory affairs in the U.K. and Europe. Previously, she led Global Digital Finance, an industry organisation fostering discussion with policymakers on global policy for digital assets.