DeFi Education Fund names Amanda Tuminelli as new executive director as crypto legislation gains tractions in Washington

Leadership is shifting at the DeFi Education Fund in appointing its Chief Legal Officer Amanda Tuminelli to become the executive director as crypto priorities gain momentum in Washington.

On Thursday, the DeFi-focused advocacy group said that Tuminelli will succeed CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine, who is stepping down from the group to pursue another opportunity.

"For the first time in DeFi’s history, there is a significant, bipartisan group of U.S. policymakers and regulators thinking proactively and constructively about sensible crypto legislation, regulatory frameworks, and the way they fit with technological innovation, and our mission at DeFi Education Fund has never been more important," Tuminelli said in a statement .

Tuminelli will start in her new role on March 17. Miller will join the group's board, the DeFi Education Fund said in a statement.

"I have made the difficult decision to leave my current role at DeFi Education Fund to pursue a new opportunity – a decision ultimately made easy knowing that Amanda’s incredibly capable leadership, passion, and brilliance will lead DEF to new heights in service of the DeFi community," Whitehouse-Levine said.

Tuminelli will remain the group's chief legal officer — a position she has held since March 2023. Before joining the group, she was at Kobre & Kim, where she defended clients on issues involving crypto and blockchain.

The DeFi Education Fund has worked on several issues in the crypto spaces over the past few years, including lodging lawsuits against the SEC over its enforcement stance and rulemaking . More recently, the group voiced support on lawmakers' votes to repeal a controversial tax rule that requires "custodial brokers" to collect and report user data to the Internal Revenue Service.

In Washington, Republican-led bills are forging ahead to regulate stablecoins with hopes to pass a market structure bill this year. On Thursday, the Senate Banking Committee will vote on whether to advance a stablecoin bill that would establish a regulatory framework and create standards for when stablecoin issuers would be regulated by the state or the federal government. The bill has bipartisan support from Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.