The Bitcoin Foundation today announced the appointment of two new officials to their global team.
The first addition to the Foundation is Jim Harper of the Cato Institute, who’s been serving as the director of information policy studies at the Institute since 2004. Harper will take on the role of Global Policy Counsel at the Foundation while becoming a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute.
The second addition is Amy Weiss, former White House Deputy Press Secretary, also the founder and head of Weiss Public Affairs. She will serve as a media consultant for the Foundation.
“Bitcoin is rapidly maturing and we are actively building out a world-class team of highly experienced professionals. Jim’s experience with Cato and past experience with PayPal in addition to Amy’s experience with the United Nations Foundation and the White House are invaluable to our efforts around the world and in D.C.,” said Bitcoin Foundation Executive Director Jon Matonis.
Harper’s role at the foundation is of supreme importance. He will be responsible for leading efforts that address political barriers related to bitcoin adoption around the globe, but also to help governments to build confidence in bitcoin.
“The Bitcoin Foundation is already a credible voice in Washington, D.C. The consensus policy that the foundation has produced — maximizing the benefits of Bitcoin while managing the risks — is something we’ll work to see governments around the world adopt. I’m excited by the opportunity to help the foundation achieve Bitcoin’s promise for improving global financial inclusion, strengthening financial privacy for law-abiding consumers, increasing liberty and dignity for people the world over, and providing a stable money supply in countries where monetary instability may threaten prosperity and even peace,” Harper said.
Weiss will join Jinyoung Lee Englund on the Foundation’s public relations team to continue the Foundation’s communications and media efforts.
“Bitcoin will soon be recognized as one of the most important economic and social innovations of our times. The Bitcoin protocol is poised to do for international commerce and financial services what the World Wide Web did for communications,” Weiss said. “Working with the Bitcoin Foundation during this exciting and formative time is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”