The Algorand Foundation announced the appointment of Staci Warden as its Chief Executive Officer. Warden, who has served on the Algorand Foundation’s Board since September 2021, steps into the additional role of CEO effective from February 10.

Warden has led global teams at the Milken Institute, JP Morgan, the Nasdaq stock exchange, and the U.S. Treasury Department. Her appointment marks the next step in the Algorand Foundation’s mission to catalyze the growth of the Algorand ecosystem. The year 2022 will be a key year in the development of both the Algorand network and wider crypto ecosystems, as the adoption of key crypto-based industries such as global crypto payment platforms, DeFi and NFTs rapidly accelerates. The Foundation is committed to ensuring that the Algorand blockchain network is a key building block of this new, emergent digital-first economic model. At the same time, it will work to ensure that this new economy is inclusive and that the  financial benefits of blockchain technology are accessible to everyone in the world.

“I am excited to build on everything the Foundation has achieved to date, and will be focused on scaling our commitment to our community and our global partners,” said Warden. “1.7 billion people in the world do not have access to finance, and the Algorand protocol has the speed, the security, and the decentralization to address the problem of global financial inclusion at scale. By both ratcheting up our global ambitions as well as doubling down on our commitment to the DeFi ecosystem, I know that we will deliver tremendous value for both the Algorand ecosystem as a whole and the end-users it supports.”

Having spent over 18 critical months in the role of CEO, Sean Lee has decided to begin the new year exploring career opportunities outside of the Algorand Foundation. Lee led the Foundation through an important period, where he delivered economic stability with the completion of the Accelerated Vesting program, led the launch of key ecosystem funding programs such as the Viridis and Aeneas DeFi Funds, and most importantly, the launch of Community Governance in the final quarter of 2021.

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“I’ve decided to leave the Algorand Foundation to pursue new opportunities in the blockchain space. Seeing the transformative potential of the applications being built on Algorand, now is the time for me to explore those avenues; and I have deep confidence in Staci’s ability to lead the Algorand Foundation and the Algorand ecosystem through its next growth phase,” said Lee.

Kieron Guilfoyle, the Algorand Foundation’s Board Chairman said, “On behalf of the Board, I want to thank Sean for his leadership and hard work over the past years. Sean stepped in at a critical time, and we are grateful for his outstanding contribution to the growth of the Algorand Foundation’s ecosystem.”

Guilfoyle noted, “Staci understands the potential for Algorand to become a dominant Layer One blockchain, and she has the experience and expertise to drive our global efforts to scale and to deliver outstanding value to our community. I know she will waste no time in shifting the Algorand Foundation into its expansion phase.”