Comms chief leaves Grayscale for DeFi Education Fund

Jennifer Rosenthal is leaving Grayscale Investments to join the DeFi Education Fund as its new chief communications officer, according to a statement.

Rosenthal, who was the former head of communications at Grayscale, will be starting in her new role on Monday. She also previously held several management positions at the academic company Pearson. 

"As I turn the page towards my next professional chapter, I will be focused on helping to tell the story of decentralized finance — DeFi — because I am bullish on the possibilities its innovations can unlock," Rosenthal said in a statement . "While there has been great progress, the next few years will unquestionably shape the future of blockchain innovation in the United States.”

Rosenthal has held various positions at Grayscale since 2021, during a pivotal moment for the firm as it vied for a spot bitcoin ETF. The firm brought a case against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2022 for rejecting its proposal to convert its flagship fund, GBTC, into a spot bitcoin ETF. In court, they argued that the SEC contradicted itself by allowing bitcoin futures ETFs but not a spot bitcoin ETF.

Grayscale later won that case in 2023 when a judge ruled that the SEC had to re-review Grayscale's ETF proposal. Early on in 2024, the agency approved 11 spot bitcoin ETFs, including Grayscale's product, nodding to the earlier court case in its statement of approval. 

The DeFi Education Fund is a nonpartisan advocacy group that has lodged its own lawsuits over the past year. The group, along with other crypto organizations, sued the SEC in March over its "regualtion by enforcement" stance, arguing that the $BEBA token airdrop is not a security. A month later, the DeFi Education Fund also was involved in suing the SEC over a newly adopted dealer rule in April. 

Rosenthal's move also comes as crypto regulations are expected to shift under a new Trump Administration. The president tapped crypto-friendly and former regulator Paul Atkins to lead the SEC, and the agency recently launched a crypto task force to "set the SEC on a sensible regulatory path." 

Trump also issued an executive order last week that would do a number of things, including creating a working group tasked with developing a regulatory framework for digital assets. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington are gearing up for crypto-related hearings, with a particular focus on debanking. 

“We are thrilled to have Jenn join the team and bring her years of experience fighting against regulatory overreach and crafting effective narratives that help move the needle forward,” said Miller Whitehouse-Levine, CEO of the DeFi Education Fund, in the statement. “The addition of Jenn will further supercharge our communications efforts and we are excited to have her hit the ground running.”