Amanda Wick
Founder and CEO
Michelle O’Connor
Chief Strategic Officer
Yari Farias
Director of Operations
Amanda Wick
Founder and CEO
The Association's founder and chief executive officer is Amanda Wick, a former federal prosecutor and champion of women who believes that women in business and investing need an organization dedicated to enhancing their access – and success - in the predominantly male-dominated industries of cryptocurrency and other digital assets, blockchain, web3, and related technology and services.
During a distinguished career that includes roles as the Chief of Legal Affairs at Chainalysis, Inc., as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), she has learned firsthand that the playing field is not level for women in tech, and much more needs to be done to ensure their equal inclusion in the future of digital finance.
Ms. Wick and other women in crypto and crypto-adjacent ecosystems agree that a new support network of advisors, mentors and other professionals is needed to increase the inclusion and advancement of women in the cryptocurrency industry through mentoring/sponsor relationships, training, and educational programs.
They also believe that we need to increase women's awareness of, and participation in venture capital investment opportunities and increase access to investment and funding opportunities for women-owned and women-operated crypto and crypto-adjacent companies.
Ayana Murphy
Board Member
Beth Bisbee
Board Member
Gabriella Kusz
Board Member
Mike Carter
Board Member
Steve Vallas
Board Member
Mike Carter
Board Member
Mike Carter is an expert in digital assets, regulatory compliance, and financial crimes investigations. Mike has extensive experience providing advisory and investigative services for financial crime matters globally, including leading complex engagements for financial institutions, payments companies, and digital asset service providers to address risk and compliance concerns.
Mike is currently a Senior Managing Director at FTI. He served as the Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) from 2020-23 at a major digital asset exchange where he led the scaling and redesign of the global compliance program addressing issues related to money laundering, sanctions, fraud, data privacy and protection, market surveillance, product risks, licensing, and regulatory examinations.
In addition to his experience as CCO, Mike has led numerous compliance and regulatory projects at global consulting firms including: addressing regulatory risks at numerous digital asset companies during startup and growth phases, supporting government-appointed monitors, conducting sensitive investigations for high-profile matters, building executable compliance roadmaps, and implementing data models to assess risk.
He has assisted clients in the digital assets space since 2017 and served as the AML/BSA Committee Chair for the Virtual Commodity Association in 2019-20. Mike also served on the AML Committee for TRUST Travel Rule from 2020-23.
A frequent contributor to financial crimes industry publications, Mike has been featured in Bloomberg Law, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Law Journal. He recently authored the digital assets section of the COSO/ACFE 2023 Fraud Risk Management Guide.
Mike is a US Army veteran and served in Operation Enduring Freedom. He is PMP, CFE, CAMS, and CGSS-certified.