Stand With Crypto Alliance Announces State Chapter Presidents in Battleground States

State chapter presidents will lead grassroots efforts in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin

WASHINGTON - Today, the Stand with Crypto Alliance (SWC) announced their first state chapter presidents who will lead grassroots efforts in battleground states. These state chapter presidents will be critical in mobilizing the massive and growing grassroots network in critical battleground states including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

"It's been incredible to watch this movement take off", said Logan Dobson, Executive Director of Stand with Crypto. "We know the crypto voter has already made an impact this election cycle, and these state chapter presidents are going to help us cross the finish line. In many of these battleground states, the number of crypto advocates already significantly outnumber 2020 margins. In tight races across the country, the crypto voter will make the difference."

Chapter presidents include:

• Arizona - Shelton Beascochea, Founder at Devils DAO & EquiFy
• Georgia - Anthony Mathis, Business Development at Atlanta Blockchain Center
• Ohio - Maryana Ryumshin, Senior Financial Analyst at Cleveland Clinic
• Pennsylvania - Max Giuliana, Associate at MKF Advisors and Executive Director at Taking the Hill
• Wisconsin - Ian McCullough, Founder at Awen

Already this year there has been major, bipartisan momentum in Congress, driven by SWC member outreach. In May, Congress voted to pass H.R.4763, the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21). In support of FIT21, Stand with Crypto advocates made over 28,000 contacts with Congress via calls and emails. Additionally, founders of over one hundred crypto companies, representing over 1,200 American jobs in the industry, signed a letter of support for the legislation.

SWC has also been highly involved in key political races this year. In the critical Super Tuesday primaries and closely watched California U.S. Senate primary, SWC directed over 68,000 door-to-door voter contacts to the over 8.2 million California adults who currently own cryptocurrency - a powerful voting bloc in the state known for setting the direction of the nation. The Stand With Crypto PAC has endorsed 21 candidates.

To see the number of engaged activists who are communicating about the issue, giving to the cause, and taking part in other activities throughout this cycle, visit https://www.standwithcrypto.org/.

Chapter President Bios:

Arizona - Shelton Beascochea, Founder at Devils DAO & EquiFy
Shelton stumbled into the world of crypto in 2017 thanks to a computer science teacher who introduced him to the Bitcoin whitepaper. Since then, his fascination with blockchain technology has only grown stronger. From 2020 onwards, Shelton has been actively involved in various crypto projects, driven by a belief in its transformative potential on communities.

Georgia - Anthony Mathis, Business Development at Atlanta Blockchain Center
Anthony started to take notice of crypto in 2014, when rapper 50 Cent began accepting Bitcoin as payment for his latest album. Over the next few years Anthony began DYOR and IRL in the Atlanta, GA area which led him to business development and partnerships with Umba Daima (meaning "Create Forever" in the Swahili language), a Web3 Studio based in Atlanta supporting creatives by educating and onboarding them into the Web3 space. In 2022, Anthony joined Atlanta Blockchain Center and later that year, he was named as Digital Community Manager of an internationally known non-profit where he developed a fundraising platform accepting over 100+ cryptocurrencies, increasing revenue, and funding newly developed programs. At the beginning of this year, Anthony became more involved with Atlanta Blockchain Center's overall day to day business operations in support of business development, marketing strategies, and venture capital with the goal of having Atlanta recognized as a Top 10 city for blockchain within 5 years.

Ohio - Maryana Ryumshin, Senior Financial Analyst at Cleveland Clinic
Maryana initially heard about Bitcoin in 2014, and then took a deeper dive to learn about blockchain technology in 2017 while working at EY. Marayana's interest prompted her to attend Cleveland blockchain meet-up events, complete e-courses, and eventually create her first Metamask wallet. Maryana's interest in photography led her to explore the emerging world of digital art and NFTs and eventually into a virtual world, Decentraland, and its DAO. A decade later, Maryana has immersed herself in learning & investing in new projects, reading up on the crypto legislative environment, and ultimately incorporating cryptocurrency into her Finance & Web3 career.

Pennsylvania - Max Giuliana, Associate at MKF Advisors and Executive Director at Taking the Hill
Max was first exposed to cryptocurrency back in 2017 when he found out a friend's father accepted cryptocurrency at his local business. After years of fascination and research, he found himself working at the heart of cryptocurrency legislation in his home Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, working with private and public partners to promote legislation that supports the proliferation of cryptocurrency usage and the adoption of blockchain technology while maintaining a safe environment for consumers. In this work, Max has been enthralled with the technology's ability to revolutionize industries with its democratic foundations.

Wisconsin - Ian McCullough, Founder at Awen
Ian got involved in crypto through his career as an open-source musician, releasing an album of open-licensed music every year since 2006. Ian's passion for preserving the values of collaboration and transparency within open-source societies deeply shaped his belief in the potential of blockchain technology to revolutionize global economic systems - especially in the creator economy and entertainment industries. By combining his technical background as a computer engineer and creative vision as an artist, Ian founded Awen in 2023, an agency dedicated to creating a decentralized protocol where creators can thrive as cultural developers in their local communities.