Senior White House Staffer Jamie Elizabeth Smith joined the Bitcoin mining company Bitfury as Global Chief of Communications, and will work to promote the Blockchain technology through the use of various media.
Ms. Jamie Elizabeth Smith, former Senior White House Staffer, joined the largest Bitcoin mining company Bitfury in an effort to help mainstream adoption:
“My BitFury colleagues and I will be working together to regularly comment and tell the story of the power of the Blockchain through speeches, blogs, social, earned and owned media, and technical white papers.”
Leaving The White House For A Promising Technology
She explains that her choice to change her career orientation comes after a well thought period of time and research, and depends on the trust that she puts in this groundbreaking technology:
“After a great deal of research, curiosity and examination, it has become very clear to me that in no uncertain terms this technology can — and will — positively change the world.
And I am not alone. Senior officials from the Government, Finance, Technology, Law Enforcement and Civil Society sectors are also getting on board because they see the endless possibilities and doors this groundbreaking innovation will open for millions of people around the world. From my former White House colleague Brian Forde who now heads the Digital Currency Initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, to the former Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) — BitFury board member Jim Newsome — to the former Deputy Assistant Attorney General in charge of cybercrime and organized crime at the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division Jason Weinstein, to the former CFO of JP Morgan Blythe Masters, to startup entrepreneur Wences Casares. More and more respected experts from a diverse set of fields are leaving their respected positions to focus on the Blockchain.”
The former Senior Staffer step into the Blockchain technology sector is surely impressive, especially considering her career up to now, as stated in one of her blog posts:
“Prior to working at Edelman, my career has included serving as Deputy White House Press Secretary and Special Assistant to President Obama, Director of Public Affairs for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Director of Communications for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and its then Chairman Senator Rockefeller, Traveling Press Director for Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2008 Presidential campaign, and Director of Communications for Secretary Madeleine K. Albright and her consulting firm, The Albright Group, LLC.”
Early Internet Age Not Different From “Early Crypto Age”
A comparison of early internet times to these “early cryptocurrency times” leaves no doubt about her excitement in her career switch:
“We all remember the remarkable 1994 NBC Today Show interview with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel when they famously asked live on air, “what is the internet?”
Back then, very few fully understood the power of such an open and interoperable system.
And now we live in a world where we stream movies through our iPhones that we searched for in a place called Google, all the while keeping in touch with our friends and family in a place called Facebook, while simultaneously buying holiday presents for our loved ones in a place called Amazon - all in the palm of our hands.”
Between news of presumed Ponzi schemes and governments considering tightening of Bitcoin regulations in relation to safety issues and terrorism, a story like this comes like a breath of fresh air.
A person that worked at such a high level into the USA government is surely representing a powerful “lobbying” hand for the cause of Bitcoin and the Blockchain technology in the future, and another brick in the cryptocurrency reputation building.