Bitcoin Policy Institute Announces New Executive Director and Expanded Leadership Team
Conner Brown to lead BPI as Antonin (“AJ”) Scalia, Andrew Bailey, and Matthew Burtell take on senior roles
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Bitcoin Policy Institute today announced an expanded leadership team as the organization enters its next phase of growth. Conner Brown will take the reins as Executive Director, joined by Antonin “AJ” Scalia as Head of Operations, Andrew M. Bailey as Senior Director of Education, and Matthew Burtell as Director of Special Projects.
BPI also congratulates Senior Fellow William J. Luther, who recently departed the organization to serve as a Senior Economist on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and Grant McCarty, who transitioned from Executive Director to a role as Senior Advisor as he attends the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School on a full-ride scholarship this fall.
“BPI has grown from an ambitious experiment into one of the country’s leading institutions for serious research and policy on Bitcoin and emerging technology,” said David Zell, President of BPI. “Conner understands Washington, believes deeply in our mission, and knows how to turn big ideas into durable institutions. Together, this leadership team sets BPI on course for an ambitious new phase of growth.”
Brown joined BPI after serving as Counsel to Senator Cynthia Lummis, where he led her work on Bitcoin and artificial intelligence policy and helped shape major digital-asset legislation, including the GENIUS Act, CLARITY Act, and BITCOIN Act. Before entering public service, Brown practiced law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and Sidley Austin. He holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School.
“Bitcoin is becoming a central question of American economic policy, national strategy, and technological leadership,” Brown said. “For years, BPI has built the credibility and talent to meet this inflection point. I am honored to lead the organization as we expand our research and education initiatives.”
Scalia brings extensive experience in financial services, digital infrastructure, and organizational leadership. He previously served as CEO of Cathedra Bitcoin, a publicly traded datacenter company, and held roles at Galaxy Digital and JPMorgan. As Head of Operations, he will oversee BPI’s internal operations and build the infrastructure required to support its continued growth.
Bailey, a longtime BPI Senior Fellow and founding faculty member of Yale-NUS, will lead the organization’s educational programs for policymakers, students, educators, and the public. A professor and interdisciplinary scholar of philosophy, politics, economics, and money, he co-authored Resistance Money: A Philosophical Case for Bitcoin.
Burtell will lead new initiatives at the intersection of artificial intelligence, national security, energy, and American technological leadership. He previously served as Senior Policy Analyst for AI and Emerging Technology at America First Policy Institute, as an AI Fellow for Senator Lummis, and as a researcher at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. He is a Navy veteran and graduate of Yale University, where he studied computer science and mathematics.
Together, these changes position BPI ahead of its flagship summit, Freedom Tech DC, to deepen its research and educational work while addressing the broader technological and economic questions shaping America’s future.
About the Bitcoin Policy Institute
The Bitcoin Policy Institute is a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank guiding America through the rise of Bitcoin and transformative technologies through rigorous research, education, and policy engagement. Contact BPI: https://www.btcpolicy.org/contact
