California’s blockchain effort to study the technology’s potential in government has a new leader. 

Camille Crittenden is the first chair of the blockchain working group, which was formed as a result of Assembly Bill 2658, passed in 2018, according to a state announcement from.  

Crittenden will lead a total of 20 members in the working group, which is comprised of a diverse collection of experts in tech, business, law, privacy and consumer organizations including Assembly Ian Calderon (who authored AB 2658), Senator Robert M. Hertzberg, and CDT Director Amy Tong.

Blockchain is the technology that records digital transactions and cryptocurrencies — the thread that connects the digital global marketplace without the use of a third party bank.

According to GovOps, the role of the blockchain working group will be to define blockchain, evaluate the risks and uses of blockchain, understand its legal implications, and to recommend amendments to statutes that may be affected by blockchain. 

Apart from its initial purpose to track cryptocurrency, Crittenden noted blockchain’s potential for social impact through the documentation of land and property rights, custody and supply chains, and its ability to make financial and health data more readily available to consumers.

“Blockchain is a unique, emerging technology, and I look forward to this group exploring its potential for the state,” Secretary Marybel Batjer said in the announcement. 

The group will hold its first meeting in September and is due to issue a report including policy recommendations by July 1, 2020.