July Highlights at a Glance
- The First Year of ABE - A Review of Highlights
- Our First “Fly-In” to Washington D.C.
- Gratitude for the Blockchain Association
The First Year of ABE - A Review of Highlights
I cannot believe it has been one full year since joining the Ardent team to work on this critical mission of bringing blockchain education and financial literacy to Florida’s students. In that time, I’ve traveled all over the Sunshine State, had numerous conversations with serious stakeholders, and capped it off with our first visit to share our vision with legislative leaders on the national level.
Here’s a quick rundown of what we have accomplished in this first year:
- Addressed the school boards in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Manatee, Orange and Sarasota counties.
- Held direct meetings with executive leadership in Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, and Orange school districts (Sarasota scheduled for the first week of August).
- Had multiple meetings with Cathie Wood, the ARK Invest staff, and are now partnered with her own philanthropic organization, ARK Educate.
- Spoke with numerous state-level legislators or their senior legislative aides who serve on their respective education committees in the Senate or House of Representatives.
- Began creating curriculum content that aligns with Florida Academic State Standards that will eventually be offered as both in-person seminar formats or online via self-paced modules.
- Launched our brand new website edu.ardenthq.com (please visit it if you haven’t already)
Our First “Fly-In” to Washington D.C.
With the help of the Blockchain Association’s “Fly-In” program, Ardent CEO Ray Alvarez and I were able to coordinate a two-day visit to our nation’s capitol in order to sit down with members of the Florida delegation serving in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. The BA Government Relations team scheduled all meetings for a single day, and Ray and I got to share our story and what we have accomplished so far across this first year. Although the August recess had been called a bit early and we did not have the opportuntity to visit with the legislators themselves, each of the legislative aides we met with were highly intrigued by what we have been doing, especially in light of the recently passed GENIUS Act as well as the CLARITY Act that had been passed in the House.
Our first meeting with Tyler Zidlicky from Representative Bilirakis’ office really set the tone for the entire day. I was excited because a large portion of his district covers Pasco County, which has been a strong partner both in terms of the school district and State Senator Danny Burgess. Tyler was intrigued by our story and wants to follow up with us by putting us in touch with district-level staff who are on the ground in Florida.
The meetings continued to roll throughout the day, eventually concluding with another House member, Representative Greg Steube, whose area we have also covered, Sarasota. Although his main legislative aide admitted to knowing virtually nothing about blockchain technology, he understood its promise and how it will shape our future. He believed that our work will continue to provide Florida and its students a competitive edge and that the Sunshine State could become a leading model for the rest of the nation.
Gratitude for the Blockchain Association
Though the trip to Washington D.C. was undeniably a smashing success, it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of the Government Relations team from the BA. Not only did they take great care in putting together our schedule, but they also provided detailed dossiers about each of the legislators with whom we would meet, including information about their political votes and how those have impacted the blockchain industry. At each meeting, they introduced Ray and me while sharing a bit about blockchain technology, acting as fellow educators themselves.
From left to right in the photo, we have Ellie Small, Ray and myself, Jessica Martinez, and Jeremy Epner. Each of them played a vital part in helping us navigate the halls of power in D.C., and we look forward to our next fly-in so that we can share more about the great work we hope to begin in earnest as the 2025-2026 school year begins.
Stay tuned for our next update, where we will have more great news to share for the month of August!
