Independent policy work for Zcash
Pretty Good Policy for Zcash (PGPZ) helps policymakers, regulators, industry stakeholders, and ecosystem participants understand Zcash and advance workable policy that protects financial privacy.
About PGPZ
PGPZ supports broader understanding and responsible adoption of Zcash by translating technical systems into useful policy context and organizing informed, credible engagement.
PGPZ brings together education, community participation, policy analysis, and advocacy so people can engage with shared context while preserving distinct roles and perspectives.
The aim is straightforward: help decision-makers understand what privacy-preserving digital cash does, why it matters, and how thoughtful policy can protect both civil liberties and legitimate public interests.
Team
Executive Director
Divij Pandya is an attorney and government affairs professional with substantive experience providing policy and regulatory advising to fintech and financial institutions.
Div’s extensive experience in blockchain and digital asset policy was honed at the Chamber of Digital Commerce (now “The Digital Chamber”), where he helped build the policy department, and FS Vector, where he co-led the digital assets advocacy practice.
Div is a proud graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, where he earned his BA in economics, and Rutgers School of Law-Newark.
Governance
Chairman
Chairman
Paul Brigner is the Founder of Pretty Good Policy for Zcash, Chief Policy & Regulatory Officer at Zcash Open Development Lab (Zodl), member of the Zcash Community Grants Committee, and Adjunct Faculty of FinTech at Georgetown University. He is a technology policy executive, former software developer, attorney, and U.S. Army veteran with experience spanning software engineering, internet governance, cryptocurrency policy, financial privacy, and public advocacy. His career has included senior roles at Verizon, Internet Society, the Motion Picture Association, the Chamber of Digital Commerce, Coinbase Institute, Electric Coin Co., Bootstrap, and Zodl. Through PGP* and the DC Privacy Summit, he convenes policymakers, builders, researchers, advocates, and industry leaders to advance discussion of crypto policy, privacy-preserving technologies, digital rights, and open financial systems. His work focuses on Zcash, financial privacy, and the future of digital cash.
Director
Director
Michele Korver is the Head of Regulatory at a16z crypto where she helps a16z's portfolio companies to navigate the regulatory landscape and works to educate and liaise with government agencies and policymakers.
She joined a16z crypto after more than 25 years in government and law enforcement. Michele started her career as a Special Agent in the U.S. Secret Service, where she investigated financial crimes, before serving as a federal prosecutor for over a decade in the Miami, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, United States Attorney’s Offices. Specializing in money laundering and transnational organized crime, Michele advanced to become one of the foremost federal prosecutors in crypto. In 2017, she debuted the role of Digital Currency Counsel, the U.S. Department of Justice’s first dedicated subject matter expert in cryptocurrency-related prosecutions and forfeitures, creating and managing the Criminal Division’s Digital Currency Initiative. Following her time at the DOJ, she served as Chief Digital Currency Advisor at the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), advising the Director on digital asset-related matters across the bureau’s divisions, while advancing FinCEN’s leadership role within the space.
Director
Director
Dan represents Blockchain Association as Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs. Since 2012, Dan has been an advocate of decentralized digital assets, bitcoin, and blockchain technology. From 2016-2020, Dan led membership growth at the Chamber of Digital Commerce, and in 2019 was appointed Co-Chair of the North Carolina Blockchain Initiative by the state’s Lieutenant Governor. He previously worked for North Carolina’s Department of Commerce and successfully drove a multi-stakeholder campaign leading to the passage of the NC Money Transmitters Act of 2016.
Director
Director
Julie Stitzel is Vice President of Policy for Digital Currency Group (DCG), the most active investor in the blockchain sector with a mission to accelerate the development of a better financial system through the proliferation of digital assets and blockchain technology. In this role, Julie advances global policy and regulatory strategy across digital assets for DCG, its subsidiaries, and its portfolio companies.
Julie joined DCG in 2022 from Block, where she led bitcoin and crypto policy efforts as Head of Bitcoin Policy for Cash App. Prior to Block, Julie was Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, leading the team’s efforts on digital assets, fintech, consumer finance, and access to capital for minority-owned businesses.
Director
Director
J.W. Verret is an Associate Professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where he teaches banking, securities, and corporation law. He also serves as a Director of the Zcash Foundation.
Financial privacy
Financial privacy helps people and businesses protect themselves from theft, harassment, discrimination, and unwanted surveillance. As finance becomes more digital, exposed transaction data can reveal spending, income, location, and relationships at scale.
The PGPZ network
Choose the level of participation that matches your interest, expertise, and capacity. Coalition members are also part of the broader Community.
Open participation
The broader home for Zcash policy awareness, public updates, educational resources, programming, and practical ways to follow and support policy engagement.
Enter the CommunityAction-oriented working group
A focused group for policy professionals, advocates, builders, researchers, and community members coordinating strategy, policymaker education, policy response, and advocacy.
Visit the CoalitionWhat PGPZ does
The work connects stakeholder education, global advocacy, civil liberties, policy response, and developer protections.
Give policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders clear, useful context about Zcash.
Connect policy work across jurisdictions while respecting local knowledge, needs, and strategy.
Advance the public-interest case for privacy-preserving infrastructure as digital finance expands.
Help the ecosystem understand and respond constructively to policy affecting privacy-preserving networks.
Support clear rules, due process, and appropriate safe harbors for people who build and maintain non-custodial privacy software.
About Zcash
Zcash is a decentralized digital currency that uses zero-knowledge cryptography to support shielded transactions. The network can verify a valid transfer without publicly revealing the sender, recipient, or amount.
Choose your path
Join the PGPZ Community for updates, resources, and public participation. Visit the PGPZ Coalition if you are ready for active policy coordination and advocacy.
