Anessa Allen Santos, J.D. is a seasoned corporate attorney and business executive having served in senior management positions leading several technology companies from idea through exit by acquisition of publicly traded companies. She is passionate about the promise of blockchain and related technologies to resolve financial exclusion, and to impose greater transparency on public markets and government agencies. Her practice is largely dedicated to blockchain and fintech by helping innovative corporate clients efficiently navigate the evolving regulatory landscape for securities, commodities, and financial services. A former public defender, she also provides white collar defense for financial crimes involving money laundering, wire fraud, and unlicensed money transmission of cryptocurrency.

Anessa enjoys public speaking, teaching and authoring educational materials on the ethics of government regulations, algorithmic integrity, and digital identity, and has received several awards and recognitions in national publications for her work in these areas. Her future goals are threefold: to continue growing her practice in support of innovative financial services, to develop online courses and materials that teach business law fundamentals to small business owners, and to influence federal regulators to implement a safe harbor money transmission license.

Anessa enjoys serving the legal community as the Vice-Chair on the Florida Bar Committee on Technology Law. She is proud alumna of Oxford's Saïd Business School where she studied Blockchain Strategies and Financial Technology. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor’s in International Diplomacy from Wright State University.