David Campbell is the new executive director of the @ZcashFoundation, succeeding Alex Bornstein, who has led the organisation since March 2025. Bornstein will stay on in a transition role thr
David Campbell is the new executive director of the @ZcashFoundation, succeeding Alex Bornstein, who has led the organisation since March 2025. Bornstein will stay on in a transition role through the end of January 2027 to keep things steady for the team.
Campbell has worked in @Zcash since 2018, including four years as chief operating officer of Electric Coin Company, and has served as a technical consultant to the foundation for the past two years. His background is rooted in security: Crunchbase's profile of Campbell lists a past role as chief security officer at SendGrid, alongside advisory positions at several technology companies.
He said his priorities include making privacy “something ordinary people can use without thinking about it.”
The appointment continues a run of changes at the top of the foundation. Alex Bornstein took over as interim executive director after Jack Gavigan stepped down following four years in the role, according to the foundation's own account of the handover. Bornstein had previously served as the foundation's chief operating officer. The foundation's board then made his appointment permanent, effective November 1, 2025.
The Zcash Foundation is a US-based 501(c)(3) public charity that builds financial privacy infrastructure for the public good, primarily serving users of the Zcash protocol and blockchain, according to the foundation's website. It acts as a steward of the protocol, supporting its continued maintenance and improvement, and says it aims to encourage decentralisation rather than control over the community.
Zcash is a blockchain protocol focused on privacy. As Yahoo Finance has explained, it lets users send shielded transactions that hide details by encrypting data, while also allowing transparent transactions that are publicly viewable, similar to those on Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Campbell's stated aim of everyday usability points to a broader challenge for privacy-focused networks: making shielded features simple enough that users do not need technical knowledge to benefit from them. The foundation's 2026 plans under Bornstein included driving adoption of the Zebra node implementation and expanding its Shielded Aid Initiative, which Campbell now inherits alongside the wider role.
The Zcash token trades under the ticker $ZEC.
Zcash Foundation: Board appoints Alex Bornstein as Executive Director
