STO Foundation names Nicki Sanders global education chief

The STO Foundation appointed blockchain veteran Nicki Sanders as Global Director of Education on Aug. 24, 2026, as it expands programming for tokenized assets and digital capital markets. Sanders will lead the group’s Learning Center and broader education strategy for issuers, investors, institutions and technology providers.

Why it matters: - The STO Foundation is trying to make tokenized asset education more practical for the market participants who will shape adoption. - The Foundation’s push could affect how issuers, investors and institutions understand tokenization, compliance and infrastructure. - Sanders brings technical credibility at a time when tokenized assets are moving from concept to implementation.

What happened: - The STO Foundation, also known as The Tokenized Asset Foundation, appointed Nicki Sanders as Global Director of Education. - The announcement was made Aug. 24, 2026, in Miami. - Sanders will lead the Foundation’s global learning strategy for tokenized assets and digital capital markets.

The details: - Sanders has about 15 years of software engineering, technical strategy and leadership experience. - Her background includes more than a decade working with blockchain technology, digital securities, decentralized finance and institutional digital asset infrastructure. - She will oversee the expansion of the Foundation’s Learning Center, webinars, expert discussions, educational series and practical industry resources. - The Foundation wants educational programming for people at different experience levels, from first-time tokenization learners to institutions and issuers building advanced strategies. - Planned coverage includes the full tokenized asset lifecycle: asset selection, structuring, issuance, blockchain infrastructure, smart contracts, custody, compliance, investor access, distribution, trading and secondary-market liquidity. - The program will also cover tokenization across real estate, private credit, private equity, investment funds, commodities, infrastructure, intellectual property and other real-world assets. - Sanders earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Utah. - She started her career in software engineering at Raytheon and moved into blockchain and digital securities in 2015. - She spent nearly six years at tZERO Group as a Senior Software Developer and later a Development Team Lead. - Her work at tZERO included blockchain development for capital markets and technology for digital securities and smart-contract-based compliance. - Sanders is a named inventor on three issued patents related to security tokens. - The patents include technology for self-enforcing security tokens that apply compliance rules through smart contracts and distributed investor registries. - She later worked at TaxBit as Principal Software Engineer and Principal Developer Advocate. - Her TaxBit responsibilities included blockchain research and development involving decentralized finance and non-fungible token contracts. - Sanders also held senior leadership roles at Nerd United, Realio and Anchorage Digital. - At Realio, she helped lead technology strategy for a blockchain-based platform focused on digital issuance, investment and tokenization of real-world assets. - At Anchorage Digital, she worked on institutional digital assets, custody infrastructure and regulated blockchain services. - Sanders runs a blockchain technology consulting firm focused on platform architecture, custody and tokenization infrastructure. - She also served as Vice Chair and an Executive Board Member of the Utah Blockchain Coalition. - Her public speaking and education work includes events such as Permissionless, Silicon Slopes Summit and Women Impact Tech. - Her stated expertise includes blockchain architecture, real-world asset tokenization, digital securities, smart-contract standards, custody, decentralized finance, regulatory-aware technology design, product development, developer advocacy and public education. - The Foundation will seek contributions from professionals in financial services, technology, law, compliance, academia and public policy. - The Foundation plans to expand its use of case studies, expert interviews, practical guides and structured learning pathways. - More information about Sanders’s background is available through her LinkedIn profile. - The STO Foundation says it is a global membership and industry organization focused on real-world asset tokenization, digital securities and tokenized capital markets through education, collaboration, networking and ecosystem development. - The group connects issuers, investors, financial institutions, asset managers, technology companies, legal and compliance professionals, broker-dealers, custodians, transfer agents, exchanges and other market participants. - The Foundation’s broader initiatives include educational resources, webinars, industry events, market intelligence, professional networking, thought leadership and programs supporting global adoption.

Between the lines: - The appointment signals a move from broad tokenization advocacy toward structured education tied to implementation. - Sanders’s mix of engineering, advocacy and institutional infrastructure experience suggests the Foundation wants content that is technical but also usable by business and compliance teams. - The emphasis on regulatory-aware design and lifecycle education reflects the market’s need for practical guidance, not just industry promotion.

What's next: - Sanders will help shape new educational programming and resources for the Foundation’s global audience. - The Foundation expects to deepen its network of contributors across finance, law, compliance, academia and public policy. - Its education offerings will likely expand around tokenized asset use cases, operational workflows and responsible adoption.