NASHVILLE, July 25 (Reuters) - U.S. cryptocurrency

exchange Coinbase has added three new members to its

board of directors, including an executive from ChatGPT-maker

OpenAI, as the company steps up its efforts to sway U.S. crypto

policy, Coinbase told Reuters on Thursday.

The new members are Chris Lehane, a member of the executive

team at OpenAI; Paul Clement, former U.S. Solicitor General

under President George W. Bush; and Christa Davies, chief

financial officer for Aon and a board member for Stripe and

Workday. The additions will expand the board from seven to 10.

Coinbase's move to expand its board comes as the company and

cryptocurrency industry more broadly aims to make the industry a

major political force in this year's presidential election. The

industry's fortunes could shift if Republican nominee and former

president Donald Trump wins back the White House in November.

Clement will advise Coinbase's efforts to "to push back

against the SEC's (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's)

overreach and fight for clear rules of the road for digital

assets."

Lehane, former policy chief for Airbnb ( ABNB ) who was also

a member of the Clinton White House, will provide strategic

counsel, Coinbase said.

Davies will focus on Coinbase's "financial and operational

excellence on a global scale."

Coinbase said the three members all hold different political

philosophies.

"For crypto to succeed, it needs to be bipartisan," Lehane

told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.

Coinbase-backed Stand With Crypto, an advocacy organization

for voters who own crypto, has amassed 1.3 million members.

Meanwhile, three major pro-crypto super political action

committees - Fairshake, Defend American Jobs, and Protect

Progress, all of which did not exist until this cycle - have

raised over $230 million to support friendly candidates.