# February 16 2026
## Attendees:
| Name | Attendance | Role | Voting Seat (Y/N) |
| ---------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| [Simo Simovic](mailto:simo.simovic@intersectmbo.org) | No | Secretary | N |
| Jack Briggs | Yes | Executive Director | Y |
| Nick Cook | No | Director - Operations (Interim) | Y |
| Sheldon Hunt | No | Community Member Seat | Y |
| Fred Tanaka | Yes | Community Member Seat | Y |
| Kristijan Kowalsky | Yes | Community Member Seat | Y |
| Jose Miguel de Gamboa | Yes | Community Member Seat | Y |
| Georg Link | No | OSC Chair | Y |
| Samuel Leathers | No | Product Chair | Y |
| Maureen Wepngogn | Yes | MCC Chair | Y |
| Megan Hess | No | CBC Chair | Y |
| Kevin Hammond | Yes | TSC Chair | Y |
| Tim Harrison | Yes | GMC Chair | Y |
| Nicolas Cerny | No | CCC Chair | Y |
| Lorenzo Bruno | Yes | Secretary of CPC | N |
| Bosko Majdanac | No | Secretary of TSC | N |
| Abhik Nag | No | Secretary of MCC | N |
| Lloyd Duhon | Yes | Secretary of Budget Committee | N |
| Larisa Mcfarlane | Yes | Secretary of CCC | N |
| Terence McCutcheon | Yes | Secretary of OSC & GMC | N |
| Lara Bonasorte | Yes | Secretary of GMC | N |
### Additional Attendees:
Ken-Erik Ølmheim - Vice Chair of Civics
Adam Rusch - Member of the Intersect Board
Kyle Solomon - Vice Chair of Product
Sanjaya Wanigasekera - Vice Chair for MCC
Thiago Nunes - Observer
## Agenda: 16.02.2025
* Update from Committees
* Committee chair and vice-chair election policy + discussion about ISC
* Committee Budgets - status check
* AOB & Meeting Close
## Discussion/Actions
### 1. Opening & Agenda
The meeting opened with confirmation of attendance and review of the agenda. Planned topics included committee updates, updates related to Catalyst administration, Pentad developments, discussion of the Chair & Vice-Chair Election Policy, and progress on committee budget preparation. Time was also allocated for ad-hoc discussion.
### 2. Intersect & Ecosystem Updates
An update was provided on Intersect’s role as administrator for Catalyst, noting that Intersect is participating in ongoing discussions with IOG and the Cardano Foundation regarding the strategic and operational roadmap. Intersect is giving space to those parties to align, with updates expected soon, particularly for future Catalyst funds (14–16).
Additional updates included:
* Announcement of LayerZero integration as part of Pentad-related work.
* Plans to open a role for an Ecosystem Integrations Lead, focused on coordinating Pentad integrations, supporting builders and dApps, and strengthening community-facing collaboration.
### 3. Committee Updates
* Civics Committee reported limited activity due to travel and lack of quorum, with current efforts focused on reviewing historical committee work and identifying gaps where the committee can contribute going forward. Discussion also touched on governance parameter updates, including a community proposal to reduce the minimum Constitutional Committee size, which was noted to be technically invalid due to incorrect references.
* Technical Steering Committee (TSC) provided extensive updates, confirming that the Plutus memory unit limit governance action passed with strong DRep and SPO support after active mobilization. TSC shared progress on a draft 2026 operational budget, emphasizing coordination with Intersect staff and avoiding scope overlap with other committees. Additional updates included technical review of Constitution v2.4, ongoing hard-fork readiness work, security exercises, and early discussion on making the Net Change Limit (NCL) a standalone governance action or ledger parameter in the future.
* Membership & Community Committee (MCC) outlined multiple active workstreams, including internal coordination improvements, onboarding and participation enhancements, reactivation of community hubs, regular community X Spaces, work on membership benefits (including enterprise benefits), and recognition mechanisms for non-elected contributors. MCC highlighted the importance of working groups as an engagement and contribution pathway.
* Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC) shared that it is preparing recommendations on marketing and growth priorities aligned with the 2030 Vision, alongside work on an enterprise onboarding strategy. The committee aims to finalize its recommendations ahead of the formal budget cycle so they can inform broader community discussion.
* Product Committee briefly noted the launch of a new product research grant and early preparation for the upcoming committee elections. Work is also underway to structure product research efforts approved in prior governance actions.
### 4. Chair & Vice-Chair Election Policy
The ISC revisited the draft Chair & Vice-Chair Election Policy, intended to provide clear guidance for committees on nomination and election processes. Discussion focused in particular on whether the policy should apply to the ISC itself.
Members emphasized that the ISC was intentionally designed as a chair-less, collegial body, functioning as a roundtable of equals rather than a hierarchical committee. Several participants argued that introducing an ISC Chair would conflict with this foundational design and should only be changed through a broader governance process, not internal committee decision-making. Others noted the importance of preserving flexibility while acknowledging that the current model is working well.
The policy currently excludes the ISC, with agreement to revisit the question only through a more formal governance route if needed. No vote was taken at this meeting; members agreed to review the document again before proceeding.
### 5. ISC Representation for Committee Elections
ISC discussed the need for a representative to explain the role of the ISC during the upcoming committee elections. A volunteer came forward to support this effort, with coordination to follow.
### 6. Committee Budgets
An update was provided on the Committee Budget Guidance, which was approved in the previous meeting and remains a living document. Committees were encouraged to prepare draft budget outlines by the end of February, with March dedicated to coordination, overlap identification, and Board review.
Discussion highlighted:
* The importance of sharing draft budgets across committees to avoid duplication.
* Clarifying the distinction between Intersect core operational funding and committee-initiated budget requests.
* The role of working groups as a flexible structure for delivering committee-funded work.
* Ongoing coordination between committees and Intersect staff to manage overlaps and dependencies.
A dedicated ISC session in early March was proposed to review committee budgets collectively.
### 7. Close & Next Steps
* Revisit the Chair & Vice-Chair Election Policy after further review, with the current draft continuing to exclude the ISC.
* Coordinate ISC representation for upcoming committee elections to explain ISC’s role to candidates and voters.
* Plan a dedicated ISC session in early March to collectively review committee budgets.
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