January 5 2026
Attendees:
Name
Attendance
Role
Voting Seat (Y/N)
Jack Briggs
No
Interim Executive Director
Y
Nick Cook
Yes
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
Elaine Cardenas
No
OSC Chair
Y
Samuel Leathers
No
Product Chair
Y
Maureen Wepngogn
Yes
MCC Chair
Y
Megan Hess
Yes
CBC Chair
Y
Kevin Hammond
Yes
TSC Chair
Y
Tim Harrison
No
GMC Chair
Y
Nicolas Cerny
Yes
CCC Chair
Y
Christian Taylor
No
Head of OSO
N
Lorenzo Bruno
No
Secretary of CPC
N
Bosko Majdanac
No
Secretary of TSC
N
Abhik Nag
Yes
Secretary of MCC
N
Lloyd Duhon
No
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:
Thiago Nunes - Observer
Wes Perkinson - Observer
Agenda:
Welcome Back - 2026 Kick off
Update from Committees
Open Action & Work in Progress
AOB & Meeting Close
Discussion/Actions
1. Committee Updates
Civics Committee
The committee’s main focus for 2026 is advancing the Constitutional Amendment Process—moving from design to practical implementation and community testing. The committee is intentionally limiting scope to a few major goals to maintain focus and deliver impact.
Budget Committee
Primary focus is the rollout of the 2026 budget process, including submission of the Net Change Limit (NCL) governance action, targeted for on-chain submission this Friday. Members were invited to join the committee’s X Space on Wednesday for community discussion.
Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC)
GMC is reviewing ecosystem challenges, developing a full KPI set, and refining strategic priorities for 2026. Work includes defining the GMC mandate clearly, avoiding overlap with other committees, and coordinating responsibilities—especially around business development and ecosystem-wide needs.
General Inter-Committee Coordination
Multiple members emphasized that committees should not only avoid overstepping boundaries but should also actively collaborate where mandates overlap. Coordination across committees—especially regarding 2030 Strategy alignment and shared work areas—was highlighted as a major improvement opportunity for 2026.
Governance Working Group (GWG)
A key priority for early 2026 is the two-year committee term proposal. The GWG will continue drafting the framework and bring a presentation to the ISC once the first version is ready. This proposal will also require addressing transitional steps (e.g., extending some current member terms) to enable a single election cycle each year.
2. 2030 Vision & Roadmap Integration
Questions were raised about how the Cardano 2030 Vision & Roadmap will be incorporated into Intersect’s and each committee’s 2026 planning. Staff confirmed:
Intersect conducted internal planning sessions in December.
Once Lorenzo returns, he will present how Intersect’s 2026 planning connects with the 2030 roadmap and how committees can align their objectives.
Secretary training in Q1 2026 will support consistent planning and reporting across all committees.
Committees will revisit their goals once strategy alignment guidance is provided.
3. ISC Open Actions & Work in Progress
Chair & Vice-Chair Election Policy - The final draft has been shared. ISC members are asked to review and provide feedback so the policy can be finalized and approved.
Two-Year Committee Terms - Drafting has begun (as noted above). A proposal will be brought to ISC in the coming weeks for discussion and refinement.
Long-Term ISC Agenda - A request from 2025 remains open: developing a multi-month ISC agenda to improve visibility and planning. Simo will work internally on a draft and present it to the ISC later this month.
Committee Objectives for 2026
A major 2026 initiative:
Each committee will define clear goals and objectives aligned with Intersect’s roadmap and the Cardano Vision 2030.
The ISC will review committee goals quarterly to track progress.
Simo will work with chairs and secretaries over the next few weeks to consolidate objectives and present them for review in February.
Members agreed that a smaller number of well-defined goals per committee will improve delivery and alignment.
4. Organizational Design & RACI Mapping
ISC revisited the need for a periodic review of Intersect’s organizational structure, including:
Updating the organization chart (new version expected in the coming weeks)
Ensuring committee responsibilities are clear
Developing a RACI matrix to map end-to-end processes and clarify where each committee contributes
Members recommended conducting this review once per year.
5. Critical Integrations Budget – Role of Committees
A question was raised about whether committees can support the Critical Integrations Budget, currently managed by a five-party steer group (Midnight, IOG, EMURGO, Intersect, CF).
Staff clarified:
To date, the work has been handled by Intersect staff due to coordination with external parties.
Committees are not excluded from contributing expertise.
Members emphasized the value of avoiding duplicated efforts and benefiting from existing committee expertise.
A request was made for regular updates from the steer group to avoid misalignment or redundant work.
The suggestion will be raised with leadership, and an answer will be returned to ISC next week.
6. Additional Suggestions
Members proposed creating a dashboard / KPI overview for ISC meetings to help track committee progress and elevate issues systematically.
The idea ties into the upcoming committee-objective framework and the ISC long-term agenda.
Next Steps / Actions
Committees to continue refining 2026 plans and prepare objectives for ISC review.
ISC members to review and provide feedback on the Chair/Vice-Chair Election Policy.
Simo to draft the ISC long-term plan/agenda and circulate for review.
Leadership to provide clarity next week on committee involvement in the Critical Integrations Budget, and regular progress updates for ISC
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