May 26, 2025 ISC Meeting

Agenda

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• ISC–Budget Task Force Coordination

• Consultant transition plan

• Update from Committees and Business Function (If Any)

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Name	Attendance	Role	Voting Seat (Y/N)
Simo Simovic	Yes	Secretary	N
Jack Briggs	Yes	Interim Executive Director	Y
Nick Cook	No	Director - Operations (Interim)	Y
YUTA	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Phil Lewis	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Sheldon Hunt	No	Community Member Seat	Y
Fred Tanaka	Yes	Community Member Seat	Y
Pedro Lucas	Yes	OSC Chair	Y
Samuel Leathers	No	Product Chair	Y
Darlington Welsh	Yes	MCC Chair	Y
Prof. Steven	No	Chair of Board of Directors and CBC Chair	Y
Kevin Hammond	No	TSC Chair	Y
Simon Fleck	No	GMC Chair	Y
Nicolas Cerny	Yes	Interim CCC Chair	Y
Christian Taylor	Yes	Head of OSO	N
Lorenzo Bruno	Yes	Head of Product	N
Matt Davis	No	Head of Tech Operation	N
Duncan Soutar	No	Secretary of TSC	N
Lloyd Duhon	Yes	Secretary of Budget Committee	N
Larisa Mcfarlane	Yes	Secretary of CCC	N
Terence McCutcheon	No	Secretary of OSC	N
Kyle Solomon	No	Product Co-Chair	N

Discussion/Action:

1. Welcome & Agenda Overview

The meeting opened with a review of the agenda, including ClickUp action items, an update on ICS–Budget Task Force coordination, and a deep dive into the Consultant Transition Plan. Nicolas Cerny as new interim chair of the Civics Committee was welcomed.

2. ISC Action Items & Updates

• The interim organizational chart was published on the knowledge base. We can expect some changes in the next couple of months as we go through the transition phase.

• The committee roles document received feedback. A workshop will be organized to further clarify decision flows and governance actions.

• A public blog and documentation package on smart contracts and Intersect’s role as an administrator were released. Smart contract auditing is still in progress.

• The first Leadership AMA is scheduled for late June, modeled after SPO calls, with a focus on direct community engagement and actionable follow-up.

3. ICS & Budget Task Force Coordination

ISC voting members were invited to participate in Budget Task Force meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays. This aims to improve transparency, provide timely input, and establish stronger involvement in both the current budget cycle and the upcoming retrospective and planning process for 2026.

4. Consultant Transition Plan

A comprehensive plan to transition Intersect from reliance on external consultants to full-time hires was presented:

• Timeline: The plan will begin in July, with a 14–15 week recruitment process per role. Some positions will begin being rolled off as early as June/July..

• Scope: About 12 consultant roles are to be assessed. Each will have a corresponding job spec, and the ISC will review whether each role should be replaced, revised, or deprecated.

• Process: Recruitment will include public postings, a multi-stage interview process, onboarding, and shadowing phases. Cost reduction and increased internal capacity are key goals.

• Community Hiring: ISC members discussed the importance of sourcing talent from within the Cardano community. Ranges and transparency around salaries (without disclosing individual compensation) will be developed.

• Audit & Assurance Clarifications:

• • The difference between delivery assurance and technical auditing was clarified. Delivery assurance staff need technical literacy but are not auditors.

  • For high-stakes proposals, vendors will be responsible for commissioning technical audits; Intersect may support connecting auditors or covering costs in some cases.

5. Committee Resourcing & Strategic Planning

• ISC members discussed whether new support roles should be created to help committees manage increased operational complexity.

• Questions were raised about the future of existing committees (e.g. Civics, Growth & Marketing) in light of limited funding and evolving priorities.

• It was acknowledged that Intersect may not continue leading in every domain; other MBOs (Member-Based Organizations) should be supported to spin out and take over key focus areas.

• An idea was introduced to explore the creation of an MBO incubator or accelerator model, which could help emerging organizations bootstrap with initial funding and governance support.

6. Executive Director Recruitment

• The board is preparing to begin the Executive Director recruitment process in June.

• The process will include community input and transparency. The current interim ED will submit a "manifesto-style" strategy document to inform candidates and support future planning.

7. New Internal Election Tool Demonstration

• A new voting tool was demonstrated that allows ISC and committee secretaries to conduct chair elections or any other formal votes asynchronously or live during meetings.

• The tool supports customized election questions, role-based voting permissions, and public result display.

• Committees are encouraged to adopt the tool, and onboarding support will be provided.

8. Governance Follow-up

• A previous action item related to the Board’s promised follow-up to the board meeting with ISC and other committees was revisited.

• It was acknowledged that while a brief message and updated board minutes were shared, no formal response with next steps had been issued.

• The matter will be re-added to the board meeting agenda to ensure this is properly addressed.

9. Action Items & Next Steps

• Organize a special workshop to clarify decision-making flow from committee recommendations to the board decision.

• Add ISC voting members to Wednesday and Friday coordination meetings with the Budget Task Force.

• Provide onboarding sessions and guidance for configuration and execution for the new election tool.