What is the Intersect Steering Committee?

The Intersect Steering Committee brings together member elected representatives, elected committee chairs, and Functional Directors of Intersect.

ISC is a collective member driven governing body which will oversee all standing committees and functions within Intersect. It will enable effective collective decision making and communication flows between the Intersect Board, committees, community representatives and Functional Directors.

In turn this will drive forward the growth of Intersect on behalf of the Intersect membership and wider Cardano ecosystem.

Committee Composition

• 4 Community Seats

• 7 Intersect Committee Chairs (the chairs of the Intersect Committees)

• 5 Intersect Function Directors & Function Heads

• 1 Secretary

Committee Members

Purpose/Goals of the working group

The Intersect Governance Working Group was established by recommendation from the ISC to support and enhance the governance framework of Intersect. Its role is to develop, refine, and recommend governance processes that ensure transparency, accountability, and effective collaboration between Intersect keys stakeholders. While the group does not have decision-making authority, it plays a critical role in shaping governance best practices, aligning committee structures, and fostering strong organizational oversight.

The Intersect Governance Working Group will focus on 4 main areas:

1. Governance Processes & Alignment – Assess and refine governance structures, roles, and workflows to ensure clarity, efficiency, and strategic alignment.

2. Committee Composition & Elections – Improve committee structures, ensure balanced representation, and refine election and nomination processes for committee and board elections.

3. Day-to-Day Governance Support – Provide recommendations to enhance operational governance, compliance, and structured decision-making.

4. Collaboration Between Key Stakeholders – Strengthen coordination and communication between Intersect members, the ISC, Executive Team, and Board to enhance governance effectiveness.

By focusing on these areas, the Intersect Governance Working Group helps create a governance framework that is transparent, effective, and aligned with the long-term success of Intersect. The working documents resulting from these areas must be completed by the Intersect Governance WG, and all outcomes will be submitted for ratification by the Intersect Steering Committee.

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Committee Election Update

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Rand McHenry - Member of the Board

Megan Hess - Vice chair of OSC

Kyle Solomon - Vice chair of Product Committee

Valeria Devaux - Observer

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Actions

1. Committee Updates

Civics Committee The charter for the Constitutional Amendments Working Group has been approved, and materials were shared for review. Multiple submissions have already been received for the CIP-49 optional DRep compensation grant from wallets, SDKs, and governance tooling teams. An outreach effort is underway, including an upcoming X Space featuring the CIP author. Work continues on governance health KPIs, with a report expected soon.

Membership & Community Committee (MCC) A proposal for updates to member benefits is nearing completion, in collaboration with Intersect staff. The committee is also exploring a request for Intersect to consider funding a minimum number of active community hubs due to their continued value in supporting membership.

Budget Committee The committee discussed network economics and treasury sustainability, highlighting the importance of increasing transaction-fee revenue and diversifying returns. Discussion also covered the impact of a constitutional governance action currently on-chain, which could remove the need for the current budget “info action” step in the future. The committee is preparing contingency process updates depending on the outcome.

2. ISC Action Items & Updates

• The Annual Member Meeting (AMM) survey remains open, and members were asked to encourage completion within committees.

• A previously requested joint ISC–Board discussion on the role of members in a Member-Based Organization (MBO) will be raised at the Board’s end-of-month meeting; asynchronous escalation is also planned.

• Data on 2025 membership renewal rates is being collected and will be presented to the ISC on 17 November, following Cardano Summit activities.

3. Committee Elections Update

Participation reached a key milestone with over 168 unique voters, surpassing the 10% validity threshold required for elections. Additional notes:

• Voting remains open for one more week.

• Members are asked to promote participation across committees.

• An X Space will be held later in the week to answer questions and allow candidates to share motivations.

• Voting closes Friday at 12:00 UTC.

• Publication planned for Friday, 14 November

Comparison of candidate numbers across cycles is still being analyzed; early observations suggest fewer candidates compared to the previous cycle.

4. Upcoming Protocol Upgrade Planning

It was noted that a protocol upgrade is tentatively targeted for Q1 2026, with readiness activities resuming. The hard fork working group—open to public participation—will be reconvened shortly. As part of the upcoming process, naming the next upgrade after Maxon Rosson will be considered.

5. Next Steps & Actions

• Gather data on 2025 membership renewal data and and the committee renewal applications to be presented to ISC on 17 November.

• Chairs and secretaries to encourage completion of the AMM Member Survey before it closes.

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Draft Intersect purpose, mission, vision & more

• ED Poll & Process Update

• Committee Election Update

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Rand McHenry - Member of the Board

Valeria Devaux - Observer

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Actions

1. Committee Updates

Technical Steering Committee (TSC) Updates included ongoing work on the antithesis testing framework, which could support multi-node testing but would require significant funding. The hard fork working group is being re-formed, with an intra-era hard fork anticipated in early 2026 pending community alignment on scope. Evaluation of “linear Leios” continues, with concerns regarding potential transaction reordering, throughput limits, and suitability for decentralized applications. A proposal to increase Plutus transaction limits has progressed to preview testing and is expected on mainnet soon. A community-led disaster-recovery fire drill successfully validated SIP-135, identifying improvements for documentation. The committee is also providing input on the enabling-technology pillar of the Cardano Vision ahead of the Cardano Summit.

Budget Committee Work continues socializing the 2026 budget process with DReps, board members, and the executive team. Several topics—including deposits, fees, staking percentages, and Net Change Limits (NCL)—remain under discussion. Weekly calls are open for participation, and additional budget feedback sessions are scheduled.

Product Committee Recent workshops in Asia informed a refined draft of the Cardano 2030 Vision, subsequently presented in Barcelona with positive reception. Upcoming workshops are planned in Cameroon, Ghana, Buenos Aires, London, Berlin, and additional unspecified locations. The focus is shifting toward strategy and pillar alignment.

Membership & Community Committee (MCC) A draft outline for member benefit updates has been shared. A hubs program working group has reconvened and is exploring options to secure funding—either via Intersect’s internal budget or potentially through Catalyst—with plans to bring a formal request to the ISC or Board.

2. ISC Action Items & Updates

The Committee Reward Policy implementation process is underway. Members will access a dashboard card in the Intersect member area to accept terms, submit required tax documentation (W-8BEN/W-9), and claim monthly rewards. A four–five-week timeline is expected, placing first payouts around early December, assuming no compliance issues. For the retroactive period (July onward), a single consolidated submission may be used to avoid excessive administrative overhead.

Members were reminded to complete the Annual Member Meeting (AMM) survey, which closes mid-November. No update was available regarding ongoing discussion around the role of Intersect as an MBO due to executive absence.

3. Purpose, Mission, and Vision Draft

A first draft of Intersect’s purpose, mission, and vision was presented. The draft aims to:

• define why Intersect exists,

• describe how it coordinates decentralized processes and supports community-led groups,

• clarify its role as an entry point for Cardano contributors and service providers, and

• articulate the value of its organizational structure in bridging treasury resources to real-world execution.

The document will evolve based on ISC and survey feedback. A refined version will be shared with members ahead of the AMM for discussion and further iteration. Comments are invited asynchronously via Discord.

4. Executive Director (ED) Poll & Process

The ED candidate sentiment poll opened for members and DReps, running through Friday. Results will inform—but not determine—the next shortlist. A panel comprising Board members, two Intersect staff, and ISC-nominated participants will advance finalists to interviews. Members were encouraged to vote using links distributed in Discord.

5. Committee Elections

Applications closed with 98 total candidates, achieving more candidates than seats across every committee. Voting opened on 27 October and will remain live for two weeks, closing 7 November. Members were asked to vote via the member portal and help amplify official communications. Translation support was provided to increase participation.

7. Next Steps & Actions

• Survey: Members encouraged to complete AMM survey before mid-November closure.

• Purpose/Mission/Vision Document: Provide feedback via Discord; updated draft to be published pre-AMM.

Agenda:

• New Committee Elected Members

• Update from Committees

• AMM Update

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Darlington Welsh - Former chair of MCC

Rand McHenry - Member of the Intersect Board

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Actions

1. Welcome & Attendance

Two newly elected ISC members were welcomed:

• Jose Miguel de Gamboa

• Kristijan Kowalsky

Quorum was confirmed. Committee secretaries and observers from the Board and executive team were also present.

2. Committee Updates

Network / Technical Governance (Incident Review) A recent mainnet issue resulted in a chain partition requiring urgent coordinated upgrades by SPOs and tooling providers. A full post-incident review is planned, focusing on responsible disclosure, upgrade processes, and mitigation of version-diversity risks. The engineering and operational response was widely recognized as a positive demonstration of community resilience.

Product Committee Final refinements are underway on the proposed 2030 Vision, Mission & Strategy, incorporating feedback from recent workshops. The current plan is to submit a combined Info Action around epoch 600 (mid-December), with the option for future standalone strategy updates as needed.

Civics Committee A snap election is in progress to ensure the Constitutional Committee maintains quorum and governance continuity. Discussion continues on both interim mitigations and longer-term improvements to CC composition and resilience.

Membership & Community Committee (MCC) The committee is reviewing participation pathways, accountability, and improvements to member benefits. Additionally, the MCC has begun examining the future of community hub engagement, including clarity around previous selections, deliverables, and potential funding models aligned with Intersect priorities.

Budget Committee The committee confirmed that the 2025–26 Net Change Limit proposal (18-month scope) has been completed and is pending Board review. Due to current governance constraints, treasury actions will remain blocked until CC quorum is restored. Committees with approved budgets were advised to prioritize critical spending given recent ADA price volatility.

Open Source Committee Governance and communication improvements for the bug bounty program are underway, together with alignment across ecosystem security stakeholders. The committee will also explore whether adjustments are needed to the incident response program based on lessons learned from the recent network event.

3. Annual Member Meeting (AMM)

A preview of the 24-hour global virtual event was shared, including the community platform and session-hosting structure. Committees were invited to confirm their presentation/workshop slots to ensure strong participation. Member survey responses (~70+) will inform updated purpose, mission, and 2026 priorities.

7. Next Steps & Actions

• Committees were invited to schedule dedicated sessions within the AMM virtual hub to facilitate member engagement.

Attendees:

Recording:

Transcript:

Agenda 03.07.2025

• Discuss process about committee members not participating

• Next priorities for the WG

Decisions/Actions

Attendees:

Recording:

Transcript:

Agenda 11.09.2025

• Decision-Making Process Workflow Discussion

Decisions/Actions

Attendees:

Recording:

Transcript:

Agenda 28.08.2025

• Decision-Making Process Workflow Discussion

Decisions/Actions

Attendees:

Recording:

Transcript:

Agenda 21.07.2025

• Decision-Making Process Workflow Discussion

• Committee Stipend

Decisions/Actions

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Committee Service Rewards

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Kyle Solomon - Vice Chair of Product Committee

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

1. Committee Updates

Open Source Committee (OSC) Leadership change reported with a new acting chair. The developer advocate program is being finalized, and the maintainer retainer program has one confirmed project. Intersect will also incubate its first community project (Evolution SDK with No Witness Labs), under a non-funding support framework.

Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC) Social presence doubled through a Rare Evo 2026 ticket giveaway and new posting strategy. Positive sentiment for Cardano is increasing across Asia, with recent events showing stronger engagement.

Civics Committee The committee finalized the charter for the Governance Health Working Group and discussed the long-term possibility of a constitution amendment process.

Budget Committee A call was made for more responses to the retrospective survey. Work has begun on the 2026 budget framework, with a plan to be presented to the board in September. The process is expected to start in Q1 2026, using structured discussions facilitated by the committee.

Product Committee A remote workshop was held, and findings are being integrated with Rare Evo outcomes to refine Cardano’s vision and strategy. Community workshops and discovery calls are being promoted, and coordination for Token 2049 is underway.

Community Updates Reports from Japan and Hong Kong highlighted oversubscribed events, strong regional engagement, and growing institutional interest in Cardano, especially around digital asset treasury opportunities.

2. ISC Actions & Updates

Two follow-ups were noted:

• ISC Survey: Agreement remains to launch mid-September (10–12th), running for 6–8 weeks, with results to be published ahead of the November AMM.

• Committee Rewards Policy: The first draft was presented, now titled Service Rewards to frame it as recognition rather than salary.

3. Committee Service Reward Policy (Draft Discussion)

The draft policy outlines eligibility, scope, and terms of committee rewards:

• Eligibility: All elected committee members are included, up to two rewards per person. Intersect staff and board members are excluded.

• Dismissal & Opt-out: Members dismissed for inactivity are ineligible. Rewards are optional for members who choose not to accept them.

• Rates: 500 ADA/month for members, 1,000 ADA/month for chairs.

• Timeline: Payments aligned with the budget cycle, June 2025 – May 2026, with no backdating.

• Payment Options: Debate centered on monthly versus quarterly disbursements. Some favored quarterly for efficiency, while others preferred monthly for fairness and flexibility. Possible payment mechanisms include decentralized claimable rewards or custodial solutions, with final feasibility to be assessed by the executive/finance team.

• Oversight: Clarification was requested on who holds final decision-making authority.

• Safeguards: Suggestion was made that proposals should include freezing rewards if a member is inactive for four consecutive weeks, even prior to formal dismissal, and potential sign-off requirements by committee leadership.

The draft will be updated with these inputs, including decision-making clarity, and brought back within two weeks. The aim is to finalize the policy by mid-September, enabling payments to start shortly after.

4. Next Steps & Actions

• Service Rewards Policy: Revise draft with feedback (payment cycles, eligibility, oversight, safeguards); aim for ISC approval by mid-September.

Attendees:

Recording: Intersect Governance WG Weekly - 2025/09/25 15:56 CEST - Recording

Transcript: Intersect Governance WG Weekly - 2025/09/25 15:56 CEST - Transcript

Agenda 25.09.2025

• Decision-Making Process Workflow

• Next Priority for the WG

Decisions/Actions

Attendees:

Recording: Intersect Governance WG Weekly - 2025/04/01 15:58 CEST - Recording

Transcript: Intersect Governance WG Weekly - 2025/04/01 15:58 CEST - Transcript

Agenda 01.04.2025

• Weekly Meeting Timing

• Review current Intersect decision making process document

Decisions/Actions

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• Committee Service Rewards Review and Vote

• Committee Elections Questions and Info page

• MCC Charter - presentation

• Draft member survey

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Tim Harrison - Vice Chair of GMC

Kyle Solomon - Vice Chair of Product Committee

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

1. Committee Updates

Civics Committee Launching a Discord forum on constitutional amendments and planning an X Space with incoming/outgoing CC members. Governance Health WG is defining KPIs, Education WG is mapping gaps, and the CC Election WG will hold a follow-up workshop on 29 September.

Technical Steering Committee (TSC) Revised remit under review; presentation expected next week. Reviewing “linear Leios” SIP, which may affect budgets. Preparing a governance action to raise execution units and exploring a new minimum margin parameter. Hard fork unlikely in 2025; intra-era hard fork targeted for early 2026. Fire drill pending officer appointment.

Budget Committee Approved its primary functions (budget process, oversight/audit, and communication) plus supporting roles (DRep relations and working groups). Will present the 2026 budget process and functions to the board, with an info action planned for late October/early November.

Member & Community Committee (MCC) Updated charter shifts focus to member benefits and non-financial hub support. Key focus areas to be shared soon.

Product Committee Workshops ongoing with a calendar published for participation.

Open Source Committee (OSC) Budget rollout progressing with statements of work approved; full implementation expected by November.

2. Committee Service Rewards Policy

A revised draft of the Service Rewards Policy was presented, balancing accountability with simplicity. The proposal allows members to claim 50% of the reward automatically and the other 50% upon submitting a brief activity summary (~500 characters). Legal review will be required to ensure compliance with employment law, as conditions on stipends could create contractual issues.

The ISC agreed to vote on the current version with the caveat that legal review may require revisions, which would return for approval. A majority vote approved sending the draft to legal, with the understanding that changes would be re-submitted for ISC confirmation.

3. Committee Elections – Questions and Criteria

The ISC discussed refining the additional questions for upcoming committee elections. Concerns were raised that some questions overlap (e.g., feedback incorporation vs. communication) and that “community” should be clarified as “membership” in the ISC context. Members suggested defining explicit candidate criteria (e.g., leadership, commitment, understanding of Intersect) and ensuring questions capture candidates’ vision for improving the organization. A revised draft of criteria and questions will be circulated in Discord this week for finalization.

4. MCC Charter Review

Members were invited to provide asynchronous feedback on the updated MCC charter shared in Discord. No further discussion was required during the call.

5. ISC & Member Survey

The ISC confirmed that Phil’s earlier proposal on Intersect’s role and responsibilities will be integrated into a broader member survey for the Annual Member Meeting (AMM). The survey will open next week, remain active for six weeks, and close two weeks before the AMM (planned for late November). Results will inform discussions on Intersect’s 2026 direction and subsequent member voting.

6. Next Steps & Actions

• Service Rewards Policy: Send draft to legal review; return for ISC approval if changes required.

• Committee Elections: Finalize criteria and additional questions for ISC election seats; share updated draft in Discord.

• Member Survey: Finalize and launch next week; close two weeks before AMM in late November.

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• ISC Committee Elections criteria to join and questions

• AMM/ISC member survey

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Adam Dean - Vice Chair of TSC

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

1. Committee Updates

Product Committee The committee is progressing with regional workshops (Osaka, Tokyo, Singapore, Barcelona) and surveys, including outreach to the Japanese community. Data suggests a growing consensus around Cardano’s vision and strategy. A revised draft, with more accessible language, is expected by early November for on-chain voting.

Open Source Committee (OSC) Developer contracts are being finalized, and the maintainer retainer program is advancing, with interview questions prepared. The next step is to begin matching maintainers with projects that applied.

Civics Committee A new Constitutional Amendments Working Group has been created to facilitate—not decide—proposals on constitutional change. The scope of the optional DRep compensation grant has been widened to cover not only wallets but also dApps and SDK providers.

Budget Committee A draft budget framework was presented, stressing inclusivity and transparency. The goal is to launch the 2026 budget process in February, with voting in March and payouts by April/May (to avoid long funding gaps). Multi-year budgets are under consideration for certain proposals. The draft will be translated into Japanese for upcoming community events.

Technical Steering Committee (TSC) Work continues on hiring a security incident manager (in collaboration with the OSC) and re-establishing the Hard Fork Working Group as a standing body. The TSC is exploring fixed April/October windows for future hard forks to align ecosystem updates and support intra-era upgrades.

Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC) Preparations for Token 2049 are ahead of expectations, with over 1,400 sign-ups (well above the 900 KPI). More than 20 projects will showcase at side events. Positive sentiment from VCs highlights potential for Cardano-focused venture funds, complementing treasury and Catalyst mechanisms.

2. Updates From Last Week

The committee reward policy, which was approved by ISC last week, is currently under legal review. If changes are required, a revised version will be re-shared with ISC. If no major changes are needed, the policy will stand as approved and can move forward to implementation.

3. Committee Elections (October)

Criteria and updated candidate questions have been drafted and circulated. Slides for election decks are being compiled, with small edits suggested (e.g., using “member sentiment” instead of “community sentiment”). Final reviews are still required from the Product, GMC, and MCC committees. ISC slides are finalized, and ISC members gave a thumbs up to the final version.

4. ISC Survey

The final draft of the ISC Survey was shared for review. Launch is scheduled for the end of September, with the survey open for six weeks and results to be published at the November AMM. The survey includes tailored sections for different membership categories and questions covering both past and future experiences. A target of 150+ responses has been set, with GMC assisting on promotion and communications.

5. Other Business

• A demonstration was provided of the smart contract–based treasury disbursement dashboard, which shows milestone tracking, evidence submission, and contract status for funded projects. Remaining contracts are undergoing legal review.

• Board elections have already reached quorum (10% of active members) with four days left. Members agreed on the need for neutral, unified communications encouraging broader participation, to be coordinated through committee secretaries and official channels.

6. Next Steps & Actions

• AMM/ISC Survey: Finalize the survey this week and publish it.

• Rewards Policy: Await legal review. If changes are required, a revised version will be re-shared with ISC. If no major changes, the policy will stand as approved and move to implementation.

Attendees:

Recording:

Transcript:

Agenda:

• Meeting Timing

• Update from last week

• Recommendations Register Discussion

• Voting Members Discussion

Decisions/Actions:

Attendees:

Recording:

Transcript:

Agenda:

• Update from last week

• Recommendations Register Discussion

• Election Process Discussion

Decisions/Actions:

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Committee Service Reward

• Intersect 2026 plan drafting timeline

• ED Process Update

• Committee Election Update

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Rand McHenry - Member of the Board

Mercy - Member of the Board

Kyle Solomon - Vice Chair of Product Committee

Valeria Devaux - Observer

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Actions

1. Welcome and Introductions

The meeting opened with a welcome to two newly elected Board members, who joined the ISC call for the first time. They introduced themselves, expressing gratitude for the opportunity and emphasizing their intent to listen, learn, and represent community priorities moving forward.

2. Committee Updates

Civics Committee The Constitutional Amendment Working Group officially launched, with strong participation from contributors across Intersect and the wider community, including representation from the Cardano Foundation legal team. The group will meet weekly to advance governance health metrics and educational initiatives.

Budget Committee A new blog post was published introducing the 2026 Budget Process, accompanied by an open feedback form. The committee has also begun a series of X Spaces and AMAs to collect sentiment from DReps, vendors, and the community, with a dedicated session planned on the Net Change Limit (NCL). The goal is to refine the process through transparent feedback.

GMC (Growth & Marketing Committee) The committee is finalizing analysis of its pre-Rare Evo community survey. Data has been reviewed internally, and a summary report is being prepared for publication next month, followed by a comprehensive white paper by year-end.

Product Committee The committee shared updates from recent workshops across Asia (Singapore, Osaka, and Tokyo). A shared draft vision statement has been developed for the Cardano 2030 Strategy, with additional sessions planned for the Japanese community and ecosystem partners to ensure broader stakeholder representation.

Open Source Committee (OSC) The Developer Advocates Program is operational, with participants preparing onboarding materials for new developers entering Cardano from other ecosystems. All contracts for the first batch of contributors are signed. The committee has also finalized its Q4 events schedule, including participation in the Cardano Summit and the Open Source Summit Japan.

3. Committee Reward Policy

The Committee Reward Policy received full legal approval with two clarifications:

• The term “committee member” has been refined to “active committee member,” and both roles (members and chairs) are now clearly defined.

• A compliance clause was added requiring submission of IRS Form W-8BEN (non-US) or W-9 (US citizens) before rewards can be processed. These forms must be renewed annually.

Members discussed implementation logistics. It was confirmed that submission will be integrated into the Intersect member portal, with forms required twice in this cycle (covering 2025–2026). The policy is now ready for implementation, with the process to be reviewed once in place.

4. Member Survey and AMM Preparation

The Annual Member Meeting (AMM) is planned for late November 2025 and will be hosted virtually in collaboration with the Clay team to maximize global participation.

• The Intersect Member Survey has been open for three weeks, with around 30 responses so far.

• Results will inform a draft proposal summarizing Intersect’s mission, vision, and strategy, to be shared one week before the AMM for review.

• During the AMM, members will discuss and refine the proposal, with a post-event poll confirming the final version.

5. Executive Director (ED) Process

Applications and nominations for the Executive Director role remain open until Friday, 24 October.

• Next week, after an initial screening by the People Lead and Board, sentiment polls will open for both Intersect members and DReps.

• The ISC confirmed that three members have volunteered to join the ED Selection Panel, with up to five total nominees to be forwarded to the Board.

• The Board will then select two ISC representatives for the panel.

6. Committee Elections

Committee election applications have significantly increased compared to the prior week, with 44 candidates across eight committees.

• Open Source (8), Product (8), Growth & Marketing (9), Civics (4), and ISC (4) are well-represented.

• The Technical Steering Committee (3) and Budget Committee (1) still have fewer candidates than available seats.

• The application deadline is Friday, 24 October at 12:00 UTC. Members were encouraged to share the call for candidates within their networks as the final push.

7. Other Business

Members revisited a prior request to organize a special joint session between the ISC, Board, and Executive Team to discuss Intersect’s identity as a Member-Based Organization (MBO) and the evolving role of members. The proposal received general support and will be raised at the upcoming Board meeting.

8. Next Steps & Actions

• Proceed with implementation of the Committee reward policy; integrate tax form process into the member portal.

• Executive Team to raise with the Board members proposal for joint ISC–Board discussion on MBO structure.

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Committee Service Rewards Review

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Tim Harrison - Vice Chair of GMC

Kyle Solomon - Vice Chair of Product Committee

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

1. Committee Updates

Technical Steering Committee (TSC) The committee is preparing a less technical explainer document and working on a disaster recovery “fire drill” on SanchoNet to test procedures once a new security incident officer is appointed.

Open Source Committee (OSC) The OSC has finalized forms for the maintainer retainer program and already exceeded the initial target for interested participants. Work continues on interview questions for maintainers and on advancing the developer advocate program, including piloting a model where an advocate reports directly to the OSC.

Membership & Community Committee (MCC) The MCC is focusing on membership and enterprise benefits, holding internal workshops to refine proposals for rollout in the coming days.

Budget Committee The committee is developing the new budget process and has added a second weekly working session to keep up with activities. A report on smart contracts was reviewed, and preparations are underway to present a budget framework to the board by the next meeting.

Civics Committee The committee confirmed that a grant will be pursued to implement CIP-149, enabling ADA holders to donate a percentage of staking rewards directly to DReps. Intersect staff are preparing the proposal. The committee’s working groups will soon appear on the Intersect calendar for easier participation.

2. Committee Service Reward Policy

A revised draft of the Service Reward Policy was discussed, incorporating prior feedback. The key new element is that members must submit a brief monthly contribution summary in order to collect rewards. This aims to strengthen transparency and accountability while keeping administrative burden low.

• Reward Levels: 500 ADA/month for committee members; 1,000 ADA/month for chairs.

• Collection Requirement: Rewards are optional but tied to submission of a monthly contribution summary.

• Implementation: System to be self-served via the member area; no payout possible without submitting the summary.

• Discussion Points:

• Some raised concerns that writing reports may create unnecessary burden. Others emphasized that a short, journal-style entry is minimal effort and provides transparency.

• Suggestions included limiting entries to a short format (e.g., 500 characters) or having committees issue collective reports rather than individual ones.

• Proposals were made to split rewards: half based on attendance, half on contribution, with data tracked via meeting minutes or ClickUp.

• Some supported giving committees more autonomy to manage and distribute rewards internally, though concerns were raised about consistency and fairness across committees.

• A need for clarity on what “public” means was noted — whether reports are visible to all members or the general public.

There was broad agreement to proceed with a first version of the policy, while continuing to refine implementation details. A vote is expected soon, with the aim to activate the system by late September or early October.

3. Next Steps & Actions

• Service Rewards: Update draft policy to reflect feedback (short contribution reports, attendance-based ideas, committee autonomy options). Prepare a clean version for vote in the next meeting.

Agenda

• Meeting Introduction

• Intersect Committee Elections - Progress Update

• Update from Business Function and Committees (If Any)

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

• Adam Ruch - Observer

• Gemma Dakin - Observer

Key Outcomes & Discussions

1. Meeting Introduction

• The meeting was rescheduled from Monday to Tuesday due to the Easter holiday.

• Noted that most executive team members were absent.

2. MCC Proposal Review Process

• MCC outlined its internal process for reviewing budget proposals:

  • Proposals under 300K ADA will be recommended for submission to Catalyst.

  • Duplicate hub proposals will be reviewed and potentially merged.

  • Proposals will be evaluated against MCC’s stated priorities before endorsement.

• Clarification is still needed on the practical effect of MCC endorsements.

3. DRep Feedback & Proposal Filtering

• A question was raised about how DRep temperature checks (yes/no votes) should influence proposal progression.

• The need for clear parameters around the impact of DRep feedback on moving proposals to reconciliation workshops was discussed.

• A suggestion was made to invite workshop organizers to clarify this process in a future session.

4. Communication & Responsiveness within ISC

• Concerns were raised about slow or absent communication from Intersect executive team, particularly on Discord and regarding budget process documentation and member voting.

• A proposal was made to track open questions and outstanding items more formally.

5. OSC Proposal Review Decision

• The Open Source Committee (OSC) reported a unanimous decision not to review proposals submitted directly by vendors.

• Proposers are encouraged to use the existing OSC frameworks, such as the contribution ladder or project incubation.

• OSC members will triage submissions and suggest alternate pathways where appropriate.

6. Constitutional Council & Net Change Limit

• The Constitutional Council (CC) plans to vote against the Intersect-submitted net change limit info action due to an error in epoch calculations.

• This is viewed as a quality control issue but is unlikely to have a practical effect, as the DReps and other CC members have already approved the limit.

• It was suggested that future limits be treated as parameter updates rather than info actions.

7. Gov Tool Feedback & Development

• Ongoing issues were raised with the UI/UX of the Gov Tool, including mobile connectivity problems, which are limiting user engagement.

• Updates were shared regarding development efforts and funding constraints.

• Suggestions included organizing developer workshops and integrating links to community-built tools within the interface.

8. Direct Voter Engagement

• The importance of engaging individual ADA holders (not just large stakeholders) in voting was emphasized.

• The group discussed exploring new mechanisms to encourage broader participation in governance.

9. Community Hub Coordination

• Potential overlaps between MCC’s hub initiatives and those of the Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC) were flagged.

• A request was made for ISC to provide stronger coordination between committees to avoid duplicative efforts.

10. Action Items and Next Steps

Action: ISC Secretary to compile a list of open items and unanswered questions.

Action: ISC to review and monitor progress on these items in future meetings.

Action: ISC to facilitate a discussion between MCC and GMC to align on community initiatives.

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• New Updates Section Demo

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Kyle Solomon - Vice-chair of Product Committee

Elaine Cardenas - Vice-chair of OSC

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

1. Committee Updates

• Technical Steering Committee (TSC) plans to publish updated evaluation criteria to help DReps assess 39 TW proposals. Feedback was also provided on the first draft of the 2030 Vision. The TSC emphasized the need for principle-based direction and proposed a working session to support the Product Committee’s next iteration.

• Civics Committee presented its roadmap for the remainder of 2025, focusing on:

1. Defining governance health metrics through a requirements document and running a pilot RFP for builder engagement.

2. Developing a framework for evergreen governance education content. The approach aims to open participation and avoid direct funding-only routes.

• Budget Committee announced a retro survey to gather feedback from Intersect members and the wider community, with a focus on leveraging Rare Evo week for open dialogue.

• Growth & Marketing Committee (GMC) finalizing a governance poll to launch shortly. Social media efforts are ramping up, with plans to highlight committee updates. Committees will be contacted via chairs for regular contributions to public communications.

• Open Source Committee finalizing developer advocate selections and budget milestone planning.

• Product Committee acknowledged concerns with the early 2030 Vision draft. A major revision process is underway, incorporating community and committee input. The committee is balancing the interests of speculative users with adoption-focused stakeholders.

2. Action Items Updates

• Decision-Making Framework: WG is still working on the refinement.

• Treasury Withdrawals: All 39 actions are live on-chain. Contracts are close to being signed, and Intersect is preparing to activate funding upon proposal ratification. Concerns were raised about the lack of visible milestones for community evaluation. The need for flexibility, transparency, and possible feedback loops (e.g., from DReps) was acknowledged. Oversight committees and dashboards will support ongoing monitoring.

• Intersect Role & Identity: ISC feedback was summarized in a document shared with the Executive team. The document will help shape Intersect’s future direction and may inform discussions at Rare Evo. A member survey is being considered to capture broader sentiment.

• Board Election Questions: Final draft completed and shared for board review. ISC members were encouraged to provide final comments. The action is marked as complete.

• Dismissal Policy: Confirmed to be in effect. First dismissals may occur in September. Follow-up tracking will be maintained at the committee level. The action is marked as complete.

3. Member Area Update Section

A new feature was demoed, allowing staff and committee secretaries to publish short updates in the member portal. Users can opt-in to receive these via email (weekly/monthly) and filter by topic. This system is part of a transition away from the current dev report process, improving accessibility and content traceability. Suggestions were made to add member profile pages and ensure accuracy in public-facing updates. These are under development.

Next Steps & Action Items

• Follow up with the board regarding regular participation in ISC meetings

Agenda

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• Board Election/ Recommendation from the Intersect Governance WG

• Committee Funding after TW

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees:

Additional Attendees:

Kyle Solomon - Observer

Thiago Nunes - Observer

Discussion/Action:

1. Committee Updates

The meeting opened with updates from the various committees, following a new agenda structure where committee updates are prioritized to facilitate cross-committee collaboration.

• Civics Committee is developing OKRs for 2025 through a series of workshops. They launched a dedicated X (Twitter) account and are exploring best practices for content access and hosting Spaces. The committee will define social media access guidelines, emphasizing security and appropriate delegation of responsibilities.

• Budget Committee is engaged in:

  • A cleanup and revision of internal documentation and charters, to be submitted to the board for approval.

  • A retrospective analysis of the 2025 budget process to inform the 2026 cycle. The committee aims for broad stakeholder engagement through surveys, workshops, and outreach, involving both on-chain actors and off-chain contributors.

  • Members emphasized the importance of updating only internal process elements, not the broader governance structure.

• Technical Steering Committee (TSC) shared updates on several initiatives:

  • Coordination with the Product and Growth Committees to align remits and priorities.

  • Plans to broaden the Hydra working group into a Layer 2-focused group.

  • A proposal to increase Plutus memory limits is underway, pending the constitutionally required three-month notice period.

  • A potential intra-era hard fork is being evaluated, with discussions to begin in 2–3 months after development matures.

• Membership and Community Committee (MCC) is onboarding new members and exploring a credentials working group tied to membership verification and the portal. Further coordination with Intersect support is being planned.

• Product Committee is continuing work on the 2030 vision, collecting feedback from founding entities and node teams. A draft vision template has been created to formalize insights. Committee members emphasized that the visioning process is ongoing and iterative.

• Open Source Committee (OSC) has launched new developer advocate applications and is refining its maintainer retainer program. A key concern raised was defining the scope and depth of oversight over funded proposals, especially regarding technical assessments.

2. ISC Action Items / Update from Last Week

• A decision-making framework proposal will be reviewed and discussed in the Governance WG before being brought back to the ISC.

• A consultant transition plan has been finalized and will be presented to the board on Thursday.

• ISC members were invited to present updates to the board. Two members volunteered and will participate during the dedicated 15-20 minute board session.

3. Treasury Withdrawal Execution Planning

Updates were shared regarding the readiness to submit 39 individual treasury withdrawal actions:

• Smart contract testing on mainnet has been completed.

• Metadata templates for each withdrawal are being prepared.

• A clarification was provided on the role of "info actions" in the constitution. Although not strictly required, an info action summarizing the withdrawal plan may still be submitted for transparency.

• There was alignment that the withdrawals should reference the approved budget action and include validation steps to ensure fund recipients match approved entities.

• Submission is tentatively scheduled for epoch 567 (early next week), pending board approval on Wednesday.

• A communication plan will be developed and coordinated with the Budget Committee post-board approval.

4. Board Election Recommendation from Intersect Governance Working Group

• The Governance WG presented a recommendation for the upcoming board election:

  • Suggests restricting voting to members who have held membership for at least 3 months prior to the election.

  • Give one or more options for anyone that joined after the cut-off to be verified (ex. Proof of Life, identity verification etc.)

  • Emphasized risks related to vote-buying and the need for minimal friction to retain voter participation.

• The proposal received broad support from ISC members and will be presented to the board on Thursday.

5. Deferred Item

A discussion on 2025 committee funding after treasury withdrawal was deferred to the next meeting due to time constraints.

Next Steps / Action Items:

• Governance WG to continue refining the decision-making framework.

• ISC representatives to participate in Thursday’s board meeting to present key updates and priorities from the respective committee.

• `intersect Governance WG’s election recommendation to be formally reviewed by the board this week.

• Committee funding topic to be added to the next ISC agenda.

Agenda:

• Committees Update

• ISC Actions/Update from last week

• ISC Survey (Intersect Role & Identity)

• Committee Stipend

• AOB & Meeting Close

Attendees: