Matthew Capps - MCC
Is there a particular role within the committee that you are interested in, if so which and why? (if applicable)
If I am re-elected, there are several WGs of the MCC that I'd gladly serve on. In particular, my present duties as secretary force me to put on hold work I started on best practices efficiency, transparency, and member experience at the Group Design WG. But the needs of the MCC and my best abilities will dictate where I help. Additionally, as the prior secretary, if re-elected, I will be able to take more time to help the committee transition the role to new hands, and to onboard new members.
What is your experiences within Intersect and Cardano?
I've been in the Cardano ecosystem for 3.5 years, as a community member and a community manager at IOG. I have personal working relationships with a large number of SPOs, founders, developers, and community leaders throughout the Cardano ecosystem, with a history of trust and good will. These have been built by hosting stakeholder calls with IOG teams, hard fork engagement campaigns for multiple hard forks, 100+ video interviews, and many other venues-- including our many personal conversations about our shared interest in Cardano.
More recently, I've been deeply embedded in the project of making Cardano self-governing. Two highlight efforts there are the MCC and the Parameter Committee.
I was elected by the MCC as a voting member early this year, led a working group that defined terms and set basic policy for SIGs, WGs, and Committees, working with Intersect staff and across committees. I also organized an election within the MCC to appoint a chair and secretary when there was a gap in leadership, and the members of the MCC elected me secretary. I've been serving in this role for about 6 months. I'd like to stress that, although I am employed by one of the founding entities, I sought these positions on my own initiative and received them in elections where no IOG employees had a vote.
At the Parameter Committee, I worked closely with the SMEs on the committee and community leaders to create shared understanding and purpose on the topic of the health of Cardano's stake distribution and the K parameter. While efforts remain ongoing there, we were able to turn a conversation that broken up in misunderstandings and blame to one where there is a central conversation, rough agreement on a basic set of facts and values, and agreement on a broad course of action. For all this to be worth it, we still need to use the mechanisms of governance to carry that action through and make measurable progress on the improvement of Cardano stake dynamics which the conflict centered on to begin with. I hope to continue contributing to that in my role at the MCC by making Intersect an effective vehicle for improving Cardano.
I am, of course, also a Cardano user of nearly 4 years.
What are your pledges and plans should you be elected?
My only pledge is to spend the ~8hrs/month expected of members to make decisions and do work in line with the committee's purpose-- maximizing Intersect's value to its members as a vehicle for contributing to Cardano.
I plan in particular to prioritize efficiency and transparency for members, the legitimacy and ROI of the MCC's role in the Cardano annual budget, and engagement with ecosystem stakeholders.
Why should the community vote for you?
I think the strongest case against re-electing me would be that it would be good to have new people in. There are several good candidates.
The strongest case for re-electing me is the value I'm providing to the Cardano community and ecosystem of exactly the kind that this role needs-- the fact that I'm proven in this and can am well-positioned to keep going.
Because there are four other open positions to bring new people in, its possible to bring new, highly qualified members in, while retaining me too. So, I think its a good trade-off, a win-win.
Do you have any other Cardano affiliations or possible conflicts of interests, including you as an individual or an enterprise you are associated with?
I am an employee of IOG. This isn't a conflict of interest in itself, but it's worth noting. As I mentioned before, my prior involvement in the MCC comes entirely from the voting of people who are not IOG employees.
One large part of my role at IOG is to represent and help build relationships with stakeholders in the Cardano ecosystem. I've done this with trust and good will for several years because I am careful about conflicts of interest. Another part of my role is to help define IOG as a regular member of the Cardano ecosystem-- one that is deeply involved in Cardano and works on the same level as any other ecosystem contributor.
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