August 25, ISC Meeting
Agenda:
Committees Update
ISC Actions/Update from last week
Committee Service Rewards
AOB & Meeting Close
Attendees:
Name
Attendance
Role
Voting Seat (Y/N)
Jack Briggs
No
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
Yes
Community Member Seat
Y
Fred Tanaka
Yes
Community Member Seat
Y
Elaine Cardenas
Yes
OSC Chair
Y
Samuel Leathers
Yes
Product Chair
Y
Darlington Welsh
No
MCC Chair
Y
Kristijan Kowalsky
Yes
CBC Chair
Y
Kevin Hammond
Yes
TSC Chair
Y
Wes Parkison
Yes
GMC Chair
Y
Nicolas Cerny
Yes
CCC Chair
Y
Christian Taylor
Yes
Head of OSO
N
Lorenzo Bruno
No
Head of Product
N
Matt Davis
No
Head of Tech Operation
N
Tim Richmond
No
Head of Comms
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
Yes
Secretary of OSC
N
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.
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