Legend.
I’ve had a few messages over the past couple of weeks asking whether I’m staying at Intersect and applying for the permanent Executive Director position. I’ve kept away from the details to give other candidates space and to respect the process, but now that applications have closed, I wanted to let everyone know I have applied to continue in the role permanently.
Since stepping into the role back in May, my focus has been to steady Intersect and get us back to what we’re here for: building consensus, technical coordination, delivery and ultimately, progress. One of the key parts of this has been empowering my team by bringing them together with greater accountability, and approaching challenges by listening first, collaborating openly, and keeping Cardano’s long-term success at the center.
When I took on the role, Intersect was in a challenging position, right in the middle of our budget process. My primary goal was to see it through securely and, importantly, in line with the expectations of the community and DReps. In parallel, we’ve needed to strengthen our internal operations, improve collaboration across members and committees, and navigate the largest decentralized development funding process ever seen in blockchain, a first for Cardano, administered transparently through smart contracts. During my interim tenure, we also ran and confirmed a majority-elected board, making Intersect a uniquely positioned and accountable organization within the Cardano ecosystem.
We’re now at a time when so many in the Cardano community hold elected positions, from DReps to the whole of the Constitutional Committee, to our own committees and now the Governing Board. Hundreds of voices have been elevated and in positions of real influence.
Looking beyond the near-term horizon, Cardano’s potential is enormous, a top-ten blockchain for a reason, but that potential also brings complex challenges that require collaboration and consensus to address. Intersect’s role is to help the community meet those challenges with transparency, coordination, and purpose, building the maturity needed for a stronger and more resilient future.
I'm told a poll will be opening up shortly for Intersect members and DReps to express their candidate ranking before it heads to a panel and then the Governing Board. But whatever the outcome of the Executive Director process, and however members and DReps feel about the candidates on offer, I’m deeply proud of what we’ve achieved over the past 18 months. From the technical coordination of the Chang and Plomin upgrades to progress in open source, budgeting, and elections, I look back on it all with pride, knowing I’ve played a small part in something much bigger than myself.
At heart, I still see Cardano through a cypherpunk lens. Technology as a way to return power and trust to people, not institutions. Transparency, accountability, and collaboration are how we get there. Thank you to everyone who has had my back and supported me, and I’d love to continue as Intersect’s first permanent Executive Director.