We want to inform our members and the broader Cardano community that Alex Pestchanker will be stepping down from his appointed interim role as Executive Director at Intersect due to personal reasons. While his time with us in this capacity has been brief, Alex has made meaningful contributions, and we are grateful for his efforts.

Although Alex will no longer be a member of our leadership team, he will continue to be an active part of Cardano, as he has been since 2021. In addition, Alex will support the constitutional program leading up to the highly anticipated convention in Buenos Aires later this year. Thanks again, Alex, and for your continuing contributions to the Cardano community.

Advancing Cardano's Governance Together

Intersect and our members have been instrumental in driving Cardano’s governance and ecosystem development forward. Over the past months, our collective efforts have led to significant milestones:

• Chang Upgrade Success: We launched the Chang upgrade on the mainnet, enhancing Cardano’s on-chain governance capabilities.
• Global Community Engagement: Through numerous workshops worldwide, we have actively engaged the community to refine the Cardano Constitution.
• Constitutional Convention Preparations: Delegates have been elected for the upcoming Constitutional Convention, marking a pivotal step in Cardano's governance evolution.
• Interim Constitutional Committee (ICC) Elections: We facilitated the first ICC elections and, through our members, are fulfilling a seat on the committee.

Our committees and working groups are thriving. Elections are underway to elect the first cohort of members across our seven core committees. With over 3,000 sign-ups and 1,200+ paid members, our growth underscores Intersect’s commitment to fostering a decentralized, community-driven future for Cardano.

Looking Ahead

The governing board and Intersect’s leadership team remain focused on:

• Supporting Our Members: We are dedicated to guiding our members through the upcoming elections and annual member meetings.
• Advancing Technical Upgrades: Work continues on the next stage of the Chang upgrade, ensuring Cardano remains at the forefront of blockchain innovation.
• Preparing for the Constitutional Convention: Plans are underway for December’s convention, a landmark event for our community.
• Executive Leadership Search: With elections taking place shortly to confirm two members to the governing board, and the strength of our internal team and wider membership, we'll start our long-term search for an executive leader in full confidence.

Our unwavering focus is on empowering our members and placing the community at the heart of Cardano’s development. We are excited about the months ahead and are committed to driving Cardano forward together.

Get Involved: Governing Board and Committee Elections

We are lucky to have an incredible pool of members to vote for from October 4th (across seven committees and the governing board), and you can review all candidates and their profiles ahead of time. 

• Committee election candidates
• Board Seat election candidates

To participate in voting, you must be a full (paid) member. Ensure your membership is active or upgraded by today to qualify for standing and voting in the upcoming elections. You can check your membership status in the member area by following these steps.

Join Us at the Annual Member Meetings

We are delighted that Intersect will host its inaugural annual members' meetings (AMMs) globally in October 2024. We are excited to bring members together across six in-person events and a global remote event, where we will hold retrospectives on Intersect’s first year and take a peek into 2025 and what next year holds. 

Find out more about what to expect at the Annual members meetings in this dedicated blogpost.