We’ve gathered all twenty candidates from the 2025 Intersect Board elections into one place to introduce them, give each the same chance to be heard, and provide members with the context to vote with confidence. This includes a neutral summary of the cross-cutting themes from all the X Spaces, along with one short quote per candidate.

Each X Space followed a consistent structure: an introduction, an application-based prompt question, two shared questions, and two 2-minute closing statements. For fairness, quotes are from intros or closing statements only (lightly edited for clarity). If someone couldn’t speak live, we’ve included a clearly labelled [Application excerpt] of the same length.

Our aim is simple: clarity, fairness, visibility, and accessibility – a single place to compare voices and perspectives, and support members to cast informed votes.

Replays: Community & Inclusion (Sep 16) • Growth, Culture & Ecosystem Bridges (Sep 18) • Emerging & New Voices (Sep 23) • Governance, Continuity & Legal (Sep 25)

• Voting is open until Friday, September 26, 12:00 UTC. Instructions below.

What we heard across the four conversations

Across every Space, it was clear that candidates hold a shared, sincere commitment to Cardano. The candidates outlined their long-term goals, aspirations, and the actions they would take to achieve them.

They wanted outcomes made visible: lightweight dashboards, concise member updates, and a predictable cadence that turns into something you can actually see. They also wanted the on-ramp lowered for everyone – developers and community contributors alike – through clear first steps, small mentored cohorts, and recognition for the ‘invisible’ work of operations, education, and outreach. And they wanted us to simplify to ship: retire or streamline processes that drain energy and replace them with time-boxed pilots that have owners, budgets, and public milestones, learning quickly from what doesn’t land.

Threading through it all was the concept of inclusion by design. Cardano is global, and our candidates felt practices should be too. Language access, rotating time zones, and stronger regional pathways help more members participate meaningfully, rather than just observing. Different backgrounds, shared intent. The candidates discussed transitioning from debate to delivery while keeping the community at the center.

Candidate quotations (ordered by X Space)

About candidate quotes: Each 40-word quote is pulled from a live X Space intro/closing. If absent, we’ve labeled a same-length [Application excerpt]. Edits, if any,  are for clarity only, tone and meaning unchanged.

Space 1 – Community and Inclusion (Tuesday, September 16)

• Daniela Alves (@DanielaHubBr) – ‘[Application excerpt] This election is not about me, but about the future we aspire to… include, advance transparency, and break down barriers to truly become a DAO… If elected, I will put leadership experience at the service of this mission…’

• Mercy Fordwoo (@M3RSEE) – ‘I focus on practical decentralization. Since 2018 I’ve worked to make it real on the ground-building channels to the edges of the world through WADA and allied efforts. We need patience, tangible progress, and to put resources back into communities so more voices can shape Cardano’s direction.’

• Edomiya Girmay (@JomiyaArc) – ‘Cardano must be global, inclusive, and cultural-and Africa is key. Through AfroChain, Kese Events, and Cardano Unleashed I’ve brought thousands into Cardano via culture, education, and grassroots community building. On the board, I’ll keep turning that vision into action and open durable pathways for new contributors.’

• Chaya Shlimowittz (@Sages_and_Pages) – ‘I’ll surface collective and individual concerns to the board with community sentiment at the core. Trained in parliamentary procedure, I bring collaboration discipline and a calm, open-door approach. My focus is making participation welcoming, steady, and clear so more members can contribute meaningfully and see themselves in the process.’

• Andrew ‘Nori’ Nishigaya (@Xeeban) – ‘I’ve served across Cardano – Swarm, Cardano4Climate, Catalyst Circle, CIP-1694 constitutional workshops, ambassador roles. Intersect should function as a true members-based organization that listens across modalities, Spaces, forums – and turns that input into action. I’m running to strengthen legitimacy through better listening and clearer paths to get things done.’

Space 2 – Growth, Culture and Ecosystem Bridges (Thursday, September 18)

• Rand McHenry (@RareRandCorp) – ‘I’ve spent years building events and relationships-RARE Network/RARE EVO, and speaking with founders across ecosystems. Partnerships formed at events can translate into adoption, like Brave’s Cardano integration. I’ll bring planning, outreach, and execution so Intersect listens to the community and delivers visible, momentum-building growth.’

• HOSKY (@hoskytoken) – ‘[Application excerpt] I should be elected because we need board representation that isn’t just men in suits… I would bring honesty, independence, and the perspective of someone who has been part of this ecosystem from the ground up.’

• Damion Seedorf (@damiondutch) – ‘I’m a Cardano user first. You’ll get someone like me at the table present in community Spaces daily, asking hard questions, and pushing for clear communication. Consistent presence and accountability matter; I’ll help make participation feel closer to where people already are.’

• Sheraz Ahmed (@CryptoSherazo) – ‘Board service is supervision, not micromanagement. Intersect should stay a neutral facilitator and move Cardano from debate to delivery. I bridge Cardano and enterprise; I propose outcome-driven, time-boxed experiments with public dashboards so members can see impact, cost, and next decisions. Visible results build confidence.’

• Andrew Aitken – ‘Web2 developers aren’t rejecting Web3; they’re overwhelmed. I’ll lower friction with a clean developer portal, opinionated starter paths, sandboxes, and familiar tools; connect contributions to ownership and reputation; and grow mentored cohorts. It often takes about seven contributions to feel engaged-let’s design for that journey.’

Space 3 – Emerging and New Voices (Tuesday, September 23)

• Decho Valev (@FuturismProduct) — ‘I want to be remembered for supply-and-demand basics. Content and e-commerce reach millions; tax and foundation structures bring capital. If we align investors with Intersect and Cardano, we can amplify builders and voices worldwide. Win the few who drive capital, then scale to the many through content and commerce.’
• Vaibhav ‘Gintama’ Solanki (@silversoul8668) — ‘Intersect should be a seedbed for the next generation of leaders. Whether you’re new or experienced, come & contribute; we’ll help you grow into leadership. I’ll push power and accountability to the edges. Transparent decisions, community first. If you share that vision, I’d value your support and your vote.’
• Edickson Aguilera (@SirEdickson23) — ‘[Application excerpt] My commitment to Intersect is to help it in everything that benefits Cardano in one way or another. As for Cardano, my commitment is to continue supporting it strongly in everything I can so that in the long run it brings many benefits to the community..’

• Tevo Kask (@TevoSaks) — ‘Cardano governance becomes sustainable when passion aligns with clear goals and fair rewards. I’ll focus on systematic, asynchronous recognition of contributors, financed and visible on-chain, so people can build for the long term. With better measurement and incentives, we can scale collaboration and raise the quality of the ecosystem.’
• Patrick Sheridan (@sheridap) — ‘Inside the building, I bring hard-won experience building and scaling open-source, product-centric teams. Outside, I’ve grown innovation ecosystems with academia, startups, and enterprises. Cardano has the right tech and governance; now we must improve execution. I’m running to help the leadership deliver consistently and at global scale.’
• Adam Rusch (@AdamRusch) — ‘Intersect is essential to Cardano, but it isn’t Cardano. Our role is servant leadership: elevate other organizations, prefer on-chain decision-making, and steward the Treasury according to voters’ will. I’ll keep strengthening staff–board–member relationships and the ED search so Intersect listens better and serves the community first.’

Space 4 – Governance, Continuity and Legal (Thursday, September 25)

• Thiago Nunes (@tsnnst) – ‘[Application excerpt] I bring nearly a decade of continuous participation in Cardano, with experience across governance, community-building, and enterprise partnerships. I helped shape Intersect’s structures from within (CAB, ISC), proving that I can turn community concerns into organizational reforms. Beyond governance, I bring practical execution: building companies, leading teams, and delivering enterprise collaborations.’

• Aurélien Rocher – ‘Vote for me if you want clear, accountable governance. I bring a decade of academic governance research and over ten years of Big Four, cross-continent experience to strengthen oversight and ensure legal compliance without slowing innovation. I pair rigorous thinking with hands-on project delivery to improve decisions across Intersect and Cardano.’
  
• Kavinda Kariyapperuma  (@OfficialKavinda) – ‘[Through hubs, through education, through global workshops, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful this community is when it comes together. I’ve sat with students at universities in Sri Lanka, I’ve listened to developers in Africa, I’ve stood before the President of my own country to talk about the work of Intersect & decentralized governance Cardano brings to the table… and through all of this, one truth keeps coming back to me: there is no community like the Cardano community. So here’s my ask: if you believe in broadening voices, if you believe in building bridges across cultures and regions, if you believe that governance should reflect all of us, not just a few, then I’d be honored to have your vote for re-election.’
• Jonah Koch (@jonahkoch) – ‘To the members of Intersect, i have listened, and I hear you. It’s time to take action, we all know what needs to be done. It’s time to stop taking about it, it’s time to be about it effect the change you want to see. I will always pursue growth and evolution of the network. Enhancing Cardano’s progress through continued facilitation of research, collaboration, and continue to cultivate debate, and ideas from across Cardano’s diverse domain spaces..’

How to vote

To vote, log in to the members’ dashboard. A step-by-step tutorial video is also available.

Eligible members must have joined before September 15, 2025, and can verify their membership using a standard ID or a decentralized ID, via our partnership with Socious.

When: Open now → Closes Friday, September 26, noon UTC.
Need help? [ Discord ]

If you’re still undecided, complete candidate applications can be found here to read through before you vote. However, remember that voting closes on Friday, September 26, at noon UTC. Your participation directly shapes Intersect’s next chapter. Thank you.

Thank you, and note

Thank you also to everyone who joined live, provided thoughtful questions, took notes, kept track of time, and helped troubleshoot our X Space gremlins. Most of all, thank you to our candidates for showing up with care and conviction for Cardano.

This recap is presented with neutral intent and equal space. Candidates appear in the order of X Space, not in the order of preference. We put this together so members in every time zone, and those not on X can quickly compare voices and perspectives in one place. If it helped you, please share it with your community and, most importantly, Vote!

Please remember to vote before Friday, September 26, noon UTC. Take advantage of your membership benefits and shape the future direction of Intersect.