2026-07 IMC Nomination thread

Governance
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Hi All,

It’s been a year (and a bit) – time for a new IMC selection.

Overview

Nominations

Per RPIP-10: pDAO Budget Allocation, this thread will be live at least 5 days. I’ll aim go through the weekend, so a bit more than that.

  • Anyone can nominate anyone, including themselves
  • Anyone can remove themselves from consideration simply by saying so
  • On 7/27, there will be a “this thread is closed” comment, and the final list will then be generated
  • If you are nominated and don’t remove yourself from consideration, please read the “Nominee information sharing” section of RPIP-10 so you can be ready to provide your statements.
  • Remember that vacancies that occur get filled by going down the list from previous selections. This means more nominations are definitely good - including well past “can field a full committee”.
  • See Looking for IMCers for a description of the role
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@samus generated a summary sheet for current IMC members. It’s based off the stipend “hour” metrics, which have Transaction (posting, reviewing, signing), discord discussion, and “Role” subsections.

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Kinda disappointing nomination cycle…
I will go ahead and do some I guess.

I’ll nominate the entire IMC, with tiers:

I have a couple of other feelers out and may come back to add those in a bit.

7/27 03:26 UTC update: adding nominations for @Steely and @jasperthegovghost. Will close out thread in 20ish hours give or take when I get to it.

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=== Nominations are now closed ===

The nominees are @Valdorff @samus @sckuzzle @haloooloolo @Destroyaaa @deukey @ken @Steely and @jasperthegovghost

Nominees: per RPIP-10 you have 3 days from when the list of nominees was posted to provide your info below

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Alignment Statement

I believe in the vision of Ethereum as a decentralized platform that enables anyone to build and use applications that run on a global network of nodes. I think that Ethereum has the potential to transform many aspects of society.

I also think that Rocketpool is very aligned with the ethos and values of Ethereum. I support Rocketpool’s mission to make staking accessible, secure, and fair for everyone.

Conflict Statement

I do not have any conflicts of interest that would affect my role as an IMC member. I do not work for or have any affiliation with any other project or organization that is related to or competes with Rocketpool. I am currently on the GMC and am a NodeSet Node operator as well.

Identity Statement

I am a 34 year old software engineer in the US. I work a 9-5 but I have enough time to dedicate a few hours a week to this position.

I have been a node operator with Rocketpool since a few months after it went live.
I have been following Rocketpool’s development since before it went live and have been impressed by the talent it has attracted.

I am not working in the cryptocurrency industry. I have met many people from the Rocketpool community and other Ethereum communities at ETH Denver.

It has been rough in the ETH and RPL communities as of late, but we are still here surviving and working to make this a better protocol.

Contribution Statement

I have been serving on the IMC for the last year and have become familiar and comfortable performing my duties. While I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to Defi strategies, I feel I have been most helpful at just being available for signing transactions on a weekly basis and would be happy to continue to fill that role.

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Alignment Statement

The main bit of alignment is that I quite like RP. I think it has the potential to be great for Ethereum health, it allows broader participation than solo staking, and I think there are many tough problems to solve along the way (I like problem solving :shrug:).

Secondarily, I have significant-to-me exposure to RP both via RPL and rETH.

Conflict Statement

I don’t do the “tribe” thing too much. I have provided feedback to Lido, and sought feedback from Lido contributors. I have provided feedback to Stader and Stakewise.

I have held SWISE off and on (thought in very small amounts compared to RPL). Further afield I also hold BTC, and have held a number of altcoins off and on.

I have worked with a variety of web3 partners (both through IMC and not) and have definite preferences about working with some for not-purely-protocol-finances reasons. I think it’s appropriate to consider smooth working relationships.

I don’t see any of the above as conflicts, but it’s as close as I come.

Identity Statement

I’m a late-30s senior engineer. I currently work in IoT and have previously worked in semiconductors.

I don’t plan on fully doxxing, but am happy to coarsely answer most questions about myself that come up.

Contribution Statement

I have been very active in the IMC since inception, am probably the most active RPIP editor, and have historically been extremely active in governance (though that’s been down some in the last yearish). I talk to other protocols with and without my IMC hat, help people in discord chat sometimes, and shitpost a ton.

I do want to continue to be active in the IMC. It’d be great if another member helped with the “talking to protocols” bits more, but I’m definitely in a better place now than back when I took lead on protocolchat and making transactions.

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Alignment Statement

I have been involved in crypto for around ten years, mainly in Ethereum.

I run Rocket Pool minipools from home — not megapools, as the queue has made that decision for me.

I have a significant interest in ETH, RPL and the long-term success of Rocket Pool.

I support Rocket Pool because it strengthens Ethereum decentralisation and allows independent operators to participate in staking. I want Rocket Pool to remain competitive without losing those principles.

I also create and host rocket-performance.net and rocketdash.net, which provide tools and data for the Rocket Pool community.

Conflict Statement

I operate validators through Rocket Pool, NodeSet and Lido’s Community Staking Module.

This gives me useful experience of different staking models, but I recognise that NodeSet or Lido could be relevant to future IMC decisions. I would declare any conflict and abstain where appropriate.

I am also a member of the Rocket Pool Grants Management Committee.

My main crypto exposure is ETH and RPL. I would disclose any material position connected to an IMC proposal.

Identity Statement

I am known as Steely in the Rocket Pool community.

I am over 50 and work in IT, mainly across networking, security, project management and team leadership.

My work involves reviewing technical changes, assessing risk, managing delivery and making sure resources are used effectively.

Within Rocket Pool, I have contributed to governance, helped users through the support channel and served on the GMC.

I work UK office hours but am normally available during the evening for calls, discussions and transaction reviews.

Contribution Statement

I would bring a practical, independent and cost-conscious approach to the IMC.

My security and networking background is relevant to reviewing transactions, checking addresses and amounts, assessing technical risk and examining the controls used by partner protocols.

I would apply the following approach to IMC spending:

  • What outcome are we trying to achieve?

  • How will success be measured?

  • What are the risks?

  • Did the spending produce sufficient value?

I would contribute by reviewing and signing transactions promptly, researching protocols, challenging unsupported assumptions and helping track the results of incentives.

I am not a DeFi specialist and would not present myself as one. I am, however, experienced in investigating technical systems, asking detailed questions and working with specialists where needed.

I previously declined an IMC nomination because I did not believe I understood the role well enough. My GMC experience and wider validator involvement have since given me a clearer understanding of where I can contribute.

The IMC needs strategy and DeFi expertise, but it also needs dependable members who will review the detail, consider risk and ensure agreed actions are completed.

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Alignment Statement

The main value proposition I see in crypto is the potential to disrupt intermediaries and provide sovereignty to individuals where the only requirement to participate is an internet connection. I think Ethereum aspires to be a logical implementation of that vision, where Rocket Pool can extend participation in the system to a wider set of individuals. I became a Node Operator for Rocket Pool in 2022, but exited in 2025 to arbitrage the rETH premium and in anticipation of migrating to megapools - however the long queue has deterred me from attempting to join again.

Conflict Statement

I don’t have any conflicts of interest. I am a NodeSet operator so that would be the closest relevant example. I prefer to be involved in a single community (Rocket Pool) over shallow involvement in several. I don’t have any meaningful crypto exposure to anything else besides ETH

Identity Statement

I’m in my late-20s and work as an Electrical Engineer in the semiconductor industry. I was able to meet several folks in person at Eth Denver a couple years ago, and have joined some rocket fuel/weekly orbit episodes.

Contribution Statement

I have a curiosity for emerging technologies, which led me to electrical engineering and more recently crypto/ethereum/rocket pool. I enjoyed becoming more involved in Rocket Pool through governance/RPIP editing/discord chats, but this past year have had less free time than before to participate/contribute as I would have liked (I prioritized IMC role activity with the time I have). I have especially helped with more of the “admin” type of work (treasurer role / building tx’s / stipend tracking / etc), but I do enjoy getting to learn about the mechanics of different protocols and would like to assist more on that side with partner discussions as time permits

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Alignment Statement

I currently hold rETH, and am a NO for RP. I believe in much of the vision of Ethereum and how Rocket Pool can contribute to it. I’ve been contributing to the RP community for a few years in the forms of completing grants, contributing to tokenomics, being a delegate, occasionally doing gov work, and am a member of both the GMC and IMC.

Conflict Statement

Other than being on the GMC (GMC is the best MC) and benefitting from IMC liquidity incentives, I have no conflicts.

Identity Statement

I have extensive experience modeling biological systems. I tend to be driven by a curiosity to know how and why things work, which has lead me from cryptography to Rocket Pool. In the years I’ve been a part of the community I’ve performed a number of roles, from research and analytics to governance.

Contribution Statement

From my previous year on the IMC, I think the main things that the IMC needs is people who are wiling to look into or evaluate liquidity incentive opportunities and people who will audit before signing transactions.

I have contributed to the first both in suggesting changes and giving feedback on suggestions. On the second I tend to be fairly strict, to the point that I have refused to sign some of the transactions.

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Alignment Statement

Rocket Pool is still one of the few projects I like in a space that is unfortunately polluted by scams and vaporware. I like crypto for the initial ideas and values behind it, which is why I want to see a project succeed that actually still represents them.

Conflict Statement

I still have quite a significant position in SWISE, StakeWise’s governance token and I also still run validators for NodeSet’s StakeWise vault. I’m not particularly invested in the StakeWise project beyond the token exposure and would certainly not put its interests ahead of RP’s.

Identity Statement

I’m in my 20s and work as a software engineer for a US tech company in Switzerland.

Contribution Statement

I’ve been an IMC member for the last two years and have helped RP in other ways such as the #support channel, RPIPs and tools like RocketScrape. That said, I spend less time on the protocol than I used to and my contributions to the IMC in the past year have also not gone far beyond a few signatures when needed. I’d be happy to keep the position if we cannot fill the committee otherwise, but someone new like Steely is likely the better choice and would be able to contribute more than me in this upcoming year.

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Alignment Statement

I strongly support Ethereum, Ethereum staking, and decentralization. Rocket Pool is therefore the platform that aligns best with these values. I also have great trust in Rocket Pool’s dedicated developers and thoughtful community. The majority of my crypto assets are held in RPL, and I also hold a small amount of rETH. I support and look forward to Rocket Pool’s long-term sustainability and success through increased adoption and market share.

Conflict Statement

I do not support protocols or hold any significant amount of tokens that conflict with Ethereum, Rocket Pool, or rETH, nor do I have any plans to do so in the future.

Identity Statement

My primary occupation is as a patent analyst. I am Korean and a Rocket Pool node operator. My username on Discord and the DAO forum is “deukey.” I have been active in the Rocket Pool Discord since March 2021. I mainly participate in the trading channel and follow developments relating to the Rocket Pool protocol.

Contribution Statement

I have promoted Rocket Pool and Ethereum staking within the Korean community and have helped onboard several Korean node operators to Rocket Pool. During my time as an IMC member, I have participated in discussions and transaction reviews and have tried to contribute responsibly whenever possible.

Additional Information

I would be happy to continue contributing to the Rocket Pool protocol and community where I can. However, I want to be transparent that the demands of my primary occupation and childcare responsibilities may limit the depth and frequency of my involvement. I will make a good-faith effort to participate and fulfill the responsibilities I take on, but I may not be able to maintain the same level of continuous engagement as members with more available time.