Completed Questionnaire
A. Delegation Address: james.near
B. Forum Username: jlwaugh
C. Twitter Username: jwaup
D. Website (optional):
E. Target Voting Participation: 100%
F. History of Interactions with NEAR Protocol:
I joined NEAR Foundation as a Community Manager in late 2020, initially focused on developing contributor programs and helping people leverage Sputnik DAO contracts. Over the years, as a Near Social proponent, a Build DAO council member, and a NEAR AI agent developer, I’ve learned much about governance that is relevant for ecosystem success ~ it all boils down to communication with integrity, accountability, and responsibility.
G. History of Governance Participation (in NEAR or other ecosystems):
Before NEAR mainnet launch, I participated in Ethereum governance as an entrepreneur by co-creating ERC-888 and contributing to DAO research and development. After joining Enigma in early 2020, I helped start Secret Foundation, leading committees for Secret Network and supporting the Cosmos Governance Working Group.
I’ve represented NEAR on the councils of many Sputnik DAOs, including the v1 Community Squad DAO, Community DAO, Marketing DAO, Regional Communities DAO, and Build DAO. My strategy was to use NEAR applications that engage users to discover open web solutions like Near Social and the blockchain operating system (BOS).
As a contributor to NDC from the beginning (September 2022), I consistently challenged leadership to understand what our community needs. I’ve facilitated workshops, supported community engagement, and developed NEAR-based web applications. Prior to v1 of NDC, I built a product for Regional Communities DAO to run an experimental election involving multiple continental DAOs.
In 2023, I co-founded NEAR Builders Cooperative to support Build DAO, and we received $75K from NDC. All of that went toward supporting open-source projects and programs involving NEAR technology, including bos-workspace, Ariz, PotLock, Open Web Academy, Build City, hacker houses, and more. Now it’s time to drop the “DAO” and just build.
H. Top 3 Priorities for the NEAR Ecosystem:
Attention is all you need…
FOCAL POINTS:
- NEAR AI Development
- NEAR Intents Adoption
- Founder and Builder Retention
Ultimately, in order to realize the full potential of NEAR, community participants must coordinate to minimize risks and maximize opportunities. By consistently earning each other’s trust, we can support a healthy, resilient, and prosperous ecosystem that is:
- Self-sustaining
- Self-improving
- Self-propagating
- Self-evolving
With these capabilities, a regenerative culture may emerge, so NEAR feels more alive!
I. Reasoning for any past votes in the NEAR Ecosystem:
My reasoning has been grounded on the values of NEAR:
- Ecosystem-first
- Openness
- Pragmatism over perfection
- Make it feel simple
- Grow constantly
I hold myself accountable by listening for feedback, learning out loud, and upholding credible neutrality. Please let me know if you ever want to discuss why I voted a certain way.
J. Conflicts of Interest:
While I don’t think there are any… I volunteer as a council member of Build DAO, and I’m working on a project involving multi-agent systems for teaching and learning. As a faithful NEAR holder, I’m genuinely interested in helping builders (and their agents) create an open web, where all users control their data, assets, and the power of governance.
K. Answer Hypothetical Delegate Scenario:
Prompt: The NEAR ecosystem is evaluating opportunities to stimulate on-chain activity. In this hypothetical scenario, there are three different proposals for the Foundation to consider:
- Allocate incentives to DeFi protocol users to benefit protocol metrics.
- Establish a subcommittee to market NEAR Protocol to developers and users.
- Establish a Protocol-Owned Liquidity position by the House of Stake on major DeFi protocols in the ecosystem.
What additional info would you need from the proposers to make an informed decision?
Here are the main things I need to know about each one:
- How much? Who is responsible? Which metrics? What specific targets?
- Who are the subcommittee members? Why should they be funded by the Treasury?
- First and foremost, what does “Protocol-Owned” mean? When would it be closed?
What key metrics would you evaluate to support or reject the proposals?
- Onboarding, retention, and circulation of value
- Awareness, engagement, conversions
- Usage and impact on sentiment
How would you ultimately support and vote for these different proposals?
It’s difficult to say without knowing more… Generally, I’d want to know what DeFi users and other stakeholders in the community have to say about these important decisions. Also, I’d ask NEAR AI models to help us evaluate options and eventually make choices.
According to Stafford Beer’s viable system model, we should minimize governance while ensuring a requisite variety of perspectives that reflect the true complexity of stakeholder preferences.
L. What is your motivation for becoming a NEAR delegate?
NEAR feels like home, and I genuinely want the best for everyone who believes in our protocol and its burgeoning ecosystem. Hopefully, my experience can be valuable to this crucial initiative.
M. Anticipated delegation support (if applicable):
N/A
Self-Assessment
Total Score (9/10)
A. Experience (2/2)
Notes: I’ve worked full-time in the blockchain industry since 2016 and in the NEAR ecosystem since 2020. My expertise includes community management, developer relations, DAO governance, entrepreneurship, and strategy. My answers above provide more context.
B. Diversity of Perspective (1/2)
Notes: My knowledge about NEAR history brings a unique perspective to the House of Stake. However, I recognize I’m yet another man applying for this role.
C. Alignment with NEAR Ecosystem (2/2)
Notes: I’m actively building a new project involving NEAR AI. Plus, I’ve long been a faithful NEAR holder and enthusiast.
D. Governance Engagement (2/2)
Notes: I’ve been at the forefront of decentralized governance for almost a decade. I’m excited to further explore how AI will help drive progress.
E. Conflicts of Interest (2/2)
Notes: I have no direct or indirect conflicts of interest with the House of Stake.
I have read and agree to the NEAR Delegate Code of Conduct.
Feel free to reply with any questions 