The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has appointed Pascal Caversaccio, widely known as pcaversaccio, to its board of directors. The announcement, made on July 29 via the Ethereum Foundation's official blog, marks a significant governance move for the organization as it deepens its commitment to privacy, open-source development, and network security.

A Security Expert Joins the Board

pcaversaccio has volunteered to serve on the EF board for a one-year term. His appointment brings the board to four members, alongside President Aya Miyaguchi, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, and Swiss legal counsel Patrick Storchenegger. The board is responsible for establishing the long-term vision of the Ethereum Foundation and ensuring that management decisions align with the foundation's core values and legal obligations as a Swiss foundation.

A highly regarded security researcher, pcaversaccio is a co-founder and lead of SEAL 911, a volunteer-driven emergency response service that has become a critical resource for crypto projects during active exploits and smart contract incidents. The service has been invoked in multiple high-profile attacks across the ecosystem, helping coordinate response efforts and mitigate losses. pcaversaccio has contributed years of technical improvements and advanced security standards across the Ethereum ecosystem, the largest smart contract platform by total value locked.

Privacy and Cypherpunk Values

Cypherpunk principles have long been central to pcaversaccio's work. He serves on the advisory board of the Silviculture Society, which provides informal counsel to the Ethereum Foundation on matters including censorship resistance, privacy, open-source software development, and security.

In addition to his technical contributions, pcaversaccio authored The Ethereum Cypherpunk Manifesto (2024), a reworking of Eric Hughes' seminal 1993 A Cypherpunk's Manifesto focused on privacy, as well as Ethereum Privacy: The Road to Self-Sovereignty (2025). Both publications emphasize user privacy, decentralized governance, and self-custody in blockchain networks—themes that have gained urgency as Ethereum's user base has expanded beyond early adopters to include institutions and mainstream participants.

The Foundation stated that his experience will help inform Ethereum's long-term development and ensure its core principles are upheld.

Alignment with Strategic Direction

The appointment follows the Ethereum Foundation's reinterpretation of its organizational mandate earlier this year. Under the updated framework, the board's role centers on safeguarding the organization's purpose and strategic direction rather than overseeing daily operations. The restructuring arrives amid ongoing community discussions about EF transparency, leadership accountability, and the foundation's role in coordinating ecosystem-wide progress.

The news also coincides with ongoing protocol-level improvement efforts across security, scalability, and privacy. In recent months, the Foundation has directed research attention toward privacy-preserving technologies, cryptographic security, and future protocol enhancements.

By adding a recognized security expert to its governance structure, the Ethereum Foundation signaled that protecting Ethereum's decentralized principles remains a central priority. The move reinforces the Foundation's stated commitment to building more resilient infrastructure for developers, institutions, and users worldwide, while strengthening governance with a board member versed in both technical security and community-driven development.