Governance

ISRS is committed to independent, evidence-based research and operational integrity. Its governance structure is designed to ensure transparency, accountability, and nonpartisan engagement across all activities.

Board of Directors

The Board provides fiduciary oversight, strategic direction, and accountability for ISRS operations. Directors are selected on the basis of mission alignment, domain expertise, and regional representation. The Board meets quarterly and reviews all major institutional decisions.

Dave Venable, Chairman and President. Cybersecurity executive with 25 years of experience in national intelligence and critical infrastructure security. Originator of the Synthetic Asymmetry framework. Former CISO and senior advisor to Fortune 100 and Global 500 organizations.

Brigham McCown, Board Member. National security and infrastructure expert. Former Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and former head of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. Professor of law and policy.

Mykola Volkivskyi, Board Member. Parliamentary advisor and founder of the First International Ukrainian Foundation of Development. Expert on post-conflict governance and Ukrainian institutional resilience.

Jason Worlledge, Board Member. European Regional Director at the International Republican Institute and co-founder of the Warsaw Security Forum. Expert on European security and democratic development.

Advisory Council

The ISRS Advisory Council provides independent expertise across defense, cybersecurity, law, and emerging technology. Council members support ISRS leadership on specific engagements and contribute regional and technical perspective to ongoing research and mission work.

Council members include Jake Williams, a cybersecurity researcher and practitioner with extensive experience in threat intelligence and incident response. Additional members are identified by request.

Decision-Making Principles

The Board approves all major institutional decisions, including programmatic direction, partnership agreements, and resource allocation. Operational decisions are delegated to the executive team within parameters established by the Board. ISRS does not accept funding that conditions its analytical conclusions.

Research findings and analytical conclusions are developed independently and do not reflect the views of donors, partners, or collaborating institutions unless explicitly identified as joint work.

Policies

Ethics and Conflict of Interest

ISRS personnel are expected to disclose potential conflicts of interest before engaging in research, advisory, or partnership activities where such conflicts may arise. Engagements are declined or disclosed where independence cannot be maintained.

ISRS conducts all mission engagements under Chatham House Rule or stricter terms as standard practice. Partner relationships are not publicized without explicit authorization.

Research Integrity

ISRS research is produced through a structured analytical methodology combining intelligence tradecraft, academic rigor, and domain expertise. Outputs are tested against open-source evidence, subject to internal challenge, and held to standards that serve both practitioner and academic audiences.

All published research and analytical outputs are subject to internal review before publication. ISRS does not publish findings it cannot support with evidence available to its analysts at time of publication.

AI Use

ISRS uses AI tools in support of research, drafting, and editorial workflows. All published outputs are subject to human review, source validation, and editorial oversight by ISRS staff and analysts. Analytical conclusions are the responsibility of ISRS personnel, not the tools used in their development.

Privacy

ISRS collects and processes personal data in accordance with Swiss data protection law and the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Full details are available in the ISRS Privacy Policy.

Transparency

Funding Principles

ISRS evaluates all funding opportunities and partnerships for alignment with its mission, ethics, and institutional independence. It does not accept funding that compromises analytical independence or conditions the conclusions of its research and advisory outputs.

ISRS does not publicize donor relationships without authorization, consistent with the confidentiality standards that govern its operational work. Funding sources that can be disclosed are identified in annual reporting.

Financial Reporting

ISRS operates under Swiss NGO registration and legal standards. Stakeholders with questions about financial practices or institutional structure are welcome to contact us directly at info@isrs.ngo.

Partnership Standards

ISRS enters formal partnerships with organizations whose missions are compatible with its own and whose engagement does not compromise its independence or analytical integrity. Current institutional partners are listed on the Partners page.