Are Hedera Committee Chairs required to be affiliated with Council members?

Yes, each Hedera Committee Chair must be affiliated with a Council member. Pursuant to Hedera’s Committee Policy, only Committee Delegates (natural persons who are employees, officers, contractors or authorized agents of a Council member) can run for a Committee Chair position. This is because Council member entities serve as Committee members, and Committee Delegates vote on behalf of their respective Council member (unlike Hedera’s Board of Directors, where Directors serve in their individual capacity and not on behalf of an affiliated entity).  An “authorized agent” is someone that a Council member has formally authorized to represent them on the Council.