Arbitrum DAO has elected six new members to its 12-person Security Council in a governance vote held this March. The newly seated members include Michael Lewellen, head of solutions engineering at Turnkey, and DZack23, a longtime ArbitrumDAO delegate and former senior blockchain engineer. The election swaps out half the council's seats, giving the DAO renewed oversight of protocol security.
Who made the cut
Lewellen and DZack23 are the only two newly elected members named in the announcement. Lewellen brings deep infrastructure experience from Turnkey, a crypto custody and security firm. DZack23 has been an active delegate in Arbitrum's governance processes and previously worked as a senior blockchain engineer. The remaining four elected members were not disclosed by name at the time of the result.
What the Security Council does
The Security Council is responsible for emergency responses and protocol upgrades requiring rapid action. It holds the power to freeze or revert transactions in exceptional circumstances. With a 12-member structure, the council operates under a multi-signature scheme that requires a supermajority to execute any action. The new members join six incumbents who retained their seats.
Timing and context
The election wrapped up in March, roughly two months ago. It's part of Arbitrum DAO's periodic council renewal process, designed to rotate in fresh perspectives while maintaining continuity. The council's composition matters because it directly controls the protocol's emergency keys — a role that has drawn scrutiny in the wake of recent bridge exploits across other chains. Arbitrum hasn't faced a major security incident tied to council keys, but the election gives the community a chance to reassess who holds that power.
The new council is now seated and operational.
