Where can I get access to how the credit card industry rules are
created and governed? Ideally I would like to have a contact person
that understands all the different credit card categories (Restaurant,
MOTO, Retail, etc) and knows the direction of signature-less
transactions such as gas stations, etc.

There is a very interesting book, Paying with Plastic, by some people
from MIT Evans and Schmalensee.  It covers a lot of the different
aspects you are talking about.  Another book, written by the first CEO
of Visa, Dee Hock, the birth of Chaordic age talks about the initial
stages of Visa's evolution.

There is a report published by the Australian Govt. about CC and debit
card rules and pricing and so on.  I do not have it myself, but will
mail it if I find it.