Yonkers, NY – Consumer Reports (CR), the research, testing, and advocacy organization, names four new members to its Board of Directors: Dr. Stephen Hoover, Katherine Johnson Endowed Executive Director of the Global Cybersecurity Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology; Jamie Kelleher, Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, President of New Media Ventures; and Astrid D. Vermeer, Chief Financial Officer of World Education Services.

The additions were announced at Consumer Reports Annual Meeting on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, which was held virtually for the first time amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has exposed the rampant misinformation we face as a society and the harm it can cause. Consumers deserve information that is credible, institutions that are accountable, and experiences that are equitable; those are the foundations of a fair and just marketplace,” said Marta L. Tellado, President and CEO of Consumer Reports. “These new Board members bring incredible insight and experience to help CR pursue its mission at this historic time.” 

“The way that the CR staff has risen to this moment and delivered on its mission while working remotely in the middle of a pandemic is a true testament to the dedication and commitment of the CR team,” said Annette LoVoi, Chair of Consumer Reports Board of Directors. “It is a real privilege to be part of this storied institution that is showing up and delivering for people across the country every single day.”

Joaquín Alvarado, Executive Director, Project Accelerate The Seattle Times and Founder, StudioToBe, was elected Chair of the Board, succeeding LoVoi whose term as Chair will end following the Board’s regular October meeting.

“I look forward to working with new and returning Board members, along with CR leadership, membership and partners, to arm consumers with the tools and information they need to face the realities of our modern-day marketplace during this time of uncertainty,” said Alvarado. “CR has an incredible legacy to continue this important work.”

The following board members were reelected to new three-year terms: Betsy Scolnik, Digital and Communications Strategist, and Calvin Sims, Executive Vice President of Standards and Practices, CNN.

About the New Members of the Consumer Reports Board of Directors:

Stephen P. Hoover, Ph.D., is the Katherine Johnson Endowed Executive Director of the Global Cybersecurity Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology whose mission is to train the next generation and develop technologies that keep our digital world and digital selves safe. Dr. Hoover joined RIT in fall 2019 after 25 years in industry. During that time, he held roles ranging from CTO of Xerox to CEO of PARC, Xerox’s Silicon Valley lab which started much of the digital revolution with the creation of many key personal computing technologies. He helped to start Xerox’s focused activities in product cybersecurity in the late 2000’s when he led the formation of the first product cybersecurity team at Xerox, which helped to position Xerox as a product/offering cybersecurity leader in their markets. Over his broad technology innovation career, he has helped to create multiple new technology driven businesses both within and outside of Xerox. These range from helping to create the technology behind Xerox’s entire services business to startups such as Metawave―a leader in autonomous vehicle sensing and 5G beamforming antennas―to AI technologies for Industry 4.0, 3D metal part printing, chatbots and personalized smart transportation and healthcare technologies. Dr. Hoover received his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon and a BS from Cornell and holds 7 patents.

Jamie Kelleher serves as the Senior Vice President, Finance and Operations and Chief Financial Officer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). In this role, Ms. Kelleher oversees the Museum’s fiscal strategy, risk management, treasury function, financial operations, technology and human resources. She joined the Museum in 2014 as Controller and was named Chief Financial Officer in September 2016. Ms. Kelleher has overseen the transformation of the Museum’s financial operations and budget and planning function while also co-leading the development and execution of multiple finance and operating plans to address deficit challenges. Prior to joining The Met, Ms. Kelleher led the finance and auction service operations at Phillips, an international contemporary art auction house, and consulted with a private equity firm on a broad range of financial restructuring initiatives within the food industry. She started her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in the firm's technology audit practice and rose to manager in its capital markets, accounting, and valuation practice, advising complex organizations on a wide range of accounting, valuation, and due diligence topics. Ms. Kelleher is a graduate of Bucknell University and New York University's Stern School of Business. She is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).  

Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman is the President of New Media Ventures (NMV), a non-profit venture capital firm that invests in early-stage progressive innovation. NMV's early investments include ActBlue Civics, Upworthy, PushBlack, Blavity, Crowdtangle, Attentive.ly, Swing Left, Vote.org, and the Center for Tech and Civic Life. Before joining NMV, Ms. Stinebrickner-Kauffman worked for more than a decade and a half at the intersection of politics, digital organizing, analytics, and corporate accountability, at organizations ranging from MoveOn.org to the AFL-CIO to the Alliance for Climate Protection. In 2011, she founded global consumer watchdog SumOfUs, which has engaged tens of millions of people globally around corporate accountability campaigns. SumOfUs campaigns have been instrumental in creating changes in the practices and policies of companies like Apple, Starbucks, Trader Joe's, Nestle, and more. During her 6-year tenure as the Executive Director of SumOfUs, she pioneered cutting-edge corporate campaigning tactics for the digital era, such as combining shareholder activism with digital campaigning. Ms. Stinebrickner-Kauffman has also worked as a Senior Product Manager at Change.org, where she gained expertise in user retention, digital marketing, and funnel optimization. Following the suicide of her partner Aaron Swartz in 2013 while he was being prosecuted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Ms. Stinebrickner-Kauffman became a prominent figure in the fights for criminal justice reform and open access to academic knowledge.

Astrid D. Vermeer, MBA, has served as Chief Financial Officer of World Education Services since September 2020. Prior to that she served in the same role with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). She brings over 10 years of operational leadership experience in international development and was responsible for overseeing IFES’ financial operations, including ensuring the integrity of accounting processes, internal controls, financial planning, reporting & analysis, budgeting, treasury, payroll, contracts & grants, Information technology, and program finance. Ms. Vermeer previously served as the Sr. Director, International Finance at American Red Cross. In addition to managing the international finance operations at American Red Cross, Ms. Vermeer was part of the senior leadership team that evolved the geographic scope from 33 countries to 11 and the programmatic scope from scattered to focused. Prior to joining American Red Cross, Ms. Vermeer served for ten years with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in numerous financial and operational roles in her native Suriname, Switzerland, USA and Belgium. In Belgium, Ms. Vermeer served as the Chief Operating Officer for WWF’s flagship program, the Global Climate & Energy Initiative (GCEI). Ms. Vermeer also served with Abt Associates Inc. for three years, one of which was in Huambo, Angola where she led the financial operations for the Angola Indoor Residual Spraying project (Angola IRS) in 2012. Ms. Vermeer earned her doctorandus (drs.) degree in Business Economics from the Anton de Kom University in Suriname and a Master of Business Administration in Finance and General Management from Louvain School of Management in Belgium. A citizen of Suriname, Ms. Vermeer is fluent in English and Dutch.

For the full list of Board members, please visit: https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/about-us/our-people/our-board/index.htm.

About the Board
Consumer Reports is governed by a board of volunteer directors. A slate of nominees is selected by the Board of Directors and elected to the Board annually by Consumer Reports members for a three-year term. Nominees, who are self-nominated, or nominated by current Board members or staff, must have no conflicts of interest with commercial, business, manufacturing, or financial enterprises that could reasonably affect their independent judgment as directors. Board members receive no compensation, but are reimbursed for meeting expenses.