Join the Consumer Reports Board of Directors

Position Overview:

For over 85 years, Consumer Reports (CR) has worked side by side with consumers for truth, transparency, and fairness in the marketplace. As a mission-driven, independent, nonprofit member organization, CR empowers and informs consumers, incentivizes corporations to act responsibly, and helps policymakers prioritize the rights and interests of consumers in order to shape a truly consumer-driven marketplace.

The Opportunity:

Consumer Reports is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors that meets for two days, three times a year and also conducts regular committee meetings. Through an annual election in which CR’s paid members are eligible to vote, new directors are added to the Board when necessary and incumbents are re-elected to the Board when eligible. Potential directors come from a variety of sources, and some of our most talented directors nominated themselves.

Please follow these links for more information about the current members of the Board of Directors, Board structure and responsibilities, and the organization’s annual report.

Applications are due by December 15, 2022.

You’ll Be Highly Rated If You Can Demonstrate That You Can:

• Ensure that CR’s mission and values are clear, current, appropriate, and reflected in ongoing programs, and that CR’s reputation for independence and integrity is fiercely maintained;
• Act as a fiduciary of Consumer Reports by exercising effective oversight of CR’s strategic planning, investment in new products and services, financial performance, financial soundness and accountability, program results, and overall advancement of the organization’s mission; and
• Select, review the performance of, support and, when necessary, replace the president.

The Board of Directors’ goal is to reflect the many-faceted nature of the organization and the diversity of American consumers. The Board requires a wide range of expertise to set the strategic direction for the broad range of the organization’s activities, and to monitor CR’s performance against its strategic goals. Board members share a passion for protecting and advancing the interests of consumers and engage in regular discussion and planning with the senior staff at CR in order to create and reach its goals. 

Service on CR’s Board requires a demonstrated ability to meet the above expectations, and should be reflected in your application.

Service on the CR Board also requires significant commitments of time and participation consistent with that required of other organizations of similar size and complexity. Board members are expected to attend three two-day board meetings annually in February, May, and October, in person as circumstances permit. Board members are also expected to serve on at least one committee and to attend committee meetings, which are usually held by conference call, on an ongoing basis. Board members are not compensated for their service, but they are reimbursed for expenses to attend meetings when they occur in person. 

The Board zealously guards the organization’s reputation and its independence from the influence of the entities and individuals whose products and services we report on. To that end, nominees undergo a rigorous review for potential conflicts of interest.

How to Apply:

Please send a CV or resume along with a cover letter to tahelp@cr.consumer.org in either Word or PDF formats. Your brief cover letter should address why you are interested in serving on the Board of Directors for CR, and what you would bring to the position that makes you an excellent candidate, along with any other information you would like us to know about you. Only applications containing both a cover letter and resume in the proper format will be considered.

Finalist candidates for the 2023 slate of nominees to the Consumer Reports Board will be contacted in the spring of 2023. The slate of candidates will then be determined by the Board and put to an up-or-down vote by the membership during the Summer of 2023. The results will be announced at the Annual Meeting in October 2023, with service on the Board to begin at that time.