CRO Association Board of Governors Takes Shape
Organization's board adds chairman, six practitioners and three influencers in bid to professionalize CR
Since CRO magazine publisher Jay Whitehead announced in October 2008 that the CRO was forming the CRO Association to more rapidly evolve the corporate responsibility professions—sustainability, CSR, GRC and philanthropy—he received over 100 inquiries about serving on the influential group’s 15-member board of governors. “With economic scandal and loss all around,” said Whitehead, “suddenly, corporate responsibility is sexy.”
The board, whose members will include six practitioners, four providers, three influencers (nonprofits, academics, government) and two ex-officio members (publisher of CRO magazine plus the association’s executive director), now has set its practitioner and influencer roster, as it continues to sort through dozens of provider inquiries to fill that segment’s four slots.
The chairman-designate of the initial CRO Association board of governors is Harvard University professor and renowned sustainability expert Bob Pojasek. “Now that the corporate responsibility professions—sustainability, GRC, CSR, philanthropy—have finally found the flag around which they can rally, I’m proud to help lead the CRO Association’s growth in 2009 and beyond,” Pojasek said. “My fellow board members and I know that professionalizing functions in the fast-growing corporate responsibility disciplines is the key to creating successful career tracks in the field. Therefore, as the initial chair, I’m focused on building strong governance, content, interest group and committee foundations that will represent the entire profession today and far into the future.”
The CRO Association’s board of governors is responsible for governance and setting priorities to grow the organization and its influence on professional practices in the rapidly evolving field. All 133 corporate members of the CRO membership media platform, representing approximately 400 professionals as of Jan. 1, 2009, will convert to membership in the CRO Association. The CRO Association has set a 2009 membership target of 360 corporate members representing approximately 1,400 individuals by year-end 2009. The CRO Association houses well-known media vehicles CRO Magazine, TheCRO.com and the CRO conferences as its official media outlets. Members attend CRO conferences and receive CRO magazine at no charge and access other members via the association’s committees and special interest groups (SIG) structures.
The initial slate of practitioner and influencer members represents the most powerful cross-industry group ever established to raise standards and awareness of the corporate responsibility professions.
The initial board features six practitioner members, in alphabetical order:
- Mitch Jackson; SVP, Environmental Affairs & Sustainability; FedEx
- Stanley Litow; President, IBM Foundation and Vice President, Corporate Citizenship; IBM
- Marcela Manubens; SVP, Global Human Rights & Social Responsibility Programs; Phillips Van Heusen
- Kevin Martinez; Executive Director, Corporate Responsibility; KPMG
- Kevin Moss; Managing Director, Sustainability; BT
- Joseph Wolfsberger; SVP, Environment Health & Safety; Eaton
The influencer members of the board include:
- Professor Brian Ballou, Professor & Co-Director, Center for Business Excellence, Farmer School of Business Miami University & AICPA Delegate to the Prince Charles’ Accounting for Sustainability Initiative
- Stephen Jordan, Executive Director, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center
- Professor Bob Pojasek, Harvard University (Board of Governors Chairman-Designate
The four remaining provider slots on the board will be announced prior to Feb. 5, 2009.
More coverage of the CROA Board: