Experienced leaders and advocates across civil rights, social, economic and environmental justice as well as racial equity join the Board to help guide Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission and Linked Prosperity model

BURLINGTON, Vt., Aug. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ben & Jerry’s today announced the appointment of three new Independent Directors (I Class Directors) to its Board of Directors, Nora Benavidez, Michael McAfee and Eva Schulte, effective this month.

The three incoming I Class Directors bring decades of experience in economic and social justice, civil rights, environmental justice and free speech. Throughout their careers, Nora, Michael and Eva have led organizations, built coalitions and campaigned alongside communities on many of the issues at the heart of Ben & Jerry’s social mission. As Directors, they will draw on that experience to challenge and inspire the company as it continues to take its three-part mission forward.

Ben & Jerry’s has long rejected the idea that a company must choose between making great products, building a strong business and having a progressive social mission. Its Product, Economic and Social Missions are designed to work together, underpinned by its belief in Linked Prosperity: that as the business succeeds, the people and communities connected to it should share in that success.

The company has a unique governance structure designed to safeguard its social mission for the long term. That structure is intended to ensure the principles Ben & Jerry’s were founded on remain embedded in how the company is governed and evolves over time. These appointments strengthen Ben & Jerry’s governance model for the future.

The I Class Directors safeguard the social mission and integrity of the brand, while bringing expertise, outside perspective, constructive challenge and connections to the movements and communities the company serves. They work collaboratively with Ben & Jerry’s CEO, Jochanan Senf, as they lead the teams at Ben & Jerry’s who bring its mission to life.

As a values-led company, governance is vital. Throughout this year, Ben & Jerry’s has approached the appointment of its I Class Directors with the care, diligence and seriousness it deserves. Ben & Jerry’s partnered with a B Corp-certified executive search firm to conduct a thorough selection process. Candidates were assessed on their leadership and governance experience, alignment with the company’s values and mission, and the unique and diverse perspectives they would bring to the Board on the issues and movements central to Ben & Jerry’s model.

Ben & Jerry’s social mission is baked into the core of the business, and working in partnerships is an important part of how it delivers impact: from working with dairy farmers on Caring Dairy as part of its broader Values-Led Sourcing program, to using its products and platform through campaigns like Razz Up!, speaking out and challenging the rise of authoritarianism, through to creating its Up Collective program in Europe which supports refugee rights.

Meet the new Independent Directors:

• Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice & Civil Rights at Free Press. A civil rights and free speech attorney, litigator, and legal strategist, Nora has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of law, technology and democracy. She has represented clients whose fundamental rights were under attack, particularly in areas of First Amendment protections, protest rights, and voting rights. She previously led PEN America’s national free speech agenda, including its successful First Amendment lawsuit challenging government retaliation against journalists, and built a national program focused on disinformation and attacks on free expression. Today, Nora’s work spans digital civil rights, privacy and free speech, and she has testified and advocated before the U.S. Congress, Federal Trade Commission, White House, Canadian House of Commons and other regulatory bodies. Nora has also led campaigns on behalf of journalists and scholars facing detention or censorship, authored research shaping emerging debates around free speech and technology, and is a contributing writer for The New York Times and The Atlantic.
• Michael McAfee, CEO of PolicyLink. Over the course of his leadership at PolicyLink, Michael has helped turn racial and economic equity into measurable results for communities across the United States. He played a leadership role in securing Promise Neighborhoods as a permanent federal program, led efforts that improved outcomes for more than 300,000 children and helped facilitate billions of dollars in investment in neighborhoods experiencing concentrated poverty. Michael has also helped build PolicyLink’s work on corporate racial equity, including tools designed to help companies assess and advance equity across their value chains. Earlier in his career at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Michael managed a $450 million housing and economic-development portfolio that helped create more than 3,000 affordable homes and 5,000 jobs. His broader leadership spans economic equity, democracy, community development and the role institutions and businesses can play in creating more equitable outcomes.
• Eva Schulte, Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans. An environmental and social-sector leader with more than two decades of executive experience, Eva has built her career connecting environmental protection with community health, economic opportunity and human dignity, while working directly with the communities and people impacted. Eva stewards work to protect the San Juan Islands and Salish Sea, including efforts to strengthen protections for endangered species, restore shoreline habitats and challenge industrial expansion. Friends successfully challenges fossil fuel facility expansions that increase vessel traffic, securing additional environmental reviews and mitigations, and negotiating settlement agreements. Eva’s broader experience includes impact investing for a Certified B Corp, partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and national board governance with current tenure on the executive committee of the Sierra Club Foundation, where she recently served as Chair.

Jochanan Senf, CEO of Ben & Jerry’s, says: “This is an exciting day for Ben & Jerry’s. We make the best possible ice cream in the nicest possible way, and whilst every employee brings our three-part mission to life, these three Independent Directors will play an important role in helping us safeguard and strengthen that mission for the future. They bring deep experience and perspectives that will help us stay connected to the communities and movements we serve. We’re proving a way of doing business where our growth and strength connect directly to social impact, all whilst making delicious ice cream. These Directors understand that and will help us make it even more future-proof.”

On the role they will play, Jochanan continues: “Welcoming Nora, Michael and Eva to the Board is a big moment for Ben & Jerry’s and for me personally. I want them to challenge us, push our thinking and help us go further. In a world where speaking out can feel difficult, we need to be bolder than ever. We need to keep showing up, keep listening and keep using the strength of our business and our voice to stand with communities that too often go unheard.”

The incoming Directors on joining the Board:

“Right now, we are seeing the hallmarks of the authoritarian playbook manifest daily. Pressure on advocates, journalists, institutions and everyday people to stay quiet is palpable. Freedom only means something if we are willing to defend it when speaking out is difficult or comes with consequences. We can’t leave it up to chance or goodwill,” said Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice & Civil Rights at Free Press. “Ben & Jerry’s has such an exciting role to play — leading with intention and integrity to stand with communities and movements when the easier choice might be to stay silent. As a Director, I am honored to help the company in using its voice with courage.”

“I’ve spent much of my career asking a simple question: who benefits from the systems and institutions we build, and who gets left out?” said Michael McAfee, CEO of PolicyLink. “Businesses have real power to shape opportunity, investment and outcomes for communities. On the Board, I want to ask hard questions about who benefits from the company’s decisions and where its business can create greater opportunity. I believe business success and community well-being can reinforce each other, and Ben & Jerry’s has an opportunity to show what’s possible when they do.”

“I’m honored to join the Ben & Jerry’s Board as an Independent Director,” said Eva Schulte, Executive Director of Friends of the San Juans. “The company’s long-term commitment to environmental and social justice and standing with communities affected by environmental harm aligns closely with the work I’ve spent my life advancing. Ben & Jerry’s has always shown up to support the movement since the early days of my career. I’m eager to bring my experience to the Board and help guide Ben & Jerry’s as it continues to put these values into action into the future.”

Notes to editors:

About Ben & Jerry’s:
Ben & Jerry’s is built on the concept of Linked Prosperity, the idea that as the company grows, everyone connected to it, from farm workers to communities, should prosper and thrive, not just shareholders. We do this with our three-part mission: to make great ice cream, to build a sustainable economic enterprise, and to advance social progress.

We make a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and Non-Dairy/vegan desserts using high-quality ingredients and lots of big chunks and swirls. As a Certified B Corp, Ben & Jerry’s incorporates its vision of Linked Prosperity into its business practices via values-led sourcing initiatives when purchasing ingredients. Ben & Jerry’s is distributed in over 40 countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchised Scoop Shops, and via on-demand delivery services.

Ben & Jerry’s Foundation Model:

Ben & Jerry’s is fully committed to funding grantmaking that supports grassroots movements and progressive change, as well as maintaining our commitment to Vermont. There will be a new organization announced soon which will follow the same financial commitment as our previous Foundation setup. The future model will have governance designed to support independence, transparency, and long-term resilience. We will share more details when they are available.

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SOURCE Ben & Jerry’s