ARA receives its guidance and accomplishes its work through the active participation of leaders serving on the board of directors and members volunteering through committees, work groups and task forces. This document describes the various groups that function within ARA. Signup for these groups is done annually in December for service during the following calendar year.

Board of Directors and Executive Committee

The Board of Directors holds the ultimate governing authority and responsibility of the association. ARA holds an orientation webinar for the board each January, which includes information on the duties and responsibilities of the board as a whole and board members individually. The Board is composed of 22 retailer representatives and 17 industry supplier representatives.

An Executive Committee from the board is named annually, and consists of four officers (Chair, Chair-elect, Vice Chair and Past Chair), all of whom must be retailer representatives, and one representative from each of the four industry supplier categories listed above.

The Executive Committee superintends the conduct of the association within the bylaws and policies enacted by the board. It has full power to act on behalf of the board except in matters concerning major acquisitions, sale of major association assets, or amendment of the bylaws. The Executive Committee employs the president & chief executive officer of the association, who in turn hires staff appropriate to accomplish the association’s mission. Click here to view the current ARA Board of Directors.

Committees

ARA Committees provide essential guidance and expertise to all facets of the association. Each member of the Board of Directors is expected to serve on at least one committee. In addition to directors, ARA member companies are encouraged to name representatives with relevant subject matter expertise or responsibilities within their companies to ARA committees, task forces and working groups, so the association may draw upon that reservoir of talent. A solicitation will be provided in December to all ARA member companies, requesting their involvement in ARA committees for the coming year.

Current Committees include:

ARAPAC Committee
Audit Committee*
Conference Planning Committee
Investment Policy Committee *
Member Services Committee
- Member Communications Subcommittee
Nominating Committee*
Public Policy Committee

(Committees with "*" are limited to ARA board members only.)

Working Groups

Working groups are topic-focused and provide expert opinion to ARA as needed on an ongoing basis. Task Forces are focused on a specific objective, with a finite lifespan that expires when the task is accomplished. The vast majority of this work is done via email and conference call, so there should be no scheduling conflicts with Committee meetings.

Current Working Groups include:

Climate Stewardship/Carbon Credits Working Group
Sustainability Guide Working Group
Transportation Working Group
Biotechnology / Seed Working Group
Tax / Finance Working Group
Environmental Stewardship Working Group
Technology Working Group
Security Working Group
Labor Working Group