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Ben & Jerry’s has appointed three new independent directors to its board, bringing expertise in civil rights, racial and economic equity, environmental justice and free speech to the ice cream maker’s distinctive governance model.
Nora Benavidez, Michael McAfee and Eva Schulte have joined the company as I Class Directors, effective this month. The appointments are intended to help safeguard and advance Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission, which combines product quality, economic sustainability and social impact.
The move comes as the Vermont-based brand continues to position its governance structure as a central component of its values-led business model.
The new appointments follow the removal of three board members in December 2025, who became ineligible to serve, after the brand's parent company announced changes to the structure of the board. The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) established a nine-year term limit for board members, with any director who has served longer than this period becoming ineligible for annual re-election in 2026.
Ben & Jerry’s says its independent directors play a specific role in protecting the social mission and integrity of the brand, while providing external expertise, constructive challenge and connections to the communities and movements in which the company is active.
Jochanan Senf, CEO of Ben & Jerry's, said: “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.”
Benavidez joins the board from Free Press, where she serves as senior counsel and director of digital justice and civil rights. A civil rights and free speech attorney, litigator and legal strategist, she has worked at the intersection of law, technology and democracy for more than a decade.
Her previous work includes leading PEN America’s national free speech agenda and developing programmes focused on disinformation and attacks on free expression. Her current work spans digital civil rights, privacy and free speech.
“Freedom only means something if we are willing to defend it when speaking out is difficult or comes with consequences,” Benavidez said. “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.”
Michael McAfee, CEO of PolicyLink, brings experience in racial and economic equity, community development and public policy. During his career, he has worked on initiatives spanning neighbourhood investment, affordable housing, job creation and corporate racial equity.
McAfee said businesses have significant influence over how opportunity and investment are distributed.
“Businesses have real power to shape opportunity, investment and outcomes for communities,” he said. “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.”
The third appointment, Eva Schulte, is executive director of Friends of the San Juans. Her career has focused on the intersection of environmental protection, community health, economic opportunity and social justice.
Schulte has worked on initiatives involving endangered species protection, shoreline restoration and industrial development, while her broader experience includes impact investing, partnerships with Tribal Nations and Indigenous communities, and board governance. She currently serves on the executive committee of the Sierra Club Foundation.
“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,” Schulte said.
Unlike many food and beverage companies, Ben & Jerry’s operates with a governance structure specifically designed to protect its social mission over the long term. The company’s I Class Directors are intended to provide independent oversight and ensure that the principles on which the brand was founded remain embedded as the business evolves.
The appointments followed what the company described as a thorough selection process conducted with the support of a B Corp-certified executive search firm. Candidates were assessed on leadership and governance experience, alignment with Ben & Jerry’s mission and values, and the perspectives they could bring to issues central to the company’s business model.
The three new directors will work alongside Senf and the company’s leadership team as Ben & Jerry’s continues to pursue that model.
“Welcoming Nora, Michael and Eva to the board is a big moment for Ben & Jerry’s,” Senf said. “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 company also said it remains committed to funding grassroots movements and progressive change through a future grantmaking structure. Ben & Jerry’s plans to announce a new organisation that will maintain the financial commitment of its previous foundation model, with a governance framework focused on independence, transparency and long-term resilience.
With operations spanning more than 40 countries, Ben & Jerry’s remains one of the food industry’s most prominent examples of a brand seeking to formalise social and environmental objectives within its corporate governance structure, and the appointment of Benavidez, McAfee and Schulte signals a renewed effort to strengthen that approach for the future.
The appointments come after a federal judge dismissed major portions of a lawsuit concerning governance, brought by Ben & Jerry’s against its former parent company, Unilever. The legal dispute continues.
