Committees

Asset Protection Leaders Council

Retail AP pyramid heads address key industry priorities and challenges to advance retail AP and enhance operational effectiveness within their respective companies.

Contact

khris.hamlin@rila.org

Chief Store Officers Council

Top-level executives who oversee store operations.

Contact

lisa.labruno@rila.org

Asset Protection Advisory Board

Industry leaders across retail segments work collaboratively to develop the educational content and plan for RILA's annual Retail Asset Protection Conference.

Contact

maria.fiore@rila.org

Crimes Against Business Committee

Corporate and field investigation managers identify emerging criminal trends, share prevention and response strategies and develop smart practices to mitigate risks.

Contact

lisa.labruno@rila.org

Workplace Safety Committee

Retail safety professionals identify leading practices for minimizing incidents and injuries of employees and customers. The committee maintains strong partnerships with enforcement agencies, supports regulatory compliance and assists in respective legislative efforts.

Contact

lisa.labruno@rila.org

Communications Committee

Senior-most retail communicators network with peers and discuss issues of common interest, including leading communications practices and issues with implications across the industry, such as cybersecurity and disaster response.

Contact

jason.brewer@rila.org

Finance Leaders Council

Chief accounting officers, treasurers and/or controllers discuss positions on issues relating to financial reporting, procedures and audits based on data gathered through benchmarking and best practices. The council communicates to both government and non-government agencies and rule-makers to develop and advance a better and more accurate understanding of retail industry financial practices.

Contact

courtney.brooks@rila.org

Public Policy Steering Committee

Senior-most government affairs executives from Premier Retail member companies, following the direction of the board, helps set the strategy of RILA's public policy work.

Contact

michael.hanson@rila.org

Tax Advisory Council

The RILA Tax Advisory Council (RTAC) is comprised of the senior most tax executives of RILA’s retail member companies. This committee serves as the strategic counsel for public policy tax issues and provides input to the Public Policy Steering Committee (PPSC) on priorities and objectives for tax-related public policy.

Contact

courtney.brooks@rila.org

Diversity Equity & Inclusion Leaders Council

RILA’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leaders Council draws on the collective wisdom, energy and resources of retail leaders to advance workplace and marketplace diversity, equity and inclusion. The initiative is designed by retailers to reflect the unique needs of retailers, support the industry at all points in their DE&I evolution, and will emphasize supporting, meaningful progress for retailers rather than a standard definition of success.

Contact

erin.hiatt@rila.org

Government Affairs Committee

Government relations executives from retail member companies shape RILA's public policy agenda and advocacy efforts at the federal level.

Contact

austen.jensen@rila.org

International Trade and Customs Committee

Vice presidents, directors, managers and analysts of trade, customs and import compliance from retail member companies focus on trade, both import and export issues, as well as global retailing issues.

Contact

blake.harden@rila.org

Payments Committee

Financial, payments, legal, and government relations executives provide insight and guidance on issues such as interchange fees, virtual currency, EMV migration, access to credit and gift cards.

Contact

austen.jensen@rila.org

Retail Labor and Employment Committee

The Labor and Employment Committee is comprised of labor and human resources executives focused on employment and labor issues affecting retail, such as wage/hour developments, discrimination, labor management matters and unionization issues. Discussions include federal legislative and regulatory action on these and other issues.

Contact

evan.armstrong@rila.org

State Affairs Committee

State government relations executives share information about trends in state and local governments affecting retail and strategize on RILA's public policy response.

Contact

jason.brewer@rila.org

Tax Committee

Retail tax executives focus on federal legislative and regulatory tax issues impacting the retail industry. In order to provide input, feedback, and leadership on the tax issues of the day, the RILA Tax Committee works with the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department and the tax committees of Congress on a routine basis.

Contact

courtney.brooks@rila.org

Transportation & Logistics Committee

Vice presidents and directors address operational and policy issues within transportation, infrastructure, and logistics areas that affect the retail supply chain.

Contact

jess.dankert@rila.org

Chief Store Officers Council

Top-level executives who oversee store operations.

Contact

lisa.labruno@rila.org

Digital Retail Council

Senior-most executives responsible for the integration of in-store and digital operations come together and improve industry-wide omnichannel capabilities by facilitating information sharing and research through a trusted forum.

Contact

jess.dankert@rila.org

Supply Chain Leaders Council

The senior-most supply chain executives of retail members gather to network, explore and critique the business implications of a wide spectrum of supply chain issues and to provide RILA with strategic direction in this area.

Contact

jess.dankert@rila.org

Distribution Committee

VPs address operational and policy issues within the distribution space that impact distribution networks/distribution center operations.

Contact

jess.dankert@rila.org

International Trade and Customs Committee

Vice presidents, directors, managers and analysts of trade, customs and import compliance from retail member companies focus on trade, both import and export issues, as well as global retailing issues.

Contact

blake.harden@rila.org

Supply Chain Conference Advisory Board

The top logistics/supply chain executives oversee the structure and programming of the annual Retail Supply Chain Conference.

Contact

maria.fiore@rila.org

Transportation & Logistics Committee

Vice presidents and directors address operational and policy issues within transportation, infrastructure, and logistics areas that affect the retail supply chain.

Contact

jess.dankert@rila.org

Finance Leaders Council

Chief accounting officers, treasurers and/or controllers discuss positions on issues relating to financial reporting, procedures and audits based on data gathered through benchmarking and best practices. The council communicates to both government and non-government agencies and rule-makers to develop and advance a better and more accurate understanding of retail industry financial practices.

Contact

courtney.brooks@rila.org

Tax Advisory Council

The RILA Tax Advisory Council (RTAC) is comprised of the senior most tax executives of RILA’s retail member companies. This committee serves as the strategic counsel for public policy tax issues and provides input to the Public Policy Steering Committee (PPSC) on priorities and objectives for tax-related public policy.

Contact

courtney.brooks@rila.org

Internal Audit Committee

Chief Audit Executives or the senior-most audit executives from member companies discuss emerging audit issues and internal controls, as well as block-and-tackle techniques for audit planning, working papers, risk assessments, and report writing. The committee also benchmarks leading practices on a variety of topics, ranging from department structure and staffing to handling more technical issues such as cybersecurity, PCI compliance, data analytics and more.

Contact

tom.casey@rila.org

Payments Committee

Financial, payments, legal, and government relations executives provide insight and guidance on issues such as interchange fees, virtual currency, EMV migration, access to credit and gift cards.

Contact

austen.jensen@rila.org

Tax Committee

Retail tax executives focus on federal legislative and regulatory tax issues impacting the retail industry. In order to provide input, feedback, and leadership on the tax issues of the day, the RILA Tax Committee works with the Internal Revenue Service, the Treasury Department and the tax committees of Congress on a routine basis.

Contact

courtney.brooks@rila.org

Chief Legal Officer Committee

The RILA Chief Legal Officer Committee addresses the broad array of legal, operational and policy challenges that retail companies face and provides advice and direction to RILA on strategies to assist retailers in meeting these challenges. The Chief Legal Officer or the General Counsel of each RILA retail member is invited to join the committee. The Chief Legal Officer Committee meets in-person twice each year and conducts conference calls as needed.

Contact

deborah.white@rila.org

Compliance Council

Chief Compliance Officers address issues that affect the retail environment and its vast scope of transactions, customers, employees, locations, and modes of media as well as the legal environment of compliance with a wide variety of federal and state laws covering many legal areas.

Contact

kathleen.mcguigan@rila.org

Consumer Products Committee

A forum for quality assurance, product stewardship, sourcing, legal, and government affairs professionals to share information specific to retailers' product safety compliance challenges, including proposed legislation and regulations and new compliance trends.

Contact

susan.kirsch@rila.org

Environment & Waste Compliance Committee

RILA member forum for education and peer benchmarking focused on environmental compliance issues that are of relevance for the majority of RILA members with an emphasis on waste issues, including more emerging waste compliance issues like packaging extended producer responsibility and recycling mandates.

Contact

susan.kirsch@rila.org

Interchange Litigation Steering Committee

This group operates under a common interest agreement to discuss confidential information and to exchange ideas on litigation strategy relating to the interchange class action settlement.

Legal Direct Reports (L2) Committee

The senior-most attorneys, reporting directly to the General Counsel, work collaboratively to exchange information including leading practices, challenges and trends to enhance legal department effectiveness. The committee communicates through meetings, conference calls, benchmarking surveys and educational webinars and presentations.

Contact

kathleen.mcguigan@rila.org

Legal Operations Committee

The Legal Operations Committee is a joint initiative of RILA and its sister organization, the Retail Litigation Center. The Committee brings together professionals who are responsible for legal operations work, which encompasses a broad set of business processes, activities, and technical practices that support the delivery of legal services.

Contact

anna.williamson@rila.org

Real Estate Legal Committee

A forum for in-house retail real estate lawyers to benchmark on relevant issues caused by the economic ripple effects of the novel coronavirus.

Contact

deborah.white@rila.org

Competition Advisory Group

The RILA Competition Advisory Group is comprised of legal and government affairs executives focused on advancing competition in the retail marketplace. The group reviews antitrust reform policy proposals and relevant regulatory and judicial decisions to identify opportunities to support free markets and foster innovation guiding RILA’s engagement with Congress, the Executive Branch, and the Judiciary.

Contact

deborah.white@rila.org

Environment & Waste Compliance Committee

RILA member forum for education and peer benchmarking focused on environmental compliance issues that are of relevance for the majority of RILA members with an emphasis on waste issues, including more emerging waste compliance issues like packaging extended producer responsibility and recycling mandates.

Contact

susan.kirsch@rila.org

Responsible Sourcing Committee

Retail executives working on responsible and ethical sourcing and social compliance convene to advance the performance of their supply chains, with a specific focus on relationships with suppliers to ensure compliance and drive continuous improvement in existing and emerging sourcing regions. The committee meets once per year in person and bi-monthly via conference call.

Contact

erin.hiatt@rila.org

Sustainability Committee

Sustainability and CSR executives convene to advance more environmentally sustainable and circular business opportunities, including greenhouse gas emissions reduction, the efficient and responsible use of natural resources, and product- and material-lifecycle value retention. The committee meets twice per year in person and bi-monthly via conference call.

Contact

erin.hiatt@rila.org

Diversity Equity & Inclusion Leaders Council

RILA’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leaders Council draws on the collective wisdom, energy and resources of retail leaders to advance workplace and marketplace diversity, equity and inclusion. The initiative is designed by retailers to reflect the unique needs of retailers, support the industry at all points in their DE&I evolution, and will emphasize supporting, meaningful progress for retailers rather than a standard definition of success.

Contact

erin.hiatt@rila.org

Retail Labor and Employment Committee

The Labor and Employment Committee is comprised of labor and human resources executives focused on employment and labor issues affecting retail, such as wage/hour developments, discrimination, labor management matters and unionization issues. Discussions include federal legislative and regulatory action on these and other issues.

Contact

evan.armstrong@rila.org

Retail Talent Committee

The Retail Talent Committee (RTC), consisting of groups formerly known as Retail Talent Council and Retail Benefits Council respectively, is comprised of talent executives focused on areas from acquisition, retention, development, and benefits. The Committee explores a range of benchmarking topics as well as discusses policy solutions and actions policymakers can pursue to help retailers develop the 21st century retail workforce that is diverse innovative and skilled.

Contact

evan.armstrong@rila.org

Talent Leadership Council

The Talent Leadership Council (TLC), formerly known by the names Retail Talent Council and the Human Resources Leaders Council, is comprised of the top human resources executives at leading retailers who oversee all things related to retail employment and have the responsibility to develop strategic visions for their workforce. The TLC focuses on long term trends and vision of the retail workforce and provides thought leadership, research and strategic guidance to help retailers craft the 21st century retail workforce that is diverse, innovative and skilled.

Contact

evan.armstrong@rila.org

Digital Retail Council

Senior-most executives responsible for the integration of in-store and digital operations come together and improve industry-wide omnichannel capabilities by facilitating information sharing and research through a trusted forum.

Contact

jess.dankert@rila.org

Privacy Leaders Council

Chief privacy officers and general counsel executives address privacy issues affecting the retail industry, such as UAS and facial recognition technologies, trans-Atlantic data flows and data breach legislation. In addition to policymaking, RILA’s focus is in facilitating discussions of best practices among peers utilizing meetings, surveys, and where appropriate, creating consensus documents for both internal and external use.

Contact

justin.goldberger@rila.org