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Committees and Councils

NRF has more than 40 committees, councils and task forces

NRF’s more than 40 committees, councils and task forces offer opportunities for members to network, share ideas, establish best practices, prepare testimony for Congress and grow in their careers. Click through the list below to learn more.

NRF committees and councils

NRF Connect

NRF Connect is a platform exclusively for retail members to engage and connect with peers and get answers to their most pressing questions about the industry.

Receive access to directories, a resource library and discussions in a private, secure forum where members can discuss the hot topic of the day. 

NRF Connect channels have been created for select NRF committees and councils.

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Associate Member Council (AMC)
This council of Associate member companies meets annually and via conference call to ensure the needs of NRF's growing associate member base are met, and to provide feedback to NRF regarding the needs of retailers and how NRF can better meet those needs.
CIO Council
The NRF CIO Council is a member group open exclusively to the most senior technology executive within NRF-member retail companies. The Council provides a forum for peer networking and collaboration, engages with technology sector stakeholders, and offers strategic guidance on NRF’s broader tech-…
Committee on Employment Law
This committee serves as NRF’s technical committee on labor law and employee relations matters and is comprised of retail in-house legal counsel, senior human resource executives, and prominent outside labor counsel. The committee meets twice each year to discuss labor, human resources, and…
Credit Executives Committee
This committee provides NRF with strategic and operational advice related to consumer credit issues, including federal legislative and regulatory policy, the standardized credit bureau reporting format, as well as file integrity among retail credit grantors.
Cybersecurity Advisory Group
Cybersecurity Advisory Group is NRF’s exclusive membership group for cybersecurity consulting and services organizations. NRF collaborates with this group of strategic partners to develop research, events, and year-round products and services for cybersecurity professionals in retail.
Digital Council
The Digital Council is a collaborative networking group where you will discuss e-commerce, mobile, innovation, organization and all things digital – what’s critical now and in the future for the retail industry.
Diversity & Inclusion Working Group
This working group serves retail members as a platform to further the discussion on diversity and inclusion in the retail community. The working group is comprised of retail executives in human resources, legal departments and corporate leadership roles who responsibilities include incorporating…
Federation of International Retail Associations (FIRA)
FIRA seeks to promote the free exchange of information among national retail trade associations around the world and works to identify opportunities for cooperation in research and education.
Financial Executives Council (FEC)
The FEC is comprised of senior financial executives of NRF member companies who work with NRF to develop industry financial benchmarks and serve as advisors for industry advocacy efforts with the FASB, SEC, etc.
General Counsels Forum
This invitation-only forum is limited to the most senior legal officers among NRF's retail membership. Two to three times each year they meet to share strategy and ideas for addressing cutting edge legal and management issues of concern to retail law departments.
Gift Card Working Group
The Working Group addresses the rapidly spreading restrictions on the highly popular gift cards used by many retailers.
Health and Employee Benefits Committee
The NRF Health and Employee Benefits Committee consists of retail benefits executives managers and directors who provide technical input on a wide range of health, pension and other benefit issues.
Innovation Advisory Committee
This committee of Associate member companies from the venture capital community meets annually and via conference call to advise NRF on its innovation and tech community strategy and execution. They help enable the NRF to provide additional value to retailers, incubators, accelerators and the…
Internal Audit and Compliance Council
The Internal Audit and Compliance Council is open to the most senior internal audit executive of NRF retail member companies.  The Council meets twice a year to exchange best practices for optimizing the value of the internal audit function and ensuring effective internal controls.
International Trade Advisory Committee (ITAC)
ITAC members include senior retail sourcing, compliance, and government relations executives and general counsels responsible for international trade, customs, and international labor issues for their companies both on the legislative and regulatory fronts.
IT Audit Council
The IT Audit Council is comprised of senior IT auditors of NRF member companies. Members of this group meet annually to develop and exchange best practices around auditing IT systems in a retail environment.
IT Security Council
The IT Security Council (ITSC) is NRF’s primary membership group for retail sector cybersecurity leaders and technical experts. It provides a forum for its members to exchange information on current cyber threats and industry best practices, and engage with industry, academic and government…
Lawyers Committee
The NRF Lawyers Subcommittee meets periodically to delve deeply into current legal issues such as privacy and intellectual property from a retail perspective. This group grew out of the NRF General Counsel’s Forum whose members appoint all of the members of the NRF Lawyers’ Subcommittee.
LP Council
This council, composed of senior loss prevention executives from diverse retail sectors, meets to discuss common problems confronting the retail industry and to share new ideas on product and program results. Participation by invitation only.
Marketing Executives Council
The NRF Marketing Executives Council is a committee for NRF retail members most senior marketing executives. The Council provides unique networking opportunities, access to industry research and educational programming.
NCCR Board of Directors
The NCCR Board of Directors is the governing body that oversees the activities of the National Council of Chain Restaurants. By invitation only, it is comprised of senior executives from the nation’s leading chain restaurant companies.
NCCR Food Safety Task Force
This task force is comprised of designated representatives from NCCR chain restaurant companies, typically senior quality assurance and food safety executives. The Task Force provides a forum for members to network and share food safety information of common interest for mutual benefit.
NCCR Food Supply Chain Committee
This committee is comprised of chain restaurant senior purchasing executives and government affairs executives, and focuses on issues impacting the supply chains of chain restaurant companies. At present, the committee is focused on the federal Renewable Fuel Standard.
ORC/Investigators' Network
This group of more than 1,000 loss prevention professionals includes federal, state and local law enforcement officers. The network meets each year at NRF PROTECT, hosts quarterly conference calls and members attend various Organized Retail Crime Association meetings across the country.
Patent Troll Legislative Working Group
Working group on Patent Troll - formed from General Counsels Forum; Policy Council; shop.org Board.
Payment Systems Task Force
This Task Force meets as needed to discuss matters pertaining to card acceptance and issues pertaining to retailer relationships with the credit and debit card associations and card acceptance networks. For more information on joining this task force, please contact Stephanie Martz.
Policy Council
The NRF Policy Council is the National Retail Federation's principal policy making body on federal legislative and regulatory issues.
Postal Working Group
This Working Group provides guidance to the NRF in representing retailers on matters before Capitol Hill, the Postal Rate Commission and the United States Postal Service.
Privacy Working Group
The Privacy Working Group is composed of senior retail representatives with responsibility for aspects of company operations that affect customer and employee privacy.
Product Safety Committee
This Committee communicates existing and potential product safety problems within the retail industry and addresses emerging product safety issues by providing substantive and strategic input into the development of industry public policy.
Retail Communicators’ Network
The NRF Retail Communicators’ Network serves as a year-round resource for communicators and investor relations professionals and provides an opportunity to network with industry peers. The group receives regular updates on NRF initiatives and advance access to NRF industry and consumer research.
Small Business Retail Council
The Small Business Retail Council (SBRC) represents and is responsive to the needs, concerns and interests of local shops, and provides the National Retail Federation’s small business members a forum to discuss the most pressing public policy issues and priorities.
State Government Relations Council
The State Government Relations Council is a forum for NRF members to discuss current and emerging public policy issues at the state and local government levels.
Strategic Supply Chain Council
This Council includes senior retail executives responsible for global supply chain, transportation, and logistics. The SSCC provides guidance and technical expertise on issues affecting retailers’ management and security of their international supply chains.
Talent Acquisition Group
The Talent Acquisition Group is open to the most senior talent acquisition executive of any retail company. The group serves to promote retailing as an attractive and long-term career path and to cultivate the next generation of retail leaders.
Taxation Committee
This Committee is comprised of senior tax executives of NRF retail member companies. The Committee examines tax legislative and regulatory policies that affect retailers and recommends policy positions for the NRF to try to achieve through their lobbying efforts.
Technology Leadership Council
The NRF Technology Leadership Council is a member group for emerging technology leaders (e.g. direct reports to CIOs and CTOs) at NRF-member retail companies. The Council provides leadership development, peer networking, and other strategic opportunities that prepare Council members for more senior…
Women in IT Committee
NRF's Women in IT Committee is a forum that encourages women to network and learn from each other. Our purpose is to support women in reaching their career goals by providing opportunity for empowerment through shared learning and mentoring.
Women in Loss Prevention
This group of over 500 loss prevention professionals meets annually at the NRF PROTECT and conducts conference calls on a quarterly basis to provide professional development and mentoring opportunities for advancement.
Women Run Retail
The NRF Women Run Retail channel includes hundreds of members of the NRF Women in Retail IT Community (WIRIT) and NRF Women in LP Committee.