The Conference Board

U.S. pro-business, center-right

Background

The Conference Board was founded on May 5, 1916, by business leaders including executives from General Electric and AT&T, in response to public hostility toward corporations following labor disasters such as the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the 1914 Ludlow Massacre. It operated for decades as the National Industrial Conference Board before shortening its name in 1970. Over the twentieth century it grew into a leading producer of business-cycle data, best known for its Leading Economic Index (LEI) and Consumer Confidence Index, which are widely cited by policymakers and financial media. The organization is funded almost entirely by corporate members and does not accept political donations or make them, but critics — primarily from the political right — have questioned whether its emphasis on ESG, diversity, and sustainability research reflects a center-left cultural tilt inconsistent with its stated nonpartisanship. A notable controversy involved a 2013 report on copyright policy that plagiarized material from a funder, prompting the organization to recall the publication and acknowledge improper reliance on funder input. Under its current president, Steve Odland, the Conference Board has continued publishing C-suite surveys and economic outlooks; its 2025–2026 research has documented declining corporate use of DEI and ESG language in SEC filings, tracking a shift it attributes to regulatory and political pressure rather than endorsing or opposing that shift editorially.

Sources

1. The Conference Board – Wikipedia
2. The Conference Board – InfluenceWatch
3. About The Conference Board
4. C-Suite Outlook 2026: Uncertainty and Opportunity
5. US Leading Indicators – Conference Board
6. Can Corporations Really Trust the Conference Board? – RealClearMarkets

Profile compiled 2026-08-31; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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