News Release -- 2003

Brethren Foundation's Will Thomas elected
as board chair for Interfaith Center on
Corporate Responsibility

June 26, 2003 Elgin, Ill.

Will Thomas, Director of Foundation Operations for Brethren Benefit Trust, was elected to a one-year term as Chair of the Governing Board of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) at its 2003 Annual General Meeting, June 10-12, in Orange, Calif.

Thomas, a member of the BBT staff since 1999, was elected by ICCR’s general membership to a three-year term on the board in 2002. At the 2003 Annual General Meeting, the board members elected him to serve as board chair. In addition, Thomas was chosen by the members at the 2003 meeting to moderate the business sessions after the departure of the previous board chair.

Membership of ICCR, a leader in the corporate social responsibility movement for 30 years, consists of 275 faith-based institutional investors with a combined portfolio estimated at $110 billion. As responsible stewards, members merge social values with investment decisions, believing they must achieve more than an acceptable financial return. ICCR members utilize religious investments and other resources to change unjust or harmful corporate policies, striving for peace, economic justice and stewardship of the Earth. This is achieved through the sponsorship of shareholder resolutions, meetings with corporate management, investment screening, and other strategies aimed at urging corporations to be more socially responsible. Many ICCR members, including BBT, also make investments to promote economic development in low income and minority communities.

As Chair of the Governing Board, Thomas will set the agenda for board meetings and organize the board's response to significant issues. In addition he will work with the Executive Director and oversee the board’s corporate governance responsibilities while identifying and addressing new opportunities for the organization.

The Church of the Brethren has been involved with ICCR since the early 1970s, with a brief gap in the late 1990s. Brethren Benefit Trust joined ICCR in the fall of 2000 to strengthen the shareholder advocacy component of its overall social responsibility efforts.

More information on ICCR can be found at www.iccr.org. Information on BBT’s socially responsible investment strategies can be found at www.brethrenbenefittrust.org.