At the May 17, 2018 Council of Voting Members meeting, two new members were elected to the Board of Directors of the Center for Research Libraries:
 

Carolyn Allen has been the Dean of the University Libraries at the University of Arkansas since October 2000. Previously she served as Deputy Director of University Libraries at the University of Florida. She was also the Associate University Librarian for Administrative Services at the University of Southern California, and Library Personnel Officer at Stanford University. Allen has served as chair on several boards and committees, including the Greater Western Library Alliance Board of Directors, the AMIGOS Library Services Board of Directors, and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Committee on the Status of Academic Librarians.

Alondra Nelson is President of the Social Science Research Council, and Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, where she served as the inaugural Dean of Social Science. Nelson began her academic career at Yale University, where she received the Poorvu award for interdisciplinary teaching excellence. She has published widely acclaimed books and articles exploring the junction of science, medicine, and social inequality. Her essays, reviews, and commentary have appeared in the Washington Post, Science, The Boston Globe, and on National Public Radio.

The new Board members were elected for a three-year term of office.