John V. Faraci Jr., 1972
B.A., Denison University
MBA, University of Michigan
Paper Industry Executive, Denison Life Trustee
Greenwich, Conn.
John Faraci became widely respected in the forest products industry as an executive at International Paper Company, where he spent more than 40 years. In 1995, he became CEO of Carter Holt Harvey Ltd., a subsidiary of International Paper located in New Zealand. In 1999, he assumed the role of CFO with International Paper and added the title of executive vice president in 2000.
Finally, he served as chairman and CEO of International Paper from 2003 until retiring in 2014. From 2011 to 2013, he served on the U.S. section of the United States and Brazil CEO Forum. His leadership qualities were recognized, and he was named “Executive Papermaker of the Year” by PaperAge magazine in 2006 and 2011. In July of 2014, Faraci was named “North American CEO of the Year” by RISI, a leading information source on metals, industrial minerals, and forest products.
John earned his MBA at Michigan’s Ross School of Business in 1974, after graduating with a degree in economics and history at Denison in 1972. During his time on The Hill, he connected with a broad range of peers; he socialized with his brothers in the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity and with his teammates as a student-athlete in the varsity tennis program.
In 1976 and 1978, taking time off from International Paper, John organized two Denison expeditions to Alaska to make the first ascent of a previously unclimbed peak, Mount Denison on the Katmai Peninsula. The first attempt was unsuccessful. The second attempt by a party of seven, all related to Denison, was successful.
Aside from serving as the co-chair on the committee for his 50th Reunion, John has consistently engaged with the college. Since 2004, he has sat on Denison’s Board of Trustees, including his five-year term as chairman. He chaired the Presidential Search Committee, which identified and recommended Adam Weinberg. Since graduating in 1972, John’s support of Denison’s Annual Fund has been consistent and generous. John is a model of the Denison alumni experience, balancing professional life with service to the university.
Since retiring from International Paper, the same company where he began his career, John has continued his passion for leadership, conservation, and the wilderness. He served as chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation after a previous six-year term on the National Park Foundation, both appointments by the United States Secretary of the Interior. He served on the Board of Directors at ConocoPhillips, PPG Industries, and United Technologies.
John recently retired as the executive chairman of Carrier Global after guiding the heating and cooling solutions company in its first year as a public, independent company. He continues to serve on the board of United States Steel. For the past six summers, John has worked for the National Park Service in Grand Teton National Park as a backcountry mountaineering ranger.
John lives with his wife, Heath, in Moose, Wyo.; North Palm Beach, Fla.; and Greenwich, Conn. They have two daughters and four grandchildren. Heath and John will celebrate their 42nd anniversary this August.
