A Newsletter for Friends and Alumni of the University of Washington
Leading the Way to the UW’s Future: Orin Smith

As a top executive at Starbucks Coffee Company, Orin Smith (’65) helped lead the coffee giant to unprecedented success and worldwide recognition. Now retired from his position as CEO of the corporation, he continues to demonstrate his considerable leadership prowess at the University of Washington, where he has been a generous and active participant in advancing his alma mater.

“I attribute much of my success and satisfaction in life to my learning experiences and exposures at the UW,” says the Chehalis native, who earned degrees in business and accounting at the University and an MBA at Harvard before embarking on a successful career in business. Besides serving on numerous volunteer boards at the UW, Smith makes extraordinary financial contributions to areas he holds dear. His leadership gifts to the Business School campaign support MBA students and have enabled the School to move forward with plans to create a new home for its programs. His gifts to UW Medicine and his service as co-chair of the UW Medicine Board have been integral to the success of the campaign for the new South Lake Union facilities.

As vice chair of the UW Foundation board, Smith serves alongside Bill Gates (‘49, ‘50) in leading Campaign UW: Creating Futures, an effort he believes is critical to maintaining the UW as a great institution of higher education and research.

“The UW is one of the most outstanding institutions of higher education, not only in the United States, but also in the world,” he says. “For this reason alone it deserves our support.”

With state funding for higher education ever on the wane, Smith believes that private philanthropy will ensure that the UW continues to make great contributions to the region, offer outstanding education to its students and prepare them to excel in increasingly competitive world markets.

“As a graduate of the UW, I not only have great memories that make me care about the University,” he says, “but I also feel a sense of responsibility to ensure that today’s students have the same opportunities for an outstanding education that were available to me.”

Return to Fall 2006 Campaign Newsletter