Olin to honor three 2024 Distinguished Alumni on April 4

Olin Business School will honor three distinguished alumni at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the Missouri Botanical Gardens.

They are Andrea Faccio, Eric M. Green and JD Ross.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is a tradition—now in its 37th year—in which Olin recognizes the accomplishments of outstanding alumni who have become leaders in their community and have attained distinction in their careers. Those who are honored embody the core values of vision, innovation and leadership and have each made a positive impact on business and the communities in which they live and serve.

Please register here to join the celebration.

Andrea Adegas Faccio, EMBA 2017

President and Chief Growth Officer, Nestlé Purina PetCare

As president and chief growth officer at Nestlé Purina PetCare North America, Andrea Adegas Faccio provides unified leadership across the organization to help transform business strategies into actions that drive powerful growth. She began her career in 1996 as a commercial trainee at Nestlé Brazil and has since served in many key roles across the company and the globe as a dedicated steward of iconic brands and one of the architects of the company’s success.

Prior to her current role, Faccio served as chief marketing officer, vice president of Purina’s litter division and vice president of marketing for Purina Latin America and the Caribbean. She continues to serve as a judge for Purina’s annual Pet Care Innovation Prize program, which provides support and mentorship to emerging entrepreneurs in the pet space.

Faccio is a native of Brazil and has held positions across the Nestlé organization for more than 28 years, which has included key roles in Brazil, Switzerland, Australia and, most recently, posts with the U.S. pet care business. She earned her MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Faccio sits on the board of directors for NextUp, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advance women in business.

A lifelong pet lover, Faccio brings her Bernedoodle, Rio, to work with her at Purina’s downtown St. Louis headquarters almost daily. 

Eric M. Green, EMBA 2009

President and CEO, West Pharmaceutical Services Inc.

Eric M. Green has served as president and CEO of West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. since 2015 and as chair of the board since May 2022. As CEO, he leads over 10,000 team members focused on the mission to contain and deliver injectable therapies that improve patients’ lives. 

The company’s 2023 net sales of $2.95 billion reflect the annual production of more than 48 billion components and devices worldwide. Green is responsible for leading West’s market-led business strategy, focused on tailoring the company’s approach to the specific needs of biologics, generics, pharmaceutical and diagnostic customer groups.

Prior to joining West, Green served as executive vice president and president for the research markets business unit for Sigma-Aldrich Corp., where he gained extensive international experience, serving in a number of regional, commercial and operational leadership roles over his more than 20-year career there.

He earned his MBA from WashU Olin Business School and bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Bethel University. Green also serves as a member of Bethel University’s Board of Trustees and as an independent director and member of the Compensation and Human Capital Management Committee and the Governance Committee on the Ecolab board.

JD Ross, BSBA 2011

Cofounder, Open Door

JD Ross is the cofounder of Opendoor, a technology company that’s reinventing how millions of people buy and sell their homes. In addition, he also co-founded Fresh Prints, Royal.io and With Coverage Insurance with WashU alumni.

He bought or began his first two companies as an undergraduate. By the time he graduated, Fresh Prints was doing a couple of million dollars in sales per year. And UTrucking had more than doubled in size, with about half of all students who lived outside a 150-mile radius using the company.

Ross learned a lot of lessons while running both businesses. The most important one, he says, was to be “customer-obsessed.”

Opendoor, founded in 2014 with investor Keith Rabois and Trulia executive Eric Wu, purchases homes directly from the seller. The startup has been featured in numerous publications. Real estate industry publisher Inman named Opendoor its 2015 most innovative real estate company. And Ross himself was featured in Forbes 2017 “30 under 30” list for consumer technology.

A serial entrepreneur, Ross started early as a freshman at Olin. UTrucking provided storage to thousands of students at WashU, and Fresh Prints offered custom apparel for students across the country. Those experiences taught Ross the value of moving quickly, starting and ending with the customer, and the importance of hiring and coaching a talented team.

As Opendoor grows, Ross says the only constant is change. He says his time at WashU was a major contributor to his ability to thrive on uncertainty and rapid change.