Executive-in-Residence Program

John Faraci became widely respected in the forest products industry as an executive at International Paper Co., where he spent more than 40 years. In 1995, he became CEO of Carter Holt Harvey Ltd., a subsidiary of International Paper 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. Faraci 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 at Lambda Chi Alpha and with his teammates as a student-athlete in the varsity tennis program. Faraci 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, Faraci has worked for the National Park Service in Grand Teton National Park as a backcountry mountaineering ranger. He lives with his wife, Heath, in Moose, Wyoming; North Palm Beach, Florida; and Greenwich, Connecticut. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.

Oyauma Garrison serves as the CEO of Maryhaven, Inc., central Ohio’s oldest, most comprehensive treatment center for addiction and mental illness and the region’s eighth-largest nonprofit organization. Active in the community, Garrison has received numerous awards for leadership and community service. Honors and recognition include Top 50 Smart Business Leaders and CEO of the Year finalist, Columbus CEO; a Columbus Business First Most Admired C-Suite leader, and NBMBAA Lifetime Achievement Award. He has received an honorary doctorate from Franklin University for his community leadership. Garrison has been featured in several publications and delivered his first TedTalk on corporate social responsibility in 2016. He has been recognized with the United States of America Presidential 2014 Gold Standard Award for Community Service. Additionally, Garrison has been recognized twice by the Ohio General Assembly and by the Columbus City Council for his leadership. Garrison received his B.A. from Denison and his MBA from Franklin University. While at Denison, he was involved with DCGA and WDUB. He was also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha. Garrison has served on Denison’s Board of Advisors since 2019, on Alumni Council from 2003 to 2007, and as a career advisor from 1996 to 1999. He is also involved with the Black Alumni Association. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Garrison is the proud father of Mya, Cameron, Carter, and Ava.

Granville resident David Hirsh is a graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in business and a major in marketing. After starting his retail career in St. Louis at May Department Stores, Hirsh came to Ohio to join Limited Brands in 1990 as a merchant for Victoria’s Secret Stores and their new beauty division. He was responsible for merchandising and product development, and he traveled extensively throughout Europe and Asia for trend and sourcing. In 1995, Hirsh co-founded Atrium Corporation where he serves as CEO working with national and international specialty retail brands to design, develop, and source fashion-right, brand-right, and high-quality products for customers including Homage, Victoria’s Secret, Mac Tools, and Pelotonia. Over the past 20 years, Atrium has started, grown, bought, and sold many businesses, evolving with changing retail customer needs and market conditions. Hirsh is also a partner at real estate investment firm, Main & High Investments. He resides in Granville with his wife of 30 years and has three children — all of whom have a true passion for the fashion retail industry — and four grandchildren who have given him his favorite role yet!

Donna A. James is a trusted resource and advisor to leaders in the public and private sector, ranging from entrepreneurs to C-suite executives of Fortune 500 companies. As the managing director of Lardon & Associates, LLC, James’ expertise includes corporate governance, business strategy and development, human capital management, financial and risk management, and leadership development. She serves on the board of directors for public companies Victoria’s Secret and The Hartford, and the private company, Xponance. James is chairwoman of the board for Victoria’s Secret & Co. She is a past board member of American Electric Power, Boston Scientific, L Brands, Marathon Petroleum Corp., Time Warner Cable, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc., Intimate Brands and CNO Financial Group. Prior to starting her own business, James retired after 25 years as president of Nationwide Strategic Investments, a division of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. A formal education and experience as an accounting professional with PricewaterhouseCoopers provided the foundation for her effectiveness in both business and community endeavors.

In her community, James is the co-founder and former board chair of the Center for Healthy Families, a non-profit focused on transforming the lives of pregnant and parenting teens and their children, and co-executive director for the African American Leadership Academy. She is on the board of trustees for OhioHealth hospital system in central Ohio. Past community roles include: an appointment by President Barack Obama as chair of the National Women’s Business Council; co-chair for the Columbus Celebrate One initiative to reduce infant mortality; board trustee for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; co-chair of the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio; trustee for The Health Policy Institute of Ohio; the United Way of America Board of Governors; Bennett College for Women Board of Trustees; Central State University Board of Trustees; I Know I Can; Wexner Center for the Arts Board of Trustees; NC A&T State University School of Business Advisory Board and chairwoman of the YWCA of Columbus.James has received several recognitions: The Columbus Foundation Harrison M. Sayre Award for philanthropy; Columbus Hall of Fame; Who’s Who in Black Columbus Lifetime Achievement Award; King Arts Complex Legends Award; Columbus Metropolitan Library Celebration of Learning Award; Columbus Museum of Art Honoree; Center for Healthy Families Honoree; Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year; Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council Trail Blazer Award; and the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Hall of Fame. She was named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the top 75 in corporate America and received the national Beta Gamma Sigma Business Achievement Award and the YWCA Women of Achievement Award.

She is the recipient of four honorary doctorates, from Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, Otterbein University, Tiffin University, and her alma mater, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

She is the wife of attorney Larry James, who is a managing partner with Crabbe, Brown & James in Columbus, Ohio. They have two adult children, Christopher and Justin, and five grandchildren.

Jonathan Ramsden has spent over 25 years in senior executive roles with U.S. public companies in the retail and marketing services sectors. Since 2019, he has served as the chief financial and administrative officer of Big Lots Inc. Prior to that, he served as chief financial officer and then chief operating officer of Abercrombie & Fitch from 2008-2016, and as chief financial officer of TBWA Worldwide, a global marketing services group, from 1998-2008. Through his executive roles, Ramsden has extensive experience in financial management, strategy, M&A, global business operations, and corporate restructuring. In addition to his executive roles, Ramsden has served as an adjunct professor at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business since 2018 and as a board member of IR Medtek, a medical technology company, since 2019. From 2017-2019, Ramsden served as a consultant, advising the boards and management teams of companies going through periods of significant corporate change. He has served on multiple nonprofit boards and currently chairs the board of the Final Third Foundation. Originally from Nottingham, England, Ramsden holds an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University and is a dual US/UK citizen. He has three children and resides in Bexley, Ohio.

Ilaria Rawlins ’92 is the founder, president, and CEO of Fortuna Bank. She came to Ohio from Syracuse, New York, via Denison University. With over 30 years in banking, she has held numerous roles across various institutions. Notably, she was the senior vice president of retail development for First Bexley Bank, another de novo bank in Columbus, Ohio, and more recently served as the retail bank president at First Financial Bank. Her achievements have earned her a spot on Columbus Business First’s Power 100 list for two consecutive years. Outside of work, Rawlins is a bird nerd who enjoys spending time with her two daughters.