Orin C. Smith

Orin C. Smith (June 26, 1942 – March 1, 2018) was an American businessman who was president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Starbucks Corporation from 2000 to 2005. He joined Starbucks as vice president and chief financial officer in 1990, becoming president and chief operating officer in 1994, and a director of Starbucks in 1996. He was preceded by Howard Schultz and succeeded by Jim Donald who was himself succeeded by Schultz.

Biography Prior to joining Starbucks, Smith spent much of his career in management consulting with Deloitte & Touche. Soon after he was born, the family moved to Chehalis, Washington. He was a member of the 1960 high school basketball team, the Bearcats, which won the state Class A basketball championship.

Philanthropy Smith had a long history of contributing funding to the city of Chehalis, particularly its schools as well as towards preservation of the city's buildings, parks, and history. He donated $10 million to the Chehalis School District to help create a perpetual Student Achievement Initiative (SAI) fund to be used for high school graduates of his alma mater to enroll in higher education and obtain professional careers after graduation.

For his "exceptional contribution" to the mission and vision of Chehalis schools, Orin C. Smith Elementary School was named in Smith's honor and opened for third, fourth and fifth grade in 2019 on the same campus as the James W. Lintott Elementary School, which opened for kindergarten, first and second grade in 2018.

The local Vernetta Smith branch library in Chehalis, part of the Timberland Regional Library system, was built in part due to funding by Orin Smith and the building bears his mother's name.