2010 Alumni Trustee Candidates

John Replogle ’88 (Alumni Council Nominated)

Biography
John Replogle is a global business leader of more than 20 years experience. He is CEO of Burt’s Bees, the nation’s leading natural personal care company.  Under his stewardship, Burt’s Bees has expanded globally, doubling sales and profitability while being recognized as a leader in sustainable business practices.

Previously, John was at Unilever, president of Guinness Brewing (U.S. and U.K.), and Boston Consulting Group. He earned a MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School. 

John has served the College continuously for 25 years.  As an undergraduate, he was on his class council and Student Assembly and a member of Bones Gate fraternity. Since graduation, John has been class vice president, treasurer, mini-reunion chair and co-head agent. His father (David ’53) and brother (William ’77) are also Dartmouth graduates.

Statement
Dartmouth is in my blood.  Our College has enriched my life, earned my enduring passion and filled me with a fierce desire to serve.

Today, Dartmouth faces great challenges as well as new opportunities. I would bring to the board the real-world experience of running a global business in a tumultuous economic environment.  I pledge to cherish Dartmouth’s traditions while building its future and will not shy away from the challenge of mediating opposing views—not merely to unite our community, but to find the best way forward.  While respecting differences, I oppose suing the College as a way to force change.  Instead, Mort Kondracke and I will make every effort to unify all elements of our alumni community to support the vision of President Jim Kim.

The heart of the Dartmouth experience turns on outstanding faculty, small classes, diverse and passionate students, unique learning opportunities (including study abroad), robust athletic programs and thriving Greek letter organizations when they inspire the best from their members and share the social scene with a myriad of other choices. I will work to extend our leadership as a college that values teaching while solidifying the research foundation and scholarly acclaim of our graduate programs. I will bring a strategic lens to the board and help the College build the Dartmouth of the future while acutely managing the fiscal challenges and practical realities of today. 

Having led several global businesses, I possess the practical operating experience and clear strategic thinking that is critically needed on the board. My proven ability to synthesize and distill complex information will enhance the board’s oversight role at a time when the College’s challenges are deep and its resource constraints are likely to endure. My skills have been honed through years at BCG, through leading international businesses such as Guinness, Unilever, and Burt’s Bees, and by participating in various corporate and nonprofit boards.  We have tough choices to make and I believe we must be clearly guided by the mission of the College while applying analytics, rigorous bottom-up budgeting, and disciplined cost reduction to shrink the ongoing expense of delivering a world class education. Our administrative and campus operating costs are too high and growing at an unsustainable rate (8 percent per year for the past ten years).  Surgically removing the nonessential operating costs is necessary so that we may recover in the near-term while continuing to develop Dartmouth’s strength as the best College in the world.  

Finally, I will push Dartmouth to think about extending our global education as the world becomes more complex and interdependent, while consciously shrinking our environmental footprint.  We have the opportunity to push ourselves to the forefront of sustainable leadership and, in so doing, substantially reduce the ongoing operating cost base of the College, educate our students, and reduce our environmental impact. Paradoxically, the budget costs of “plant operations and maintenance” now exceed the cost of scholarships. Taking a sharp look at these operating costs will slow tuition inflation, humanely close our budget deficit, and preserve the need-blind admission policy that allows us to attract an outstanding and diverse student body.

I am eager to serve the College that has served me so well. Having grown up in a household of Dartmouth alumni, I am well prepared to steward its rich traditions and enduring legacies. Further, as a responsible business leader, I will seek to steer Dartmouth courageously and preeminently into the future.

•  View John Replogle's Web Site
•  

« Back to Candidates Gallery