Donna R. Ecton '69

Alumnae Achievement Awards 1987

Corporate Executive

Donna Ecton, a corporate executive, graduated from Wellesley College in 1969 with a degree in economics and the title of Durant Scholar. She received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1971.

She started her career in 1972 at New York’s Chemical Bank as a corporate lending officer. She quickly made her way to the top, becoming vice president and district head in 1979. She then moved to join New York’s Citibank as its area director and vice president. Within one year, she was named business director and vice president. Ecton’s management position continued as she worked for Campbell Soup Company and NutriSystem, Inc. Her management philosophy was to effectively direct large groups of people while providing a fun and encouraging work environment.

Ecton has had several top-level positions in a number of companies: Chief Executive Officer for Van Houten North America, Inc.; chairman, president, and CEO of Business Mail Express, Inc.; and Chief Operating Officer of PetSmart, Inc. In 1998, Ecton founded her own management consulting firm called EEI, Inc.

Currently, Ecton serves on the board of directors of H&R Block, as the chairman of their finance committee of the board of directors and as a member of their executive and their governance and nominating committees. She is a lifetime board member of the Harvard Business School Club of Greater New York, and she is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City.