The newest member of the UNC Chapel Hill board of trustees is Ritch Allison, a former CEO of Domino’s Pizza and a current director of Starbucks.
The UNC Board of Governors appointed Charlotte native Allison on Jan. 30 to fill the opening left by Dave Boliek, a Fayetteville lawyer who was elected State Auditor in November.
Allison has bachelor’s and MBA degrees from UNC Chapel Hill, in 1985 and 1989, respectively. He worked at Bain & Co. for 13 years, including as a partner from 2004-10, before joining Domino’s, the world’s largest pizza company.
He initially was an executive vice president, then CEO from 2018-22. Shares of Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Domino’s increased more than tenfold during his years there. The company’s 2023 proxy showed he controlled about 142,000 shares, then valued at about $50 million.
Allison previously was on the board of UNC Kenan-Flager Business School from 2014-25, including the past two years as board chair. He lives in Chapel Hill.
State election finance reports over the past two years show Allison donated $19,200 to the campaigns of Gov. Josh Stein, $7,400 to Boliek and $5,000 to State Treasurer Brad Briner. Stein is a Democrat, while Boliek and Briner ran as Republicans.
Allison and his wife, Susan formed a fund to provide four-year scholarships for four undergraduate business students at Chapel Hill. They also started a mentorship program Susan is also a UNC graduate, along with the couple’s two children.
The UNC trustees are chaired by John Preyer. The group made news in the past week after reports surfaced of a letter from UNC System Chancellor Peter Hans that criticized some trustees for overstepping their authority. Preyer helped recruit Bill Belichick to become coach of the university’s football team, according to media reports.