Daniel Jaffee, President and CEO of Oil Dri Corporation of America, was the 2017 Marquette University College of Business Administration’s Business Leaders Forum Speaker

Daniel Jaffee presented at the Marquette University College of Business Administration’s Business Leaders Forum on March 21, 2017

On Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at the Alumni Memorial Union - Monaghan Ballroom, a presentation of “The Power of Culture and Ethics” was delivered by Daniel S. Jaffee, President and Chief Executive Officer of Oil-Dri Corporation of America.

Daniel Jaffee at Marquette University

Mr. Jaffee has been the CEO of Oil-Dri, a family-run company, since 1997. Jaffee joined the company in 1987 as a product manager in the Industrial and Agricultural division and between 1987 and 1997 he held several positions, including President and COO. 

Under Jaffee’s leadership, Oil-Dri was named one of Chicago Tribune’s Top 100 Workplaces in Chicago multiple times and in 2013 was ranked #1 for its ethical operations.

Founded by his grandfather Nick Jaffee in 1941 as a distributor of clay floor absorbents, Oil-Dri’s products have been used throughout the world for 75 years. Its diverse portfolio of products help to grow and process food, raise healthy livestock, enhance the safety of jet fuel and to keep sports fields dry and playable. 

As CEO, Jaffee continues to focus on Oil-Dri’s long-term future growth and helped define their mission statement: creating value from sorbent minerals. As a result, Oil-Dri broadened its portfolio of products and innovated the first lightweight cat litter product made of highly absorbent minerals with no fillers, under its Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light brand.

Dr. David Krause and Nat Penn discuss
Oil Dri after Jaffee's presentation

A passionate philanthropist and animal advocate, Jaffee has been on the board of the Anti-Cruelty Society of Chicago for 19 years, serving as chairman for three terms. He is also a Trustee of the Chicago History Museum. Jaffee received his B.S.B.A. from Georgetown University and his M.B.A. from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.

Established in 1999, the Business Leaders Forum is a speaker series sponsored by Marquette University’s College of Business Administration. The forum provides a setting for nationally recognized business leaders to engage in discussions and interact with students, faculty and local business leaders. The program enables Marquette to build practical knowledge into its rigorous business curriculum, exploring current trends, issues and practices in business.

Marquette University has attracted leaders at the top of their respective professions to speak at the Business Leaders Forum, including Herbert V. Kohler, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Kohler Co.; Richard M. Schulze, founder and chairman of Best Buy; and James J. Mulva, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips. The Kathleen and Frank Thometz Foundation has made the Business Leaders Forum speaker series possible through a special endowment.