Don Thompson
President / West Division

Don Thompson joined the McDonald's Corporation in 1990 as a Restaurant Systems engineer. Prior to serving as president of the West Division, Thompson served as president of the Midwest Division, where he oversaw operations for more than 2,200 restaurants. In his current position, he is responsible for more that 3,600 restaurants in the western United States. Thompson is a former member of the San Diego Ronald McDonald House Charities Board of Directors.

Who in the past has influenced you the most?

I have been greatly influenced and encouraged by my Grandmother, Rosa Martin. The values that I espouse, particularly honesty, integrity and treating others as I would like to be treated are all derived directly from how she treats others and raised me. Her strength, determination and spiritual reliance as my "singular" mother and father are traits and behaviors that I strive to mimic in my life. For these and many other reasons, I have been and continue to be encouraged by her.

I also receive daily encouragement from my wife, Liz and our children, Xavier and Maya. My wife really knows me and sees through me and my kids are my daily "power boost" because they remind me of what is most important in this world.

These family members are a blessing, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention the greatest source of encouragement in my life, specifically, my relationship with God. This is the foundation upon which I have built my life.

What does diversity mean to you? Why is it important?"

Diversity means different viewpoints, thoughts, perspectives, backgrounds, strengths and, more importantly, the ability to leverage these differences to achieve a greater result. "True" diversity, the valuing of differences, is extremely important in these changing times because it is one of the main ingredients for helping any organization continue to be relevant and contemporary yet timeless. This is of particular importance in the consumer retail and service sectors of business.

If you could be one of the McDonaldland® characters, who would it be and why?

Ronald McDonald. Ronald has the ability to influence his environment by bringing positive energy and enthusiasm. I'd want to be Ronald partly because I feel the biggest role that I play is to foster a positive environment in and throughout the West Division and McDonald's system so that talented, passionate people can achieve great short and long-term results and have a whole lot of fun along the way.

Harry Coaxum | Patricia Harris | Don Thompson
Lynn Crump-Caine | Bill Lamar | Bill Lowery
Karen Wells | Ron Hawkins

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