Don Thompson

Don Thompson graduated in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. In 1990, he embarked on a 25-year career with McDonald’s Corporation, beginning as a manager of a McDonald’s restaurant on the South Side of Chicago. He steadily climbed the corporate ladder, serving as senior vice president of the Midwest Region, chief operating officer of all U.S. stores, and eventually COO of the McDonald’s global operation. In 2012, Thompson was promoted to president and CEO of McDonald’s Corporation, overseeing its more than 40,000 stores worldwide. After retiring from McDonald’s, Thompson established a venture capital firm with his wife, Liz Thompson, who received a Purdue electrical engineering degree in 1985.