Board of Trustees
Our Trustees bring diverse backgrounds and expertise to the board, and all share the desire to change children’s lives.
Martin J. Coyne, Jr.
President and CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities Coyne was elected to the position of president and CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) in December 2006. Prior to his current role, he served as vice president/COO and as the director of Development. In these roles, he managed the financial aspects of RMHC, leading all development efforts, including fundraising and corporate partnerships. Coyne also serves as a board member of America’s Charities. Chair, Friends of Ronald McDonald House Charities An active community member, Dentice founded the Friends of RMHC in 1988 to provide volunteer support and guidance for numerous RMHC projects, programs and development events. She has an extensive background and interest in design and is currently the accounting and office manager for Naperville Venture, Inc. Board Chair, Ronald McDonald House Charities Dunham and her husband own six McDonald’s restaurants in New York and New Jersey. Licensee, McDonald’s USA, LLC Eng has been a McDonald’s owner/operator in the San Francisco Bay area since 1990. She is a member of the national Board of Directors for the Asian McDonald’s Operators Association and has received numerous awards for her work as a McDonald’s owner/operator, as well as for her community service. In October 2004, Eng was recognized by the National Organization of Chinese Americans with the prestigious National Asian Pacific American Corporate Achievement Award. She was also presented with the prestigious National Community Service Award for her commitment to diversity in the community and commitment to unity among Asian-Pacific Americans and exemplary leadership. Professor of Pediatrics, Duke University Falletta has dedicated his entire professional career to investigating, treating and helping others learn about illnesses affecting children. He has focused his research on children with cancer. An expert in his field, Falletta has authored or co-authored nearly 120 peer-reviewed publications. His dedication to children is further evidenced by his involvement in numerous professional and charitable organizations. He has been the president of the Southern Society for Pediatric Research and the consulting pediatric hematologist-oncologist for Project Hope at the Pediatric Institute in Krakow, Poland. He is a founding member of the Ronald McDonald House in Durham, NC, and is actively involved with the local RMHC Chapter in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Senior Assistant Chairman, Professor of Medicine Harris is an advocate for the prevention of infectious and communicable disease at the personal, community and global level. He currently provides care to patients with infectious diseases at Rush University Medical Center and the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. His research interests are hospital-acquired infections, food-borne illness, tuberculosis and infections of the nervous system. He is the author of more than 140 scientific publications and has been recognized for his excellence in teaching with the Department of Medicine John S. Graettinger, M.D., Award for clinical teaching, the Stuart Levin, M.D., Department of Medicine Award for excellence in teaching, and was elected to membership in the Mark H. Lepper, M.D., Society of Teachers of Rush Medical College. Licensee, McDonald's USA, LLC Huebner has been a McDonald's owner/operator in the Raleigh region since 1979. He is chairman of Ronald McDonald House Charities of North Carolina and member of the Four Oaks Bank Advisory Board. Huebner also supports House of Hope, a home for troubled girls, and the Special Olympics of North Carolina. He is very active in the community, his legacy of philanthropy ranging from supporting local schools to sponsoring local events and festivals, local athletics and senior citizen organizations. President and Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Prior to her current role, Donna held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and then Chief Operating Officer at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. During her tenure, she has overseen monumental growth and achievement at the hospital. She was instrumental in the 1998 merger of Egleston Children’s Health Care System and Scottish Rite Children’s Medical Center that led to the formation of what is now one of the top three pediatric hospitals in the country. She also helped transition Hughes Spalding Children’s Hospital into the Children’s family in 2006. Hyland was named one of the 2007 Women of Excellence by Business to Business magazine, and being named President and CEO of Children’s has given Hyland the distinct honor of being the only female CEO among the top 25 hospitals in Atlanta. Licensee, McDonald's USA, LLC Kaufman has been a McDonald's owner/operator in Long Island, NY since 1977. He served on the Board of Trustees of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the New York Tri-State Area, and has worked alongside fellow owner/operators to promote and support the work of RMHC. Kaufman was also one of the first owner/operators to actively promote the hiring of individuals with special needs; he also provides college scholarships to his employees. In 2009, he was honored with the Gerry Newman McTLC Award of Excellence for his legacy of philanthropy. President and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company Joining The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1978, Kent held a number of marketing and operations roles before being appointed the CEO in July 2008. He also currently serves on the company’s Board of Directors. Previously, he served as president and COO of The Coca-Cola Company as well as president of Coca-Cola International, where he was responsible for the company’s operations outside of North America. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer, Inc.
Kindler is chairman and CEO of Pfizer the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company. He began his legal career as an attorney at the Federal Communications Commission. He joined the law firm of Williams & Connolly, became a partner, and then moved to General Electric as vice president of Litigation and Legal Policy. He next joined McDonald's Corporation as executive vice president and general counsel, responsible for both legal and corporate affairs. Kindler currently serves on the boards of trustees of Tufts University, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Business Roundtable, Manhattan Theatre Club, the Council on Competitiveness, the Partnership for New York City, The Business Council, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Ronald McDonald House Charities. He is also the chairman of the U.S. - Japan Business Council. Chairman and CEO, OSI Group, LLC Lavin is the chair and CEO of the OSI Group, LLC, a multi-national food-processing company with 77 facilities in 28 countries. He is also a former vice chair and director of Pullman Trust and Savings Bank of Chicago, Suburban Trust and Savings Bank of Oak Park, and Northwest Bank & Commerce. Additionally, he formerly served as chair of Drexel National Bank of Chicago. Lavin is a contributor and active in many charities. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Goodman Theater and Rush University Medical Center. CEO, BrandSource Since becoming the CEO of AVB in 1994, Lawrence has grown the offerings of the company substantially to include home furnishings and rental, mobile and home entertainment and flooring. Founder and CEO, BE-CAUSE, LLC After a long career as a senior executive with McDonald’s Corporation, Lederhausen founded his own company Be-Cause in 2007 to help businesses create a purpose bigger than their product. President, Lotman Management Lotman is chair of Keystone Foods Corporation, a multi-national corporation headquartered in West Conshohocken, PA. Keystone's principal lines of business are food manufacturing and restaurant distribution for McDonald's restaurants in the United States, Europe, Asia and South America, as well as supplying other fast-food chains. Vice President, Ronald McDonald House Charities Lubin is a partner and former chair of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP, an international law firm based in Chicago. He has served on a number of corporate boards, including McDonald’s Corporation, Molex, Inc., San Diego National Baseball Club and the First National Bank of Highland Park. Chair, McDonald’s Corporation McKenna is the chair of McDonald’s Corporation (Oak Brook, IL) the world’s leading food service retailer with more than 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries serving 56 million customers each day. He is also the chair of Schwarz Supply Source (Morton Grove, IL) an international distributor of paper packaging and allied products, as well as a printer, producer and converter of paper products with facilities throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Chairman, The HAVI Group, LP Perlman is the chair and CEO of The HAVI Group, which provides distribution, purchasing, logistics, premiums and promotional services to the McDonald’s restaurant system, both in the United States and worldwide. His other major U.S. clients include The Coca-Cola Company, Starbucks Coffee, British Petroleum, Nissan and Diageo. Director, Texas Children’s Cancer Center, Texas Children’s Hospital Prior to moving to Baylor College of Medicine, Poplack served as deputy branch chief of the Pediatric Branch of the National Cancer Institute, where he was a senior investigator and head of the Clinical Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Section. He is a nationally recognized expert in the field of childhood cancer, who has special expertise in the development of new therapeutics. Licensee, McDonald’s USA, LLC Ramirez is a native Californian who worked in California state government for seven years as a resources agency executive fellow; advisor to the chair of the California Energy Commission; and was appointed by the governor as director of the Office of Business and Industrial Development. He was also an executive with the Southern California Gas Company and served as manager of Regulatory Affairs, Public Affairs and Human Resources before being appointed as advisor to the president of Sempra Energy, the holding company that owns Southern California Gas Company. Co-Chairman, Reyes Holdings, LLC Reyes is chair of Reyes Holdings, a privately held company whose principal business is beer and food distribution. He has more than 25 years’ experience in the distribution business, beginning in the mid-1970s when he and his brother purchased their first beer operation in the South Carolina. Since then, Reyes Holdings has expanded into food-service distribution. Treasurer, Ronald McDonald House Charities Since joining McDonald’s in 1987, Richard has held numerous accounting and treasury positions. He was named treasurer of McDonald’s Corporation in October 1999 and promoted to senior vice president in December 1999. Richard is the chair of the McDonald’s Profit Sharing Plan Administrative Committee and has also previously served as treasurer of McDonald’s Political Action Committee. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Illinois CPA Society, where he has served as a member of the Accounting Principles Committee and as a council member for CPA’s for the Public Interest. President and Chief Executive Officer, Lopez Foods, Inc. Sanchez is president and CEO of Lopez Foods, Inc., the nation's largest, Hispanic-owned, meat manufacturing company and supplier to the McDonald's system. He was previously the president of McDonald's Latin America and Canada, and had various management positions within the company. Sanchez is active in a wide variety of civic, cultural and charitable organizations. He is a member of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oklahoma City Capital Campaign Committee, a trustee of Lewis University and a director at the Greater Oklahoma City YMCA. Director, Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Siegel leads one of the largest academic programs in pediatric oncology in the nation. He has been active in leadership roles in the National Leukemia Broadcast Council, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the American Cancer Society. He also is on the board of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, National Childhood Cancer Foundation, and the Lance Armstrong Foundation’s Young Adult Cancer Alliance. Siegel recently served on the Institute of Medicine (National Academies) committee on access to new drugs for children with cancer. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the National Caring Award and the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Boston University. Director and Member Executive Committee, J. R. Simplot Company Simplot is a member of the J.R. Simplot Company Board of Directors and heads the board’s audit committee. She is a company director and member of the executive committee, serves as an officer of two ranching operations (Buck Creek Ranch, Inc. and Simplot Cattle Company) and is vice president and director of Claremont Realty Company in Boise. She also serves on the boards of Albertson College of Idaho and St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center. Licensee, McDonald's USA, LLC Stingley has been a McDonald's owner/operator in Phoenix since 1993, and operated McDonald's restaurants in the Chicago region since 1981. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix, Inc., and former president of the Phoenix Ronald McDonald House. Stingley is very active in the community; he is a member of the Education Committee that guides the local RMHC®/HACER® and RMHC/African American Future Achievers scholarship programs. He is also an investor/activist in The Hunger Project and many other local organizations including Andre House, Teach for America, and Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International and UNICEF. Vice Chair and CEO, McDonald’s Corporation Skinner was elected McDonald’s vice chair and CEO in 2004. Like nearly half of McDonald’s global leadership, Skinner’s first job was working in his neighborhood McDonald’s restaurant in Davenport, IA, while in high school. Chairman, J.D. Watkins Enterprise, Inc. Watkins formed Popz Holding in 2000, and the POPZ® brand is now the leading brand of microwave popcorn in Europe. Watkins was part of the team that pioneered the development of microwave popcorn over 37 years ago. Officers: Jean L. Zajac, Controller Michael D. Irgang, Treasurer Adele M. Jamieson, Secretary RMHC Board of Trustees Policies
Corporate Vice President, McDonald’s CorporationAggie Dentice
Linda Dunham
Licensee, McDonald’s USA, LLC
She has supported literacy programs, after-school programs and cultural and artistic programs that help young people reach their fullest potential. In addition, she has served on the boards for organizations such as the Community Service Society of New York, Aaron Davis Hall, John Harms Theater MAMA Foundation, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Harlem Youth Development Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House of New York. She currently serves as vice president of the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Tri-State Area.
Dunham has received several awards and recognition from community organizations, including the Governor’s African-American Award of Excellence, Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), the New York Urban League Building Brick Award and Bergen County Branch of NAACP Corporate Award. In March 2006, she was featured in The Positive Community Magazine as a Woman of Inspiration. In July 2007, she received the McDonald’s 365 Black Award that honors individuals who nurture their communities.Wai-Ling Eng
John M. Falletta, M.D.
Chair of the Institutional Review Board for Clinical Investigation
Duke University Health SystemAlan A. Harris, M.D.
Hospital Epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine/Infectious Disease
Rush University Medical CenterFred Huebner
Chairman of Ronald McDonald House Charities of North CarolinaDonna Hyland
Jonah Kaufman
Muhtar Kent
Jeff Kindler
Sheldon Lavin
Robert Lawrence
BrandSource is a common identity program unifying all AVB members into a merchandising group operating under the BrandSource name with 5,000 locations from coast to coast.Mats Lederhausen
Prior to forming Be-Cause, he served as managing director of McDonald’s Ventures. McDonald’s Ventures manages the investments McDonald’s holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Boston Market, RedBox DVD, Pret A Manger, among others. As a director, chair and finally lead director of Chipotle from 2000-2006, Lederhausen helped shape the strategy that ultimately led to one of the most successful restaurant IPOs of all times. He continues to serve on the board of RedBox.
In 1999, Lederhausen was named one of Crain’s Chicago Business’s “40 under 40” to watch, and the World Economic Forum honored him as a “Global Leader of Tomorrow” in 2000. He also currently serves as the chair of the board for Business for Social Responsibility.Herbert Lotman
He is co-founder of the McDonald's LPGA Championship, a major Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament, which benefits Ronald McDonald House Charities. The McDonald's Championship has raised more than $47 million for RMHC since its inaugural event in 1980; it’s the largest single fundraiser in all of golf. In addition to his year-round involvement in the McDonald's LPGA Championship, Lotman is also active in several community organizations. Donald G. Lubin
Partner, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, LLP
Lubin is active in a wide variety of civic, cultural and charitable organizations. He serves as the chair of both Chicago Metropolis 2020 and the Renaissance Schools Fund, and as a trustee and member of the Executive Committee of Rush University Medical Center. Lubin is also a life trustee and former board chair of the Ravinia Festival Association and Highland Park Hospital. He’s also a former director of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of American History.Andrew J. McKenna
Chair, Schwarz Supply Source
Over the years, McKenna has served on many civic, community and philanthropic boards. He is the past chair of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Science and Industry and continues to serve as a trustee; a past chair of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Executives’ Club of Chicago, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Commercial Club of Chicago; a director of the American Ireland Fund, Children's Memorial Hospital of Chicago, the Big Shoulders Fund of the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Ireland Economic Advisory Board, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago among others; and the founding chair of Chicago Metropolis 2020.Theodore F. Perlman
Perlman holds numerous board and leadership positions with community non-profit organizations including: the Anti-Defamation League Foundation; B’nai B’rith Foundation; the Weizmann Institute of Science; Israel Chamber of Commerce; Jewish United Fund; National ADL Foundation; and, the Perlman Family Foundation. He is also a member of the Chicago Presidents’ Organization and the World Presidents’ Organization.David G. Poplack, M.D.
Elise C. Young Professor of Pediatric Oncology, Head of Hematology-Oncology Section
Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine
Poplack has authored more than 350 original articles and book chapters in the field of pediatric oncology. He is also co-editor of Principles and Practice of Pediatric Oncology, the leading textbook of pediatric oncology, which is in its fifth edition. He has served on more than 20 national and international committees, including panel appointments at the National Institutes of Health, Institute of Medicine and FDA. He also invented the Passport for Care, an interactive website that addresses the need to provide long-term survivors of childhood cancer and their caregivers with screening guidelines and resources individualized to the survivor’s treatment history.Steven M. Ramirez
For the past twenty years, Ramirez has been a franchisee of McDonald's Corporation and currently owns and operates restaurants in Elk Grove, CA. In addition to RMHC, he currently serves on the following boards: Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land; Foundation for the Children of the Californias; Presidents Advisory Board, University of Sacramento; and, Dean's Advisory Board, University of Sacramento Graduate School of Business.J. Christopher Reyes
Chairman, The Martin-Brower Company, LLC
Reyes is also chair of the Martin-Brower Company, the largest distributor of McDonald’s products worldwide to countries and regions that include the U.S., Canada, Central America, Brazil, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Among other affiliations, Reyes is a director of Dean Foods Company, Wintrust Financial Corporation, Lake Forest Bank and Trust, Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago, Children’s Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Memorial Foundation, Museum of Science and Industry, Steppenwolf Theater Company and Lake Forest Academy. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago and the Commercial Club of Chicago.Michael D. Richard
Corporate Senior Vice President and Treasurer, McDonald’s CorporationEduardo Sanchez
Stuart E. Siegel, M.D.
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Pediatrics
Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern CaliforniaGay Simplot
Wayne Stingley
Trustee, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Phoenix, Inc.James Skinner
After 10 years in the Navy, Skinner returned to McDonald’s as a restaurant manager trainee and never looked back. He quickly ascended through the U.S. company before joining McDonald’s International management team. In his time with McDonald’s International, Skinner oversaw development in Central Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India. He then went on to run the European operations, before serving as president and chief operating officer of the McDonald’s Restaurant Group. Skinner was vice chair, a job he held for two years before being elected McDonald’s eighth CEO. He also serves on the boards of McDonald’s Corporation, the Walgreen Company and Illinois Tool Works.James D. Watkins
Vice President, Ronald McDonald House Charities
He has been active in several charities such as Big Brothers and RMHC. He was a past member of the Board of Overseers at the University of Minnesota and has sponsored several education exchange programs between Kuban Agricultural University in Krasnodar, Russia; and Iowa State, University of Minnesota and North Dakota State University in the United States. Watkins was a principal donor to the Children’s Cancer clinic in Moscow and the Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, who are pioneering efforts to improve the care available to Russian children with cancer.
