Alvaro Bonta

Alvaro Bonta worked for McDonald’s Corporation for over 30 years. Among other roles, he led the franchising strategy team for the United States, with responsibilities for franchising over 14000 restaurants, and created the path for the future of franchising for the McDonald’s US business.

Alvaro started as a crew member with McDonald’s Uruguay in 1991. He advanced through the positions of Store Manager, Operations Supervisor, Training Consultant, and the National Head of Training for McDonald’s Uruguay. He was also a McDonald’s Latin America Training Advisory Board member.

Moving to the USA in 2002, he became a company officer in 2013. From 2013-2017, Alvaro was the QSC Vice President overseeing Franchising and Operations for over 800 restaurants in the McDonald’s Greater Chicago Region. In 2017, he became the Vice President of U.S. Franchising Strategy for McDonald’s USA. In that position, Alvaro led the franchising strategy for over 14,000 restaurants. In this role, he led a team that developed long-term strategic franchise plans in each U.S. Market to improve the customer experience. He oversaw the selection and training of new franchisees and sales between operator organizations and new term franchise decisions for over 1,800 franchisee organizations. This role prepared him to lead the largest US business unit. As the Field Vice President of the Chicago Field Office for McDonald’s USA, along with his team, Alvaro led the Operations, Marketing, Development, Finance, and People strategies for more than 1,800 restaurants in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Before retiring from McDonald’s, Alvaro served as their Ombudsman, a role that helped protect the company while serving the interests of the franchisees.

Alvaro is passionate about talent development and diversity. Throughout his career, Alvaro has sponsored the diversity networks and currently serves on the advisory Board of Directors for the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE).

A passionate advocate for technical education and career pathways, James serves on several advisory boards and actively supports efforts to increase access to skilled trades and STEM fields. He is especially focused on empowering underrepresented and nontraditional learners. As a GT3 board member, James is committed to advancing the organization’s mission of helping individuals pursue high-demand careers in the trades, nursing, and public ser