James Alan Skinner (born 1944) is an American business executive. He is currently the chairman of Walgreens. He was the Vice Chairman and CEO of McDonald's Corporation from 2004 until his retirement from the McDonald's Corporation in 2012, where he was succeeded by McDonalds USA president and new incoming CEO Don Thompson. Skinner began his career with McDonald's in 1971 as a restaurant manager trainee in Carpentersville, IL. Skinner replaced athe outgoing CEO, Charlie Bell, who had been appointed to the position in 2002 before being diagnosed with colon cancer, which caused him to resign from the post that November; he died in January 2005.