Linda A. Lang
Businesswoman/Community Advocate/Philanthropist

San Diego State University

A celebrated leader among America's CEOs, Linda A. Lang, '91, is not only a successful corporate trailblazer, she is an extraordinary community advocate and loyal alumna of San Diego State University's College of Business Administration.

Ms. Lang has been Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for Jack in the Box Inc. since October 2005, a period during which the company has more than tripled franchise revenues and seen the opening of more than 900 new Jack in the Box and Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Ms. Lang joined Jack in the Box Inc. as an accounts payable supervisor in 1984. Determined to take an active role in shaping the company's future, Ms. Lang completed an MBA at San Diego State in 1991, and thereafter held a succession of officer-level positions, leading to her appointment as President and Chief Operating Officer in November 2003.

Ms. Lang also serves the San Diego community, both personally and through The Jack in the Box Foundation. She is a board member of the foundation, which supports many nonprofits and provides emergency relief assistance to Jack in the Box employees impacted by natural or personal disasters. Alongside Maria Shriver, then first lady of California, Ms. Lang launched Operation Bigs at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. With continued funding from The Jack in the Box Foundation, Operation Bigs provides one-to-one mentoring to children from military families with parents deployed overseas.

Ms. Lang's service and professional success have been recognized with numerous awards, including: Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County's "Person of the Year"; induction into Junior Achievement's San Diego Business Hall of Fame; Hispanic Business' Women of the Year Elite 20; Nation's Restaurant News' Golden Chain Award; and the SDSU Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007.

A committed advocate for higher education, Ms. Lang was a trustee for the California State University and currently serves on SDSU's College of Business Administration board. She and her husband, Tom, hosted an event in their home to raise funds for the SDSU Joan and Art Barron Veterans Center, and matched each dollar raised. They have also made a significant gift to SDSU's Lavin Entrepreneurship Center.

In recognition of her intellect, fortitude, ethical standards and sense of civic responsibility, the California State University Board of Trustees and San Diego State University are proud to confer upon Linda A. Lang the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters.