A&M-Texarkana Honors Sonja Yates Hubbard with Honorary Doctorate

Texas A&M University- Texarkana

Sonja Yates Hubbard

Honorary Degree in Leadership

Texas A&M University-Texarkana recently honored Sonja Yates Hubbard, a longtime business and community leader in Texarkana, by awarding her an Honorary Doctor of Leadership degree. The recognition took place during the university's fall commencement on December 14, 2024.

Dr. Ross Alexander, the university’s president said in a press release,

It was my distinct honor to present Sonja Yates Hubbard with the Honorary Doctor of Leadership from Texas A&M University-Texarkana. She has spent decades in service to the community and is an ardent supporter of this university and of its students. The Eagle Aspire mentorship program she co-founded for A&M-Texarkana students is a wonderful example of her work…through which she helps young men and women prepare not just for life after graduation, but for careers and lifetimes in leadership and service to others.

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Hubbard is a Principal at Yates Group, Inc., a family-owned real estate management company in Texarkana. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

Hubbard Accomplishments

For 31 years, Hubbard served at E-Z Mart Stores, Inc., a family-run business established in 1970, with 20 of those years as Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership, the company grew to operate more than 500 convenience stores across Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas before it was sold in 2018.

Hubbard made history as the first woman to serve as Chairman of the National Association of Convenience Stores that represents over 150,000 convenience store locations in the U.S.