Walton MBA

We are excited to celebrate recent promotions and new roles for members of our Walton MBA community! These professional achievements reflect the dedication, hard work, and leadership that define the Walton MBA community.

Alumni:
Andrew Clark, now senior director, operations at J.B. Hunt Transport
Erin Easterling, now senior commerce specialist at Flywheel
Prabha Girish, now director, last mile delivery at Walmart
Jacob Ragsdale, now commerce specialist at Flywheel
Samuel Skeirik, now senior sourcing manager, fashion at Walmart
Zach Snow, now program manager, business process reeingineering team at Apple
Maddox Steward, now merchant, generators and heaters at Walmart

Executive MBA Students:
Benjamin Adkison, now driver recruiter at PAM Transport
Ryan Hefley, now senior IT data analyst at Tyson Foods
Gabriel Hershewe, now senior manager, operations, omnichannel ecommerce returns at Walmart
Ises Roopnarine, now manager, beauty assortment insights at Walmart
Stuart Wasson, now senior financial analyst, growth F&A at Tyson Foods

We are proud of our students and alumni for making an impact in their industries and representing Walton with excellence!

Ready to take the next step in your career?

Join us at Walton College at 2nd & Main in Little Rock for a Walton Executive MBA Info Session and Social Hour designed to help prospective students learn more about the program experience, curriculum, and admissions process while connecting with alumni, staff, and fellow professionals.

Event schedule:
5:30 - 5:45 PM: Check-in
5:45 - 6:45 PM: Executive MBA Presentation
6:45 PM: Networking with MBA Programs staff and Executive MBA alumni, including hors d’oeuvres and beverages

Registration is required and must be completed by noon on Tuesday, June 16. Visit the registration link to reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walton-executive-mba-info-session-social-tickets-1989676096766?aff=social

We look forward to welcoming you for an evening of conversation, connection, and insight into the Walton Executive MBA experience!

Congratulations to Jon Johnson and Craig Geiger on being selected as the 2026 Walton MBA Teachers of the Year!

These student-selected awards recognize faculty who create outstanding learning experiences and make classroom concepts actionable, memorable and relevant.

Full-Time MBA Teacher of the Year: Jon Johnson�Jon teaches the MBA capstone strategy course in the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Venture Innovation department. Students highlighted his engaging lectures, memorable humor and ability to connect them with business leaders and relevant strategy insights.

“I learned so much in Dr. Johnson’s class that I know will be valuable as I start my career.”

Executive MBA Teacher of the Year: Craig Geiger�Craig is a marketing instructor and the director of the Master of Science in Marketing program. He brings 40 years of consumer packaged goods and retail experience from Kraft, Campbell’s, Walmart and Kellogg’s into his teaching. Students praised his interactive style, industry perspective and ability to make marketing immediately applicable.

“His dynamic teaching style and real-world insights brought the subject to life, making each class engaging and practical.”

We are grateful for the impact Jon and Craig have on our Walton MBA students and proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.

We’re excited to welcome prospective students to our upcoming Executive MBA Preview Day this Saturday, June 6!

Preview Day is a great opportunity to experience the Walton Executive MBA community, learn more about the program, and explore how the MBA can help working professionals transform, advance, and lead in their careers.

Prospective students will have the chance to:
- Meet Walton MBA faculty, staff, and current students
- Learn more about the Executive MBA experience
- Ask questions about the program, admissions, and next steps
- Get a closer look at what makes the Walton MBA community unique

There's still time to register! Visit the link to see more details and reserve your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walton-executive-mba-saturday-preview-day-tickets-1986921955054?aff=social

We are grateful to our Walton MBA Alumni Advisory Board for joining us for a meaningful and forward-looking meeting focused on the future of the Walton College and the Full-Time MBA and Executive MBA programs.

The meeting opened with a Dean’s Report from Dean Brent Williams, who shared current happenings within the Walton College, including admissions trends, artificial intelligence integration, and the college’s competitive advantage. He also gave board members an early look at illustrations of the future academic building, which is currently in the design phase.

The conversation continued with a strategy workshop facilitated by Blake Woolsey, where board members had the opportunity to share insights and provide feedback to help shape the college’s new strategic direction.

Adam Stoverink, Executive Director of Walton MBA Programs, also shared current happenings related to both the Full-Time and Executive Walton MBA programs, including new program rankings, admissions trends, and exciting future directions.

We are proud to have alumni leaders who continue to invest their time, perspective, and experience into strengthening the Walton MBA community. Their partnership plays an important role in helping us continue to transform, advance, and lead.

Full-Time MBA students in Jon Johnson’s Strategic Management class recently completed a semester-long case competition focused on increasing seller engagement on Walmart Marketplace.

Throughout the semester, students researched the opportunity, developed strategic recommendations, and applied their classroom learning to a real business challenge. The top four teams presented their final recommendations to Walmart executives, sharing ideas at the intersection of retail, eCommerce, technology, and customer experience.
We are grateful to our Walmart judges for sharing their time, expertise, and feedback with our students:

- Tracy Poulliot, EVP, eCommerce
- Hari Vasudev, EVP, Technology
- Ryan Waymire, SVP, Fashion
- Dan Fleming, VP, Finance, eCommerce

Congratulations to Abbie Flake, Reagan Price, Ben Walworth, Bailey Gibson, Mason Berres, and Letitia Emilieon for their winning “Seller to Shelf” idea, which proposed in-store activations that promote trending Marketplace products through endcap features while connecting shoppers to an optimized digital shelf.

We are proud of the thoughtful work our Full-Time MBA students brought forward and grateful for the opportunity to engage with leaders across Walmart.

We are grateful to celebrate another successful year of the Springdale High School Mentorship Program with our Full-Time MBA students.

Springdale High School students joined us on campus for a full day of reflection, recognition, and celebration as they highlighted their accomplishments throughout the program and school year. One of the day’s highlights was a “Shark Tank” style pitch competition, where each team received a random object, created a new use for it, and pitched their idea to our panel of judges. The activity gave students a chance to showcase their creativity, quick thinking, teamwork, and presentation skills.

We are especially thankful to our judges, Olga Murcia, Ajani Joseph, MBA, Diana Jimenez, and Caleb Mallett, for sharing their time, feedback, and encouragement with the students.

The day also included a campus tour, lunch together, and a closing celebration with program scholarships and awards recognizing both students and mentors. Congratulations to all of this year’s award and scholarship recipients. We are proud of your hard work, growth, and commitment throughout the program.

We had an amazing year and are so thankful for this meaningful partnership with Springdale High School and the Arkansas Mentor Fund. Thank you to the students, mentors, judges, and partners who helped make this program such a success.

The Walton Full-Time MBA cohort is off to an incredible start on their Global Immersion trip in India.

After spending their first few days exploring Delhi, students had the opportunity to visit one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks: the Taj Mahal. The visit offered time for reflection, cultural learning, and unforgettable memories with classmates while expanding students’ understanding of global perspectives beyond the classroom.

Global Immersion is an important part of the Walton MBA journey, helping students strengthen their understanding of international business, leadership, and collaboration across cultures. We are proud to see our students embracing opportunities to learn, connect, and grow throughout this international experience, and we are excited to follow along as the cohort continues their journey through India.