Alice Walton
Alice Walton was born on the 7th of October 1949 in Newport, Arkansas. She is the youngest of the four children of the late Helen and Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from Trinity College in San Antonio, Texas. She served as First Commerce Corporation’s equity analyst and money manager before moving on to work for the Arvest Bank Group, performing the responsibilities of vice chairman and head of all investment related activities.
Alice Walton founded Llama Company in 1988, where she served as CEO, president and chairman. The investment bank is focused on corporate finance, public and structured finance, real estate finance and sales and trading. As part of her commitment to the Northwest Arkansas Council, she played an integral role in the advancement of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport when she bestowed initial capital and support to fund its construction. Hence, the Airport Authority board of directors named the airport terminal the Alice L. Walton Terminal Building, in honor of her generosity and commitment. In addition to naming the airport terminal after, Alice Walton was further honored in 2001 when she was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame.
Alice Walton’s main philanthropic activity is her involvement as board member of the Walton Family Foundation. She has also been active on the board of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock and is one of the advisers for the University of Arkansas Graduate Business School. She built Camp War Eagle, a one-of-a-kind summer camp in Northwest Arkansas that gathers children of various socio-economic backgrounds.
The Walton Family is one of the wealthiest families in the world. Their affluence is inherited from Bud and Sam Walton, founders of Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the world. Alice Walton is currently ranked no. 16 in Forbes’ 2010 list of the world’s billionaires, while also taking the 3rd spot in Forbes’ list of the world’s richest women in 2010.