Alice Walton

Alice Walton, heiress to the Walmart fortune, has made a name for herself through a variety of business and philanthropic ventures. After earning a B.A. in economics from Trinity University, she worked as an equity analyst and money manager for First Commerce Corporation and led investment activities at Arvest Bank Group. In 1988, she founded Llama Company, an investment bank, and served as its president, chairwoman, and CEO. Walton's leadership also extended into the realm of aviation; she chaired the Northwest Arkansas Council and played a key role in the development of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport, even providing $15 million in initial funding for its construction. This contribution led to her induction into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001.

Aside from her business pursuits, Walton has been actively engaged in the art world. She has acquired works by prominent artists such as Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, and Norman Rockwell, and her passion for art led to the establishment of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. In addition to her personal collection, Walton has made significant contributions to the art community through her foundations. She formed the Alice L. Walton Foundation in 2017 and the Art Bridges Foundation in the same year, both of which aim to promote the arts, among other initiatives. The Alice L. Walton Foundation has notably given $3 million in funding to the University of Central Arkansas for its fine arts program, and the Art Bridges Foundation partners with small and regional museums to provide funding, collection loans, traveling exhibits, and art programs.

Walton's philanthropic endeavors extend beyond the arts. Notably, she established the Whole Health Institute in 2019 to expand access to holistic healthcare and announced the establishment of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in 2021. She has partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to evaluate healthcare in Northwest Arkansas and announced plans to create a nonprofit medical system with Washington Regional Medical System in 2022. Walton's significant contributions to society have not gone unrecognized; she was listed as one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world in 2012, inducted into the International Women's Forum Hall of Fame in 2018, and was the recipient of the J. Paul Getty Medal in 2020.