Former International Retail Executive Joins Walton College

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Don Bland, the previous chief operating officer of Wal-Mart Canada and president and chief executive officer of Wal-Mart Argentina, has been appointed to senior managing director of outreach for the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Bland reports to Dean Dan L. Worrell and is responsible for the outreach activities of seven research and outreach centers. In fall 2005, he joined the college as the associate director for the Center of Retailing Excellence and an executive-in-residence in the Walton College marketing and logistics department.

“We are very pleased to have Don take this position as he brings a wealth of retail and business experience to our students and faculty,” said Worrell. “He will help our centers fulfill their mission of serving Arkansas and the business community with knowledge and education. He will also support with our efforts to connect scholarship with real-world practice through his connections with the retail community.”

The Walton College houses the Center for Business and Economic Research, the Bessie B. Moore Center for Economic Education, the Center for Retailing Excellence, the Garrison Financial Institute, the Information Technology Research Institute, the Center for Management and Executive Development, and the Supply Chain Management Research Center. The Small Business Development Center will continue to report to the dean as required in the center’s federal contract, but will coordinate with Bland.

Claudia Mobley, director of the Center for Retailing Excellence, said, “Don brings a wealth of knowledge that will be a wonderful asset for the college.”

Bland will also work with center directors for delivery of executive education, nationally and internationally, by helping convert faculty intellectual contributions into executive education programs and curricula. He will also coordinate with center directors and Senior Associate Dean Bill Curington to support the research mission of the college.

 Prior to joining the University of Arkansas, Bland had a career in the retail business spanning more than 37 years. His most recent experience was with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. where he held a variety of executive positions, including COO of Wal-Mart Canada and president and CEO of Wal-Mart Argentina. Upon his retirement from Wal-Mart, he was named to the Wal-Mart International Hall of Fame. Prior to Wal-Mart, he held management positions with three divisions of Target Corp. He also held management positions with Montgomery Ward, Home Quarters Warehouse, and Aikenheads Home Improvement Warehouse in Canada. Before his retail career, Bland taught in the St. Louis, Mo., public schools. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in education from Harris State Teachers College, St. Louis, where he received the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Bland is currently board chair of the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the national Conference for Community and Justice. He is founder and life member of the Fayetteville alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. He and his wife of 42 years, Yvonne, have three sons.