Don was a driving force behind Wal-Mart’s rise to greatness. He was Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer and ultimately became Senior Vice Chairman as Wal-Mart rose to become the largest company in the world. Known as the “Keeper of the Culture” after Sam Walton passed away, Don firmly believes that business ethics are not a luxury, but an essential element in creating a high-performance organization; he also knows that the responsibility for creating an ethical organization belongs to its senior leaders.

Don received his BA degree in Business Administration in 1955 from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He was awarded Honorary Doctors Degrees from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, and from Judson College in Elgin, Illinois. In 1990 he received the Outstanding Business Leader Award from the Northwood Institute in Palm Beach, Florida, and in 1996 Don was inducted into the Retailing Hall of Fame.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors & Trustees of ARVEST Bank, Salvation Army, NWA Community Foundation and John Brown University, where he is also a past chairman.

In addition to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., he has also previously served on the board of ServiceMaster, Inc., and served on and was a past chairman of the boards of the International Mass Retail Association, the Children’s Miracle Network and Steward’s Ministries.

In 1998, John Brown University created the The Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics (SCLE) in his honor. As an Executive in Residence, Don provides direction and inspiration to the SCLE team. The Center provides ethical leadership training for corporate, not-for-profit, and student organizations around the world. Don also serves on numerous local charitable boards.

Herschel Walker participated in the 1980 Academy of Achievement program as the valedictorian of his class and the most sought-after high school football player in the nation.

At the University of Georgia, Walker set an NCAA freshman rushing record and helped capture the national collegiate football title and capped a sensational college career by earning the 1982 Heisman Trophy in his junior year.

In 1983, Walker gave up his final year of collegiate eligibility and turned professional, joining the New Jersey Generals of the short-lived United States Football League.  Walker dominated the league, earning Most Valuable Player honors and setting the single-season pro football rushing record (2411 yards).  After his first pro season, he finished his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Georgia.

Walker joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1986, where he led the entire NFL in rushing and earned All-Pro honors.  Walker moved to the Minnesota Vikings as starting running back in 1989.  In 1992, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles football team, but returned to the Dallas Cowboys in 1996. He retired from the NFL in 1997.  Walker was one of the top running backs in the pros, gaining more yards than anyone in professional football history, counting his seasons in both the NFL and USFL.  He finished his professional career with with a total of 8,225 yards and 61 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 512 passes for 4,859 yards and 21 scores.

Herschel Walker has worked with numerous charitable and educational organizations.  In 1981, he became the first Academy of Achievement honor student to return to the annual program as a recipient of the Golden Plate Award.  In 2002 he was voted into the Collegiate Football Hall of Fame, and was selected as the second greatest player in college football history, just behind the legendary Red Grange.

Rather than leading from his corporate office in Atlanta, Dan chooses to spend the majority of his time traveling to the chain’s growing family of Restaurants and interacting with Chick-fil-A’s committed team of Restaurant Operators and team members.  His actions stem from a belief that working in the field provides a clearer understanding of the ever-evolving wants and needs of Chick-fil-A customers, and leading from the front line also enables him to personally convey his servant spirit across the chain.

The majority of his travels include participating in Grand Opening ceremonies for new Chick-fil-A Restaurants.  In yet another example of how he keeps in tune with customers and employees, Dan attended numerous Restaurant openings last year, spending the night in Restaurant parking lots along with hundreds of customers who were vying for a chance to win free Chick-fil-A food for a year as part of a special customer-focused promotion the chain conducts in conjunction with new Restaurant openings.

After receiving his bachelor of science degree in business administration from Georgia Southern University, Dan returned to Chick-fil-A where he served as director of operations – opening more than 50 new Chick-fil-A Restaurants throughout the country.  As Chick-fil-A continued to grow, so did Dan’s responsibilities with the company.  He has served as senior director of operations, vice president of operations and executive vice president prior to being named president and chief operating officer.

And in his “spare” time, Dan has completed the owner/management course at Harvard Business School, earned his pilot’s license (and is in fact an instrument-rated commercial pilot) and completed numerous marathons in Atlanta, Orlando, Los Angeles, Boston and New York.  Additionally, Dan is a passionate trumpet player and an avid motorcyclist.

A native of Jonesboro, Georgia, Dan has been married to the former Rhonda Palmer (whom he met in first grade at age six) for more than 30 years, and has two sons, Andrew and Ross.

His personal passion is to see the fulfillment of the Chick-fil-A Corporate Purpose: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

As a senior manager at MCI, Mr. Pavlo was responsible for the billing and collection of nearly $1 billion in monthly revenue for MCI’s carrier finance division.  Beginning in March of 1996, Mr. Pavlo, one member of his staff and a business associate outside of MCI began to perpetrate a fraud involving a few of MCI’s own customers.  With a beautiful wife, two kids and a promising career, Pavlo epitomized the American dream. Pavlo’s life took a dark turn when he became a willing participant in the company’s efforts to hide from investors and potential acquirers a mountain of bad debt run up by mobsters and other unsavory customers. Encouraged by higher-ups, Pavlo became accomplished at accounting gimmickry. When the scheme was completed, there had been seven customers of MCI defrauded over a six-month period resulting in $6 million in payments to the Cayman Islands.

In January 2001, in cooperation with the Federal Government, Mr. Pavlo pled guilty to wire fraud and money laundering and entered federal prison shortly thereafter.  His story highlights the corrupt dealings involving the manipulation of financial records within a large corporation. His case appeared as a cover story in the June 10, 2002 issue of Forbes Magazine.

Since his 2003 prison release, Pavlo has made his living giving cautionary speeches on his crimes and the environment that bred them.  Mr. Pavlo has been invited to speak on his experiences by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, US Attorney’s Office, major university MBA programs, corporations and various professional societies.  His is a cautionary tale for those faced with ethical decisions in the workplace.

The Ventures ministry exists to expose and empower God’s people to discover, grasp and experience the mystery and reality of the Christ Life.  To master “the precision of putting” everything “in Christ” will progressively transform any serious Disciple into a person of Messiah Love.  To become an earnest seeker of this “highest purpose” will fulfill your destiny as determined by our Savior God before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:3-4).

Dr. McCarty holds the degrees of B.A., M.Div., D.Min., and the Honorary D.D. and Litt. D.  He has served as an adjunct lecturer/professor for several schools.  He has spoken in numerous venues throughout the nation, maintained a 30-year television ministry, and wrote a weekly newspaper column for over twenty years which appeared in over a dozen newspapers.  His community involvement included the presidency of the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club and a board member of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce.  Currently he serves on the Board of Trustees at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and on the Board of Directors of Priority Bank.

He has been married to his wife, Shirley, since 1957, and their daughter and son have given them six wonderful grandchildren.

Former Sports Information Director at the University of Arkansas, Schaeffer is in his 28th season as color analyst on Razorback basketball broadcasts.  He also is in his ninth year of working with Chuck Barrett on Razorback baseball radio broadcasts.  He does statistics and pre-game, halftime and post-game comments on the UA football broadcasts and writes a column for the Arkansas Razorback Sports Network website.

In the spring of 2003 he and his wife, Adelaide, founded Champions For Kids, a support and training organization that works with youth oriented non-profits.

Author of “The Game of My Life” and “Inside The Razorback Vault,” a book about the history of University of Arkansas football that is filled with photos and memorabilia.  It is scheduled to be in bookstores in the spring.

He and his wife have been married 25 years.  They have nine dogs.