In Karrie Claybrook’s life, two people really helped to shape her into the person she is today. Her mother and grandmother instilled in her the importance of education and curiosity. For these trailblazing women, education was the great equalizer, an accomplishment no one could take from them. It served as a way to overcome and rise above life’s adversities. Curiosity meant pushing to understand others, truly understanding the why behind your beliefs and leveraging those values to impact and shape communities for the better.
Currently Karrie Claybrook is an EMBA student in the Walton College, and works in the Corporate Affairs Division for Walmart Inc. She is an active member in the Urban League of the State of Arkansas Young Professionals, is a charter member of the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the Links, Incorporated and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she currently serves as both the Arkansas Arts and Letters Chair and Primary Advisor for the Lambda Theta Chapter at the University of Arkansas.
Her passion for advocacy and leveraging technology to address complex problems, allowed Claybrook in 2010 to create a technology that measures how prone a professional dancer is to develop an eating disorder based on how they internalized stress. In her current role at Walmart, she continues to advocate by making sure that front-line associates have the information needed to best serve their communities. As the primary advisor for the Lambda Theta Chapter, she played a critical role in the 2020 relocation of the sorority house to Stadium Drive. This resulted in greater visibility and equity for the members within the Razorback community.
Claybrook continues to be amazed by the ROI the EMBA program has to offer. When comparing the cost of the program to the networking opportunities, engaging teaching styles offered by the professors and intentional investment around professional development, the value of the program is unmatched.
According to Claybrook, there is no such thing as having a perfect plan when managing school, work and personal time. To find balance, Claybrook has created a catalog of what’s most important to her. Periodically, she looks at her schedule for the next few weeks to see if what she is allocating her time to aligns with the things most valuable to her. This visual record helps in holding herself accountable and adjusting her schedule where needed.
Claybrook recognizes that everyone has been hit hard by the pandemic and is appreciative that the program is taking every step possible to combat further spread of the virus. However, she looks forward to a time when the program can once again offer more opportunities for in-person interaction.
Though her long-term career aspirations are not set in stone, Claybrook knows she wants to be a leader capable of changing the world. She wants to use the power and influence corporations have built, to attack the very systems that continue to perpetuate disparities across the county. Helping those around her understand that being committed to equity doesn’t equate to agreeing but growing.
Claybrook is confident that the relationships she is building in the program will help her in addressing the complex issues that face communities and businesses alike.
