We Are Walton | Walton College | University of Arkansas

Think. Plan. Do.

Meet accounting student Thea Winston from eastern Arkansas. After Winston graduates in May, she will attend Vanderbilt University to earn a master’s degree in accounting.

The journey may seem the same: Ph.D. student starts their first year. They grow and, hopefully, write papers that get published. Then comes graduation and, if all goes well, they get an assistant professorship at a university.

Boundless

Walton College’s Noel Morris has been raising funds and awareness for the purchase and delivery of wheelchairs for those in need in third world countries. Morris didn’t go looking for this project – it came to him.

Video Project Highlights Shook’s Freshman Business Connections Class

Carole Shook created a team project to encourage freshmen to get to know each other, discover resources on campus and strengthen personal development skills.

University of Arkansas Enactus Team Named Regional Champs

U of A team advances to the national competition for the first time in eight years.

EPIC Student Story – Landri McGregor

Landri McGregor is a senior at the University of Arkansas majoring in both supply chain and marketing in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. Originally from Golden, Colo., she decided to become a Razorback because her mom graduated with her MBA from Arkansas. Landri comes from a family of accountants and had originally planned … Continue reading EPIC Student Story – Landri McGregor→

EPIC Spotlight: Abhijith Anand

Abhijith Anand reflects fondly on his introduction to computers as a child.

EPIC Spotlight: Heather Nelson

Heather Nelson is drawn to stories. Everybody has one. Even her customers.

EPIC Spotlight: B.J. Allen

There are so many ways to market a new product. B.J. Allen prefers those that break tradition.

EPIC Spotlight: Gonca Soysal

Bargain shopping at outlet stores is more than just a pastime for Gonca Soysal. She finds the activity fascinating – one she believes could be a win-win for both the consumer and retailer.

EPIC Spotlight: Jessica Loechler

Jessica Loechler wondered where the women were. That was the question she asked herself when her high school history class focused on the men who built America.

EPIC Spotlight: Remko van Hoek

Remko van Hoek has always been fascinated by supply chains. What’s the story behind a product on a store’s shelf? What journey did it take before it got there?

EPIC Spotlight: Brittany Stettmeier

Growing up in the country holds many memories for Brittany Stettmeier, like family football after tending to the livestock. It was a ritual she remembers fondly. Her father played semi-professional football while her mother was a rugby team member.

EPIC Spotlight: Michael Cummings

First, he was managing a hamburger restaurant. Then there was a brief stint practicing law in southern California. When he realized the legal profession wasn’t his calling, Michael Cummings taught business law in the city known for its casinos and glitzy entertainment.

EPIC Spotlight: Canon Reeves

Canon Reeves loves robots. He enjoys designing, building and programming them. In fact, he spends much of his time thinking about how they can better people’s lives.

EPIC Spotlight: Ashley Collins

The atmosphere was just like working for a company. In fact, when Ashley Collins began her first career job after graduation, she was grateful that her classes at the Sam M. Walton College of Business mirrored a work environment – one that prepared her to develop software for a large company.

EPIC Spotlight: Zach Steelman

Blockchain technology is like rocket fuel for Zach Steelman. It’s the way of the future. It has the potential to shake things up just as much as the Dot-Com Boom did in the 1990s. Students are eager to learn more, and Steelman’s eager to accommodate. He loves talking about it.

EPIC Spotlight: Jessica Salmon

From the time she graduated from college, Jessica Salmon thought about how she could make a difference beyond the corporate world.

EPIC Spotlight: Adam Stoverink

Adam Stoverink loved college. Even after he earned his management degree and worked in the corporate world, he wanted to go back to school. “I did everything I could to stay in college for the rest of my life,” Stoverink says.

EPIC Spotlight: Rod Thomas

Rod Thomas grew up watching the men in his family toil in the factories where most of the nation’s popular tires were made. “They would come home covered in tire soot,” Thomas recalls.

EPIC Spotlight: Mark Zweig

If you ask Mark Zweig to name former students who have successful businesses, be prepared to sit for a while.

EPIC Spotlight: Angela Darnell

Angela Darnell has always been in the business of helping people. For 14 years, she was the voice who assisted people dialing 411 for directory assistance. While at her job, she led her coworkers in a food drive to help Northwest Arkansas’ homeless population.

EPIC Spotlight: Will Edwards

Will Edwards had a hard time remembering the names of his fraternity brothers.

EPIC Spotlight: Dinesh Gauri

Northwest Arkansas is an ideal location to do research in marketing and consumer behavior. If Dinesh Gauri didn’t know it 10 years ago, he knows it now.

EPIC Spotlight: Daymara Baker

It’s bread with benefits. That’s the catch phrase Daymara Baker uses when describing her business, Rockin’ Baker, a bakery tucked inside a small Fayetteville plaza among a bicycle shop and microbrewery.

EPIC Spotlight: Stephanie Schuljak

Stephanie Schuljak knew she wanted to help others. She tried majoring in kinesiology with the idea of going to medical school. Science, however, was not her thing.

EPIC Spotlight: Bill Watt

Bill Watt wasn’t looking to earn another college degree. He simply needed to get some insight from Matt Waller and decided to give him a call.

EPIC Spotlight: Boxxyy

It started as a class assignment. It became a pet product company that helps animal shelters.

EPIC Spotlight: Difei Geng

Difei Geng doesn’t teach students. He shares with them. “By sharing, you don’t have to agree with me,” Geng says.

EPIC Spotlight: Kristian Alle

Hanging over Kristian Allee’s desk is a dry erase board with a list of potential research projects he scrawled. “I love this stuff,” he says, looking up at the board.

EPIC Spotlight: Bjorn Simmons

If you think marketing and entrepreneurship pertains only to business, guess again. Bjorn Simmons will tell you that entrepreneurial spirit and a know-how attitude can effect change in many aspects of life, whether it’s helping free a man wrongfully imprisoned or creating a tool that can benefit businesses globally.

EPIC Spotlight: Ross Lawrence

Many fresh college graduates look for exciting careers in big cities like Chicago or New York. Ross Lawrence was one of them. With a bachelor’s degree in finance, he applied to more than 70 jobs in the Windy City and Big Apple. Then he decided he’d give Nevada, Missouri, a try. Ross Lawrence BSBA ’11 … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Ross Lawrence→

EPIC Spotlight: Tim Riley

An economist with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Riley wondered what would happen if he borrowed an idea from Alexey Malakhov, and modified it to see how actively managed mutual funds perform against passively managed investments.

EPIC Spotlight: Philip Meek

There are no gray areas in auditing. No subjectivity. What you see is what you get.

EPIC Spotlight: Addison Scott

She thought she had failed. This was something Addison Scott did not do.

EPIC Spotlight: Ken Bills

When a CPA visited Ken Bills’ high school class, Bills recalls asking himself, why would anyone do this for a living? He can laugh about it now.

EPIC Spotlight: Andrew Brownback

While in grade school, Andrew Brownback discovered he was proficient in math. He entered competitions, occasionally going home with an award.

EPIC Spotlight: Brian Fugate

If Brian Fugate notices students falling asleep in his class, he can always rouse them with stories about his family’s pig farm in his home state of Tennessee.

EPIC Spotlight: Billy Yocum

On his first day of class at the University of Arkansas, Billy Yocum sat at an outdoor table in front of Willard J. Walker Hall, consumed with fear. Could he do this? Was he in over his head?

EPIC Spotlight: Ron Freeze

Ron Freeze’s career began in the auto industry, where he oversaw assembly line equipment and made sure production rolled at a steady pace. A lot could go wrong – a conveyor belt chain could break or a tool misfire – and Ron’s responsibility was to make sure that never happened.

EPIC Spotlight: Jason Ridge

The Jeep was totaled. It sat in the body shop owned by Jason Ridge’s father, who told him if he wanted a car to drive – a teenage rite of passage – he better get to work.

EPIC Spotlight: Kathryn Gadberry

When Kathryn Gadberry studied abroad to Mozambique, she was a part of a team that set up an accounting system for chicken farmers so they could sell an affordable source of protein to local consumers, a program known as Eggs for Africa.

EPIC Spotlight: Collin Grimes

Houston is a city where oil is big and buildings fill the skyline. But securing office space in one of those buildings, or any real estate, in the nation’s fourth largest city can be daunting. Collin Grimes BSBA ’06 First Vice President Global Corporate Services CBRE Group Inc. Houston For Collin Grimes, it’s another day … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Collin Grimes→

EPIC Spotlight: Tracy Liu

If research can positively impact society, then all of those hours toiling over data is well worth it, says Tracy Liu.

EPIC Spotlight: Scott Hsu

Scott Hsu loved watching American movies in his hometown of Taipei, Taiwan. He sought out as many Academy Award-winning films he could and fell in love with “The Sound of Music.” Then there was another one starring Michael Douglas, who played a greedy, ruthless stockbroker. “Wall Street” got Hsu curious about the business world.

EPIC Spotlight: Lindsay Duckworth

Lindsay Duckworth is always on the move. One moment, she may be at home in Denver, enjoying the Rocky Mountain air. Then she’s on a plane to New York, where she meets with business executives – sometimes in Manhattan.

Cold and Exciting Days Ahead

Warmth. That is the number one thing Cary Deck will soon miss. Specifically, he will miss the warmth of his colleagues and the research environment at the University of Arkansas more so than the temperature as he travels to Anchorage, Alaska.

EPIC Spotlight: Andrew Motter

Before Andrew Motter was old enough to drive, he made money by dragging the family lawnmower out of the garage and cutting the neighbors’ grass.

EPIC Spotlight: Muhammad Rahman

As a college student in his native Bangladesh, Muhammad Rahman became fascinated with looking at the world through economics. He listened intently to his professor explain the rise of capitalism and socialism as well as Japan’s economic history.

EPIC Spotlight: Anita Sambor

As a graduate student, there is a lot to manage besides the assignments listed in the syllabi. Will the financial aid come through? Is the required coarse work met? What if a life event comes up that interferes with studies?

EPIC Spotlight: Charles Britton

Charles Britton figures he has taught about 25,000 University of Arkansas students since arriving on campus in 1969.

EPIC Spotlight: Xiao Ma

He worked as a journalist in his native China, sold ads and devised business strategies for a company as an intern in New York City. Xiao Ma Assistant Professor Department of Information Systems Yet Xiao Ma knew he’d rather work with computers. He also knew where he would like to be. “Over time, I realized … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Xiao Ma→

EPIC Spotlight: Rwan El-Khatib

Many told Rwan El-Khatib she would not be accepted by a United States doctoral program. It had been difficult for business majors in her native country of Jordan to continue their education in a doctoral program in America, and she repeatedly heard about it. It was almost as if people were challenging her

EPIC Spotlight: Hannah Birch

Hannah was inspired to pursue an education at the Sam M. Walton College of Business when she came to the university as a junior for a convocation that featured presentations by Walton students as well as Jason Adams, the college’s Honors Programs associate director, and Javier Reyes.

EPIC Spotlight: Claire Yan

As a child, Claire Yan watched closely how her mother, a literature teacher, interacted with students. That experience led to Yan standing out on her balcony, talking to plants and flowers that made up her pretend classroom. Now she’s teaching in real students in a real classroom. Yan joined the Department of Accounting in August 2014

EPIC Spotlight: Peter Katuscak

Peter Katuscak researches around the globe as he examines the behaviors of auction bidders or how people perceive their tax situations. For the 2014-15 school year, he is a visiting assistant professor with the Department of Economics at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, where he teaches microeconomic theory to undergraduates. Peter Katuscak Visiting … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Peter Katuscak→

EPIC Spotlight: Kristin Kaufman

Sometimes it takes years to attain it. But when it does, it can be one of the greatest things life can bring. Kristin Kaufman refers to it as alignment. “It’s when you love what you do and you’re good at it, but, most importantly, it’s tied to something greater than yourself,” she says. Kristin Kaufman … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Kristin Kaufman→

EPIC Spotlight: Johnny Carver

Johnny Carver grew up surrounded by basketball. His father played for Kansas State University and his brother for the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. “I’ve always wanted to be like my brother,” Johnny says. “I look up to him and my dad.” Johnny Carver Freshman Management Major So, as a 6-foot, 3-inch tall … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Johnny Carver→

EPIC Spotlight: Rachel Dukes

Living in the Dallas bedroom community of Grand Prairie, Rachel felt it was time to pursue the discipline at a university beyond the Texas border.

EPIC Spotlight: Anne Velliquette

Anne Velliquette has experienced the many faces of marketing. She realized the art of a beautiful floor display and the role of purchasing when she interned as a buyer at a department store. When she sold and marketed turkey products, she was required to learn every aspect of what it takes to prepare the bird … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Anne Velliquette→

EPIC Spotlight: Hua Wang

Hua Wang has experienced much in his five years in the United States. He has mastered the English language, played French horn with the University of Arkansas band and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Sam M. Walton College of Business in addition to his music degree.

EPIC Spotlight: John Kent

It was 17 years in the making, but John Kent finally got his dream job of working at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

EPIC Spotlight: Rachel Mooreland

One summer while in high school, Rachel Mooreland traveled from her Bartlesville, Oklahoma, home to attend a summer program at the University of Arkansas.

EPIC Spotlight: Bailey Hart and Brittany Brunson

Brittany Brunson and Bailey Hart initially thought they would send University of Arkansas souvenirs and letters to a group of teens to encourage them to pursue a higher education.

EPIC Spotlight: Allison “Alli” Kinsey

As a high school student, Allison Kinsey worked part time at a local drive-in restaurant. She discovered she really enjoyed two things: working with numbers and reading people to better understand human behavior.

EPIC Spotlight: T.J. Atwood

One thing is for certain, there will always be taxes. It’s a topic very familiar to T.J. Atwood, one of the newest faces in the accounting department at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

EPIC Spotlight: Omar Meson

“With finance, you never know what you’re going to get,” Omar says. “Every day, it’s a new adventure.”

EPIC Spotlight: Brittney Brown

If Brittney Brown’s plans go accordingly, she will be in a classroom for several decades to come. Though she is a student now, she hopes to someday teach in a university setting much like Walton.

EPIC Spotlight: Cameron Boyland

Majoring in management with a marketing minor, Cameron discovered he had a talent for business while attending Central High School in his hometown of Little Rock.

EPIC Spotlight: Dongya Koh

As a self-described “computer geek,” Dongya Koh has found a good use of his ability to write programming code: numerically solving complicated macroeconomic models. Dongya Koh Assistant Professor Department of Economics He has the background for it, too. His professional career includes serving as a system engineer for Yahoo! Japan, a joint venture of the … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Dongya Koh→

EPIC Spotlight: Gabriel Cullier

Each unique pitch piqued my interest and introduced me to the creative world of Information
Technology and Computer Engineering. That next day I changed my major.

Walton College Welcomes 11 New Faculty

With the start of the fall semester, the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas welcomes 11 new faculty members. Over 5,200 students (4,812 undergraduate and 379 graduate) from 41 states and 44 foreign countries will benefit from their teaching and research. T.J. Atwood Associate Professor Accounting Department Stace Sirmans Assistant … Continue reading Walton College Welcomes 11 New Faculty→

EPIC Spotlight: Abby Davidson

Abby Davidson has seen the effects of war-torn countries. She has worked to assist communities in overcoming poverty and has met with refugees driven from their homeland. Her interest in international affairs began with her pursuits at Walton, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in International Economics and Business and a master’s degree in economics.

EPIC Spotlight: Carol Reeves

As a child, if Carol Reeves wanted any money, she had to earn it.

EPIC Spotlight: Erika Amoako-Agyei

Erika Amoako-Agyei is passionate about Africa. She consults corporations wishing to expand to the continent and encourages college students to consider careers there.

EPIC Spotlight: Omar Kasim

What if Taco Bell delivered? That was the question Omar Kasim asked himself over and over as he began planning his business. Omar, a business management major from Tulsa, Okla., is entertaining the idea of opening a Mexican food delivery service.

EPIC Spotlight: Brooke Atwell

If Brooke Atwell seems enthusiastic about the global economy, she comes by it naturally. Her father works at Walmart’s corporate office in Bentonville with many of those years spent in its international division. “So that kind of sparked my interest in global affairs,” she says.

EPIC Spotlight: Dahlia Ashford

Dahlia Ashford couldn’t bring herself to ask her parents for money so she could continue her college education. Determined, Ashford got to work searching for scholarships, grants and programs. “I would apply for anything and everything,” she says. She secured the funding.

EPIC Spotlight: Dr. Hyo-Jeong Kim

Some people are intimidated by analytical software. Dr. Hyo-Jeong Kim wants to help people become comfortable with it. She’s starting with auditors. While many have traditionally used Excel as they explore trends in data, there are many other programs – some a bit complicated. Behind the scenes, Kim looks for the different complexities in the … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Dr. Hyo-Jeong Kim→

EPIC Spotlight: Carmen Williamson

After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, Carmen Williamson became an auto claims representative in Columbia, Mo., for State Farm Insurance. Missouri is a nice state. The work was good. Yet, with a bachelor’s degree in both marketing and human resources, she wanted to better channel her talents and skills.

EPIC Spotlight: Will Simpson

“They give you all the opportunities you can ever want, and all you have to do is pursue them.” Will Simpson Economics and Finance Sophomore Though only in his second year in college, Will Simpson speaks about economics and governmental affairs like a veteran. Those topics often appear in the opinion column he writes for … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Will Simpson→

EPIC Spotlight: Will Allred

“This is a great place to work. It really is.” Will Allred Technology Center Associate Director Will Allred’s world is filled with vampires. And not the cute, “sparkly” kind adored by teenage girls that grace movie and television screens. His are grittier and for an older audience. After work and on weekends, one might find … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Will Allred→

EPIC Spotlight: Whitnee Boyd

“I look at this as marketing with a purpose.” Whitnee Boyd, BSBA ’09 Student Development Specialist and Recruitment Coordinator Student Support Services University of Arkansas Whitnee Boyd now has an office. It’s located in the office of Student Support Services here at the University of Arkansas. And she realizes that not long ago, she could … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Whitnee Boyd→

EPIC Spotlight: Walton College Olympians

Walton College is Represented at the Summer Olympics Veronica Campbell-Brown Alistar Ian Cragg Ivanique Kemp Two graduates and one current student of the Sam M. Walton College of Business are representing their countries at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. Veronica Campbell-Brown will run the 100 and 200 meters for her home country of … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Walton College Olympians→

EPIC Spotlight: Tom Davis

Tom Davis Class of 2013 Accounting and Finance Tom Davis, a senior from Bentonville, Ark., majoring in accounting with a minor in finance, says he may never have gotten a chance to intern with Ernst and Young if he hadn’t participated in the Walton Honors Program. As an audit and assurance services intern last summer … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Tom Davis→

EPIC Spotlight: Dr. Tim Yeager

Dr. Tim Yeager could have stayed focused on economics. He spent years in college, earning degrees in economics and even teaching the subject at universities on both the East and West coasts.

EPIC Spotlight: Theresa Fette

The trust group was failing. It was in such disrepair that the state of Nevada was considering receivership. For many, the task of resurrecting the Las Vegas company would be too daunting. Theresa Fette, however, saw the sinking business as an opportunity. Only 28 years old and a practicing lawyer, she and a business partner … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Theresa Fette→

EPIC Spotlight: Dr. Terry Esper

Growing up in Detroit, Dr. Terry Esper never really thought much about Arkansas or where it was on a map. In fact, he could have stayed in the Motor City after high school graduation, but a committed guidance counselor felt he needed to experience the Natural State.

EPIC Spotlight: Terrance Boyd

“The faculty and staff are people with experiences who can tell you, ‘This is how you do it in the real world.’ ” Terrance Boyd Junior Accounting Major Retail and Spanish Minor When Terrance Boyd was a freshman, he was like many University of Arkansas students starting college careers. He had to adjust to a … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Terrance Boyd→

EPIC Spotlight: Talesha Christian

Talesha Christian Sophomore Accounting and Financial Investments Talesha Christian isn’t shy to say it. She loves math. From the time she was in grade school, she has enjoyed working with numbers. Now, as an Accounting and Financial Investments major at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, she sees so many opportunities where she can … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Talesha Christian→

In the Spotlight