UMHB Welcomed Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon for 21st McLane Lecture

BELTON, Texas- The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (UMHB) was honored to welcome Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon as the featured speaker for the 2025 McLane Lecture on Nov. 4 in the Frank and Sue Mayborn Campus Center arena.

McMillon is a lifelong merchant. He began his Walmart career in 1984 as an hourly associate unloading trailers in a warehouse. He has since served in senior leadership roles across each business segment. During his tenure as CEO, which began in 2014, Walmart associates have transformed the company into a people-led, tech-powered retailer dedicated to helping people save money and live better. The company has invested heavily in its people by increasing wages, expanding parental leave, and covering the costs of certificates or degrees for associates seeking educational opportunities. Walmart has lowered its prices and embraced technology to improve customer and associate experiences. McMillon serves on the boards of directors of Business Roundtable and the Consumer Goods Forum. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas and an MBA from the University of Tulsa.

He spoke to the crowd of UMHB students, faculty, staff, and special guests about his faith and life in the retail industry. In a candid question-and-answer format, he fielded questions submitted by UMHB's McLane College of Business students. University President Dr. Randy O'Rear and Drayton McLane, Jr. facilitated the Q&A, and asked McMillon to address a broad range of topics, such as advice for college students, balancing profitability with keeping prices low at Walmart, global trade and tariffs, supply chain management, lessons learned from leadership mistakes, competition, technology, artificial intelligence, making tough decisions under pressure, integrating faith with business, and God's purpose in his life.

When recalling a challenging time in his career, McMillon said, "What I experienced during the pandemic was that the teams we worked with were so capable. The speed at which they got things done and the quality of the decisions they made were amazing. I learned to be more trusting and let people do their jobs."

He concluded his time by answering the question, "At UMHB, we focus on helping our students discover their purpose. Doug, what would you say God's purpose for your life is?" McMillon said, "Faith, family, and Walmart have been my priorities. Beyond that, my purpose professionally has been to try to help people. If you were in one of our meetings at Walmart, you'd hear that - we talk about that a lot. How can we make things better than they would otherwise be?"

McMillon's final message to the UMHB audience was, "I remember feeling uncertain when I was in college about what the future was going to look like. I would just encourage you that one person can make a difference, even in a big company or community. What you do, what you decide, your mindset, the way you interact with other people, can make a difference and make this a better place."

This is the 21^st McLane Lecture sponsored by Elizabeth and Drayton McLane Jr. The purpose of the McLane Lecture is to bring outstanding individuals to the UMHB campus to share their experiences and insights about leadership, government, business, and faith. Doug McMillon joins a long list of exceptional McLane Lecture speakers, including George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, Marcus Lutrell, Joe DePinto, George W. Bush, Chuck Norris, George Foreman, Franklin Graham, and Rick Perry. These lectures have enriched the student experience at UMHB and have inspired many rich conversations between students and professors over the years.