Julie Gehrki, an alumna of Rhodes College and president of the Walmart Foundation and senior vice president of philanthropy at Walmart, will receive the 2025 Luminary Award presented by the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation at its centennial celebration, set for April 11 in Nashville.
The Luminary Award is presented to a past Sullivan Award student recipient who has continued on a lifelong path of placing service above self.
Gehrki dedicated herself to local community service initiatives as a student and was awarded the Sullivan Award at Rhodes’ 2002 Commencement exercises. She received a bachelor’s degree in religious studies.
After graduation, Gehrki completed a Jane Addams - Andrew Carnegie Fellowship at the University of Indiana Center for Philanthropy, worked in the nonprofit realm in Washington, D.C., and, upon returning to Arkansas, enrolled in the Clinton School of Public Service. Now in her 17th year with Walmart, she oversees their global philanthropic efforts, guiding support for hunger relief, small business growth, and disaster response.
Gehrki returned to her alma mater in May 2024 to deliver the Baccalaureate Convocation address, encouraging the next generation of Rhodes graduates to make a difference in their communities and the world.