Theresa Barrera Vice President, Supplier Diversity Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Theresa Barrera presently serves as Vice President, Supplier Diversity for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. A 24-year veteran of Wal-Mart, she began her career as a part-time cashier at a Sam’s Club in Corpus Christi, Texas, while attending college full time.

Theresa has worked her way through the enterprise in many different capacities.  Beginning as an hourly associate in our Sam’s Club division, after graduating from college (where she received a Wal-Mart Scholarship) she was promoted to our Internal Audit division.  Barrera’s career continued to grow in our newly formed Wal-Mart International Division where she was in charge of getting merchandise into Mexico.  Her buying career began in 1994 where she was an international buyer supporting Mexico and Puerto Rico.  She was soon recruited to Wal-Mart US to buy housewares.  In October 1999, Barrera was promoted to Divisional Merchandise Manager over the Seasonal Division and in May of 2001 she was promoted to Vice President. Barrera also ran Wal-Mart’s Stationery Division for over two years.  In 2007, she took the position of the Vice President of Supplier Diversity for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

In her current role, she is responsible for supplier diversity for the company, developing and implementing corporate supplier diversity strategy, and initiatives to promote, increase, and enhance the quality of the overall participation of minority- and women-owned business enterprises in the company’s supply chain.

Barrera was recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine in 2003 and in 2005 as one of the “80 Elite Hispanic Women.”  She was also named to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s elite “40 under 40” listing.  In 2006, she was named Northwest Arkansas Business Journal All Decade “40 under 40”.

Barrera serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Texas Pan American and the Board of Directors for the National Minority Supplier Development Council. She is also on the Board of Directors of Arvest Bank Group. She holds an undergraduate degree in finance from Corpus Christi State University. She has received extensive corporate training in the areas of management, leadership development, business plans, budget processes and operations.

She is the proud mother of two daughters, Alli, 15, and Olivia, 11.