How Walmart Is Pioneering How Retail Can Be a Force for Good
Liz Willett, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Walmart.org shares how the retail giant is utilizing its immense scale to innovate for good.
Elizabeth “Liz” Willett Murchison
Director of Strategic Initiatives, RISE Innovations, Walmart.org
Elizabeth “Liz” Willett Murchison currently serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives, RISE Innovations for Walmart.org. In her current capacity, Liz leads Walmart’s innovations for good work called Walmart RISE. RISE aims to develop shared value for communities and its business, inviting customers to join alongside Walmart’s +$1.3 billion annual cash and in-kind giving to support causes customers love. She sets the strategy for the company and leads a cadre of internal and external resources to deliver omni-channel giving solutions that help busy customers give back to their communities in ways which are most meaningful to them. Some of her recent customer facing initiatives have been Walmart’s Registry for Good, a unique Red Kettle/Angel Tree campaign and Online Roundup which combined have garnered over $60 million in customer contributions to nonprofits in the last year alone.
Prior to Walmart, Liz has 20+ years of experience with Mars, Amazon, Target, Schultz Family Foundation, a few startups, and Trinity Industries providing diverse perspectives across, retail, philanthropy, climate tech, Fintec and social impact. She’s served as a Captain in the U.S. Army as the Women’s Issues and Education Officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom. While a bit of a futurist, Liz loves to solve puzzles, connect dots and use systems thinking to deliver innovative yet pragmatic solutions to help organizations “Do good, by doing well.”
Liz holds both a BS in Bilingual/Bicultural education and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Liz is married to Harrison Murchison an entrepreneur and an Army Veteran from Operation Desert Storm. She a proud mom to their two young boys (6 and 7) and her stepson (19), all of whom have special needs. Liz is an avid gardener and spends much of her free time adventure traveling. During covid times she’s fallen in love exploring the Ozarks and chasing waterfalls near her home in Rogers, Arkansas.
