Bordelons Support Faculty Innovation With $100,000 Gift to Walton College

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Ann and Gene Bordelon and their son, Edward.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas alumni Ann and Gene Bordelon have contributed $100,000 to establish the Faculty Innovation Endowed Fund for the benefit of the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

The Faculty Innovation Fund will create an endowment to provide funding to develop and support faculty who teach in Walton College. The proceeds from the fund are meant to promote innovative ideas and methods in teaching and research, such as developing curriculum in emerging disciplines, developing new courses to address topics and issues in the business disciplines and developing online courses for Walton’s online general business degree.

“Faculty resources are key for us to attract and retain the best and brightest educators for our students,” said Chris Wyrick, vice chancellor for university advancement. “Ann is an innovative businesswoman, and her gift will provide the resources for faculty to enhance their research and professional development and help them to develop innovative curriculum and courses. The ideas developed as a result of this fund will help propel both the Walton College and the university forward and ultimately benefit our entire state.”

“Ann and Gene’s generous gift to the Faculty Innovation Fund comes from one of our most accomplished alumni and two of the most loyal supporters of Walton College,” Walton Dean Eli Jones said. “Their generosity is only matched by their unwavering hospitality, volunteerism and Ann’s impact on the future of the college through her long service on the Dean’s Executive Advisory Board.”

Ann Bordelon is a graduate of Walton College and serves as the senior vice president for U.S. operations and real estate finance and strategy for Walmart. She joined the company in 2003 as assistant controller and has served in a variety of finance and accounting roles, most recently as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Walmart Asia in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Walmart, she was a senior manager in Ernst & Young’s Assurance and Advisory Services Business. She also worked for Tyson Foods in finance and accounting positions.

Bordelon serves on the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board and International Accounting Standards Board Joint Working Group on Lease Accounting, the Harvard Kennedy School Women’s Leadership Board and is a member of the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee. In 2013, she received the Walton College Outstanding Service Award.

Gene Bordelon is a retired small business owner who graduated from the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences. He and Ann are both members of the Arkansas Alumni Association and reside in Fayetteville with their son, Edward, and their daughter, Lindsay, who is a student at the University of Arkansas.