Walmart executive and Evangel University graduate Chase Tacker is honored to be named the “Enactus USA’s Over 30 Alumnus of the Year” for 2018.
Chase Tacker is currently vice president of finance and pricing for ClarusONE Sourcing Services, LLP, a joint venture of Walmart and McKesson, based in London, U.K. In total, he has been with Walmart for 10 years in a variety of finance roles including accounting, real estate, IT, and mergers and acquisitions.
The recognition was presented at the Enactus USA National Exposition in Kansas City, on Monday, May 21.
Formerly known as SIFE, or Students in Free Enterprise, Enactus is an international organization that helps college students connect what they are learning in the class room to real life through entrepreneurial projects and community outreaches.
Upon receiving the honor, Tacker expressed appreciation to the faculty at Evangel University “for shaping my perspective on life and approach to business.”
He then looked over the crowded auditorium and said, “Fourteen years ago I sat where you are, here in the same building, wondering what does this experience in entrepreneurship, business, and sustainability mean to me?”
He offered the students three career-guiding principles:
- “Be Fast — The world today is changing and shifting faster than at any time in human history. The pace of entrepreneurship, business, technology, and communication is moving faster. Know it, and figure out how to capitalize on it.
- “Be Passionate — The best entrepreneurs and business people are the ones who believe in their product, their company, their technology, their purpose. Find the one that motivates you and makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, and you will be better for it.
- “Be Better — Find ways to always become better at your role, your passion, or being a spouse. Be a continuous learner. School never stops… I hate to tell you.”
Tacker concluded with a healthy dose of reality.
“Many of the jobs that people in this very room will take in the coming years don’t even exist yet and have not been created,” he said. “Your job now is not only to learn, but to learn how to think, and be ready for your future.”
Faculty remember him as leader
“As a student, Chase was the president of the Evangel SIFE team, and he led us to the national competition in 2004-2005,” said Elizabeth Fletcher, associate professor of business and the team’s lead academic advisor at the time.
At the Enactus USA Nationals, the top university teams present the results of their year-long projects, and corporate leaders then judge who best fulfills the Enactus mission to use entrepreneurism to improve the livelihoods of people.
“Chase was always an initiator — he had great ideas and was happy to lead the way,” Fletcher continued. “He led our first overseas service trip, when we took 20 business students to China during Christmas break 2005-2006. We won a national award for the work we did there.”
Since then, Evangel’s Enactus students have served in countries such as South Africa, Jamaica, Guatemala, Germany and another time in China.
“Chase left a legacy,” Fletcher concluded.
Tacker graduated from Evangel University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and then completed his MBA at Missouri State University.
He joined Walmart in 2007 and has held various finance & leadership roles in Health & Wellness (Pharmacy), Sourcing, Real Estate, Accounting, IT Finance, and International Business Development — an interest that has its roots in that first Evangel trip to China.
While on Walmart’s Business Development team he helped drive global investment decisions, M&A transactions, acquisition due diligence efforts, and market entries into various emerging markets such as Latin America and Africa.
Prior to joining Walmart, Tacker served in various capacities at Sprint Nextel, A/G Financial, and Safeway.
He currently resides in London, England with his wife, Tara; son, Ethan; and daughter, Ella.
Enactus outreach
Founded in 1975, the goal of Enactus is to train college students to help transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world.
There are 444 active Enactus groups in the U.S., and on more than 1,730 college and university campuses in 36 countries around the world. According to their research, there are more than 72,000 students participating in Enactus programs, positively impacting more than 1.3-million people a year.
Corporate sponsors such as Walmart, Walgreens, Fidelity Investments, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, and Enterprise Holdings play a major role in providing financial support and in recruiting students for jobs.
Business at Evangel
The Evangel University Department of Business offers a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in accounting, business education, finance, management, marketing, and nonprofit business & social enterprise.
Evangel’s College of Adult and Graduate Studies also offers online and seated programs for a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master of Organizational Leadership.
For more information, visit the Evangel University Department of Business, or contact Eveline Lewis at (417) 865-2811 ext. 4117.
SIDEBAR: Related stories from 2018 National Exposition
• Evangel students earn 2 of 3 national “Enactus USA Leader of the Year” awards
• Evangel University Enactus team ranks in top 7% in National Competition
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