Julie Gehrki

Julie Gehrki Vice President of Philanthropy at Walmart Fayetteville, Arkansas Connect Connect with Julie Gehrki Walmart The Clinton School of Public Service See contact info 500+ connections Articles 1,441 followers Working Together to Create Pathways for Working Learners Julie’s profile photo Julie Gehrki Published on LinkedIn Last week, I had the pleasure to join Jeff Shotts, CFO and COO for Walmart U.S. eCommerce, for an event hosted at Walmart’s eCommerce headquarters in San Bruno, Calif., to announce new commitments to both our own associates and workers around the country. We were thrilled to share with our eCommerce associates that they will now be able to take advantage of Walmart’s education benefit, a new program providing affordable access to higher education. The program will help prepare our associates to advance in the jobs of today – and the future – with benefits including college credit for Walmart Academy training and options for associates to earn a college degree for $1 a day without incurring student loan debt. The event also focused on Walmart and the Walmart Foundation’s efforts to enhance the mobility of workers outside of Walmart. As part of the discussion, we announced a nearly $4 million investment for three organizations working to provide innovative pathways to lifelong learning and training for our nation’s workforce. Our funding will support: The California Community College system’s launch of an innovative Online Community College aimed to meet the needs of underserved adult learners through a flexible, high-quality and affordable learning program option. edX’s launch of MicroBachelors™ programs, a stackable series of courses learners can take to acquire career-relevant knowledge and gain 21st century skills, removing learning challenges for working adults, such as cost, time and previous educational experience, and enable learners to advance their careers while also pursuing a Bachelor’s degree. Code for America’s exploration of the role government technology systems can play in improving access to quality jobs in the digital age, and identify opportunities where technology can improve outcomes for job seekers. At Walmart, we recognize that the skills needed in today’s and tomorrow’s jobs are rapidly evolving. In fact, research from the McKinsey Global Institute shows that up to one-third of our workforce may need to develop new skills for different types of jobs by 2030 due to rapid technological advances. To endure the nation’s job growth momentum, we cannot lose sight of this new reality for job seekers. However, it’s not just job growth we need to think about, but job mobility as well, especially for working learners. Nearly 14 million Americans today are both actively working and enrolled in some form of postsecondary education or training, according to the Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Unfortunately, many of these working learners face barriers to career advancement, like education costs and conflicting work schedules. During the event, I moderated a panel session between three key advocates for the grantee work mentioned above. These participants included Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Chancellor of the California Community Colleges; Sara T. Mayer, Chief Program Officer of Code for America; and Lee Rubenstein, Vice President of Business Development of edX. Together, we discussed how imperative collaborations such as ours are to create better pathways for working adults, especially in this technological era. This commitment to creating a stronger learning and training ecosystem is part of a $100 million, five-year philanthropic investment in our Retail Opportunity Initiative, which aims to make it easier for frontline employees in retail and adjacent sectors to gain new skills and ultimately achieve greater economic mobility. To date, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have funded more than $80 million in grants to help identify and implement innovations for the future of work. Because only together can we can build better pathways to mobility for workers. 119 Likes 5 Comments Like Comment Share See all Experience Walmart Vice President of Philanthropy Company NameWalmart Dates EmployedOct 2016 – Present Employment Duration2 yrs 8 mos LocationBentonville, AR Walmart Foundation Senior Director, Business Integration Company NameWalmart Foundation Dates EmployedFeb 2008 – Oct 2016 Employment Duration8 yrs 9 mos Commission on Religion and Race Executive Assistant Company NameCommission on Religion and Race Dates EmployedJan 2004 – May 2006 Employment Duration2 yrs 5 mos Alban Institute Customer Service Associate Company NameAlban Institute Dates EmployedJul 2003 – Dec 2003 Employment Duration6 mos Horizon House Board Development and Strategic Planning Intern Company NameHorizon House Dates EmployedOct 2002 – Jun 2003 Employment Duration9 mos Hands On Memphis Academic Intern Company NameHands On Memphis Dates EmployedJan 2001 – Jul 2001 Employment Duration7 mos Camp Aldersgate Senior Counselor Company NameCamp Aldersgate Dates EmployedMay 1999 – Aug 1999 Employment Duration4 mos Show fewer experiences Education The Clinton School of Public Service The Clinton School of Public Service Degree NameMasters Field Of StudyPublic Service Dates attended or expected graduation 2006 – 2007 The Clinton School focuses on applied academics by integrating service with a curriculum focused on equitable and lasting social change. Core courses include Analysis for Decision-Making, Communication Processes and Conflict Transformation, Dynamics of Social Change, and Ethical and Legal Dimensions of Public Service. Group project: Forrest City Downtown Revitalization. Worked with St. Francis Co. CDC to initiate and plan for downtown revitalization. Work resulted in CDC receiving grant from city. International Project: Evaluation of Heifer International in Kenya and Tanzania. Served on evaluation field team, visiting 8 villages and interviewing over 200 individuals to write impact evaluation for Heifer board. Individual Capstone: The Center on Community Philanthropy, Clinton School of Public Service. Researched intersections between community philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. Indiana University - The Center on Philanthropy Indiana University - The Center on Philanthropy Degree NameJane Addams Andrew Carnegie Fellow Dates attended or expected graduation 2002 – 2003 One of six fellows selected nationally for an intensive ten-month program designed around the study of "voluntary action for the public good." Formal elements include a weekly graduate seminar, self-designed faculty-directed readings courses, a professional internship, regular programs with leading philanthropic practitioners around the nation, and participation at both national and international philanthropic conferences. Rhodes College Rhodes College Degree NameBA Field Of StudyReligion, Urban Studies Dates attended or expected graduation 1998 – 2002