Swanson, Celia: - Celia Swanson is an accomplished senior executive who spent 25+ years at Walmart Inc. championing its culture and its people. She is notably recognized as the first female executive vice president at Walmart Inc. breaking the glass ceiling for women. Swanson has achieved what very few women in corporate America have. She earned a reputation for being a key culture ambassador throughout her career demonstrating a people-first mindset. In addition, she was hand-selected by the Walmart Inc. U.S. CEO to lead a cost-savings and associate engagement strategy transforming store operations for 1.4 million associates. In addition to her professional career, Celia is known for her community leadership in Northwest Arkansas. She was recently selected by the Northwest Arkansas business community as the 2016 Athena Woman of the Year for her excellence in community service, board leadership and regional impact in Northwest Arkansas. She was also the only leader to receive the top two operations awards from Sam's Club and Walmart Inc. U.S. As a speaker, Swanson delivers leadership talks across the globe. She is a keynote leader at The Conversation, a prestigious mastermind event for world changers, and many other events.