June 24, 2009

NBA NEWS BRIEF
National Bar Association, 1225 11th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20001

L. MECOLE "COLE" BROWN PROMOTED TO
VP AND CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER OF WAL-MART U.S.

Cole Brown joined Walmart in 2002 as Senior Corporate Counsel and was later promoted to Assistant General Counsel- in charge of managing EEO administrative matters filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other state agencies.

In 2004, Cole was promoted to Senior Director of Training, Development & Associate Processes for Sam's Club. She subsequently joined the newly formed Employment Practices Division of the Legal department as Associate General Counsel, where she led a team that provided legal counsel on company-wide employment and diversity initiatives.

In 2005, Cole joined the Office of Diversity as Senior Director of Diversity Initiatives. She was promoted to Vice President of Employment and Diversity Practices in 2007, and had responsibility for the company's Diversity Development & Education Strategy, Diversity Goals Program, Contractor Compliance, and HR Best Practices Initiative.

Since June 2008, Cole has had the responsibility for leading the company's Employment Practices initiatives, which included wage and hour, employment compliance and policy.

Prior to joining Walmart, Cole gained extensive employment law and human resource experience through her work as an attorney, consultant and human resource professional with various corporations and firms. Cole earned her Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Arts degrees from Southern Methodist University. She is admitted to practice law in Texas, and is a member of the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, American Corporate Counsel Association and the Society of Human Resource Management.