Topic: Navigating the Nuance and Future of the Flexible Work Environment
Michelle Hargis Wolfe is the chief people officer at the University of Arkansas. Hargis Wolfe joined the U of A in February 2023 after close to 20 years at Walmart Inc. During her time with the world’s largest retailer, she served as a wage-and-hour class action attorney and led the retailer’s Equal Employment Opportunity and Administrative Law function for many years. She also spent a decade overseeing all aspects of HR and Learning & Development for Walmart’s Global Finance, Shared Services, Logistics, Innovations and Global Business Processes functions. Most recently, Hargis Wolfe served as a senior leader for Enterprise Business Services, leading teams responsible for ensuring the security of Walmart’s supplier master data and construction contract compliance.
Holding a Juris Doctor degree, Hargis Wolfe has more than a decade of legal counsel experience between Walmart and large firms in Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; and Little Rock, Arkansas; where she managed cases covering wage-and-hour, civil rights and various employment-related topics at the administrative, state and federal levels. Her legal experience also included counseling clients to avoid litigation, preparing and facilitating trainings and conducting workplace investigations.
A Little Rock native, Hargis Wolfe earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Arkansas after graduating from Little Rock Central High School. She received her master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Denver. Hargis Wolfe is also a certified Global Business Services Professional and received her Advanced HR Executive certification from the University of Michigan.
Hargis Wolfe has served on various boards, including a five-year stint with the Arkansas Research Alliance, as well as 15 years on the Board and as immediate past-Secretary for Horses for Healing NWA.