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Report: David Tovar Resigned From Wal-Mart Over Resume Falsehood

2 min read

In an email to media Friday, David Tovar, vice president of communications for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville, announced he will be leaving the retail giant Sept. 30.

Tovar came to Wal-Mart in 2006.

“I have loved every second of every minute I’ve been with the company and I don’t have enough room in this email to give justice to the life-changing experience of working for the world’s largest retailer,” he said.

Tovar would not delve into his next line of work, but said “I hope to share some news with you soon.”

Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported late Monday that Tovar left the company after Wal-Mart discovered that Tovar never earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Delaware in 1996, which he claimed on his resume.

Bloomberg, citing “a person familiar with the matter,” said Wal-Mart discovered the falsehood “while conducting additional due-diligence screening, which is standard for employees who reach a certain level …” An academic-records official at the university confirmed to Bloomberg that Tovar never got the diploma.

Before he was named vice president of communications, Tovar was senior director of media relations and digital communications and served as the national spokesperson for the company. 

Before joining Wal-Mart, Tovar worked at Kraft Foods Inc. of Northfield, Illinois, and Altria Corporate Services Inc. in Sacramento, California, a parent company of Kraft and Phillip Morris USA of Richmond, Virginia. 

Update: On Wednesday, Tovar told CNBC that it was several months after walking in the school’s graduation ceremony that he discovered he was a few credits short of earning the degree.

“I got a job and never looked back. I really didn’t think an art degree would matter in communications, which was the field I went into,” he said.

Tovar says he leaves Wal-Mart on good terms.

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