Winthrop Rockefeller Institute Names New Board Members

Latriece Watkins and Rich Hillman

The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute announced that Latriece Watkins, enterprise work stream leader at Wal-Mart, and Rich Hillman, vice president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, were recently named to the Institute’s Board of Directors by University of Arkansas System President Dr. Donald Bobbitt.

Watkins started working at Wal-Mart as an intern in 1997 and spent 10 years in the company’s real estate division before transitioning to work in merchandising for Sam’s Club in 2008. In January, Watkins was appointed by Walmart CEO Doug McMillon to lead the company’s Ways of Working work stream.

Hillman is serving his seventh term as vice president of Arkansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest agricultural advocacy organization. A sixth-generation farmer, Hillman raises rice, soybeans and wheat in Lonoke County.

“On behalf of the UA System, we welcome these extremely accomplished new members to the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute team and value the expertise and experience they will bring to the table,” Bobbitt said in a news release. “The Institute is a unique entity within the UA System, and thanks to the hard work of its staff and Board, it continues to be an integral piece to our overall mission of serving Arkansas and beyond.”

Hillman said he has long been an admirer of Winthrop Rockefeller and the legacy he and his family have left for the state of Arkansas, particularly in the area of farming.

“The Rockefeller family, from the governor to this generation, has had such a positive impact on agriculture in the state of Arkansas,” Hillman said.

Watkins said she feels a special connection to the Institute as a graduate of Spelman College, which is named for Laura Spelman Rockefeller, grandmother of Winthrop Rockefeller.

“As a graduate of Spelman College, anything I can do to perpetuate the Rockefeller legacy is worthwhile,” Watkins said.