John David Rainey

The Alumnus of the Year honor is awarded to a graduate who has achieved distinction through exceptional contributions to our international, national, state or community welfare. This year’s Baylor Alumnus of the Year is John David Rainey (B.B.A. ’93, M.B.A. ’95) of Bentonville, Arkansas, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Walmart. 

Rainey has built an exceptional career at the intersection of finance, innovation and leadership. Throughout his career, he has emphasized the importance of people, humility and adaptability. His experiences – from working construction during college to leading through major industry transformations – shaped his belief that every person and every role matters. 

“Careers today are less about spending your working years at one company moving up the ladder,” Rainey said. “A career now is about honing skills and applying those to your calling. Callings can shift in a lifetime, which can be an intimidating and daunting idea. However, it also can be energizing and invigorating to learn and to try to master something new.” 

 Rainey’s passion for finance began at Baylor. After graduation, he went on to spend 18 years in the airline industry, with United Airlines and Continental Airlines, followed by seven years as CFO of PayPal before joining Walmart in 2022. Rainey’s current role is a combination of his previous two jobs: capital intensive like the early days of PayPal and brick-and-mortar like the major airlines. He also manages a fast-growing digital presence that is 25% of all Walmart’s business today. A perfect blend of all the stops along his road so far.  

“You have to determine what success looks and feels like to you and not let others be the yardstick by which you measure success,” he said. “There is no secret code to success but that doesn’t mean it’s complicated. Work hard and treat people well then everything else is going to fall into place.” 

Rainey also serves the business community through his work on the boards of directors for Microsoft and PhonePe. Rainey and his wife, Kelly, also serve on Baylor University’s President’s Leadership Council and are members of the Hankamer School of Business Pillars. They previously served on Baylor’s National Campaign Steering Committee for the Give Light Campaign, the most successful fundraising campaign in university history.