Coleman Peterson

Brother Peterson was initiated at Alpha Rho chapter (Chicago, Illinois) on December 23rd, 1967 while an undergraduate at Loyola University of Chicago. He was the Polemarch of his line known as the “Arrogant 8”. Brother Peterson is a charter member of the Fayetteville, Arkansas alumni chapter and presently serves on the Laurel Wreath Commission representing the Middle Western Province. He is a life member of both the Fraternity and the Middle Western Province.

Cole Peterson is President/CEO of Hollis Enterprises, LLC, a human resources consulting firm founded in 2004 following his retirement from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. He specializes in executive coaching and keynote speaking engagements globally. Peterson served as Executive Vice President of People for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., where he had the distinction of being the Chief Human Resource Officer of the world's largest private workforce (today: 2.1 million associates worldwide). He headed human resources during Wal-Mart's most aggressive global expansion and helped diversify its workforce. Peterson serves on the corporate boards of J.B. Hunt Transport of Lowell, Arkansas, Build-A-Bear Workshop of St. Louis, Missouri, and Cracker Barrel Restaurants of Lebanon, Tennessee. He is chairman of the compensation and development committees and serves on the nominating and corporate governance committees on both the J.B. Hunt and Build-A-Bear Bear boards.

Peterson is a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up in Chicago where he obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Loyola University. He and his wife, Shirley, have two adult children and reside in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Peterson's numerous recognitions include: The Award for Professional Excellence, The Society for Human Resource Management's highest honor; the Lifetime Achievement Award for Human Resource Excellence from Linkage, Inc.; The Chancellor's Medal for Volunteerism from the University of Arkansas and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas MLK Planning Commission. His most recent recognitions are the National Association of African Americans in Human Resource Professionals Trail Blazer Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Society for Human Resource Management State Council. Peterson is a Fellow of the Academy of Human Resources, and is also a member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.