Student Profile

Andrew Bozarth

Director of U.S. Ethics , Walmart

U.S. Marines

Class of 2024

Like any good Marine, Drew Bozarth has covered his flank and stands ready to exploit any (professional) opportunity. He has a law degree, a business degree, and, shortly, will have an MS in Cybersecurity and Risk Strategy. Drew is 10 years into a career at Walmart, currently serving as a director in U.S. Ethics. Drew is also an officer and judge advocate in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. His career can move in any direction.

As he was approaching graduation in 2009 from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, Drew was still evaluating his career options. The son and grandson of military veterans and former college football player, Drew felt the call to serve his country and challenge himself. Looking at his service options, Drew identified a service route that would demand the most of him mentally and physically and judged, that he was capable of earning the title of Marine officer and succeeding through the grueling, year-long initial training pipeline. After a four-year active duty tour, Drew transitioned to the Reserve in 2013, joined Walmart’s Ethics and Compliance department, and began an MBA program at University of Arkansas.

Drew explained, “I obtained my MBA because I realized I needed a better understanding of my client’s (Walmart’s) outlook, goals, and motives. I believe attorneys need to understand those things both because it will improve their guidance and, psychologically, it will remind the attorneys that they are an enabling function rather than a core purpose for the company.”

In his current role as an ethics director, he oversees implementation of Walmart’s Code of Ethics across a portion of Walmart’s business, primarily through supervision of case managers who receive allegations of ethics violations and conduct investigations. He also directly oversees higher-risk investigations and provides program feedback on minor adjustments to application of the code.

Having moved up the ranks at Walmart during a period when online services and thus cybersecurity became increasingly important, Drew sought out the MSCRS program for the same reason he obtained an MBA, he said—despite the fact that his current role does not touch on cybersecurity. “Walmart has a growing online presence, and I believe this degree will help me better understand the context in which Walmart will be operating online, both in terms of the legal/regulatory framework and the technology that enables our presence. While there are other LLM programs that would educate me on the legal framework, they would not have educated me on my client and why it may desire to take certain steps.

“Given the size and breadth of Walmart, organizational and cultural understanding is oftentimes as important as legal or technical expertise, and having someone with the appropriate training who understands Walmart is an advantage to the company. Put more succinctly, this degree will provide broader employment opportunities.”

The MSCRS also has dual utility for Drew, as he just moved into a judge advocate role in support of a special operations unit that often collaborates with U.S. CYBERCOM in furtherance of military missions.

While cybersecurity in the corporate realm is usually a matter of defense, government cyber operations often contain an element of the offense, Drew noted. “As my network engineering professors have consistently pointed out, a good defense requires an understanding of how offensive actors operate. I believe that my dual career paths may provide a unique opportunity to lawfully gain experience on both sides of that coin, which will ultimately improve my holistic understanding of the cyber domain and enable me to be of great use and value to both Walmart and the Marine Corps.”