After more than 16 years with Wal-Mart Stores, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Charlyn Jarrells Porter retired with a message to her team: "Don't rest on the successful diversity programs that we currently have at Wal-Mart; continue to come up with new programs that show the value that a diverse work force brings."

In November 2003, after the retail giant formed its diversity office, Porter was named CDO and, within the first year of operation, gained support of the board to implement a diversity goals program. The initiative ties up to 15 percent of officer compensation to the achievement of diversity goals.

"That program is still in existence today," says Porter. "In fact, we expanded it."

Senior managers, including those in the field, are held accountable for reaching diversity goals as well. What's more, diversity goals are tied to 10 percent of all managers' performance evaluations. All told, "up to about 55,000 people actually have diversity goal responsibilities," says Porter.

Spurred by Porter's passion, mentoring is also a regular best practice at Wal-Mart. "All managers have to mentor three associates of diverse race, gender or background," she says. "There are literally more than 100,000 associates in mentoring relationships as a result of that particular program."

Other initiatives launched at Wal-Mart under Porter's leadership: pipeline development and diversity education, "which is now a required course for all officers, managers and hourly associates," she says. Moreover, Wal-Mart's diversity office released to the public its EEO-1 data. "I think that very few companies are transparent in terms of their employment, so I was real proud that the company was supportive of that," she says.

For the past several years, Porter has been an architect of diversity programs and progress at the nation's largest retailer. And although she has left the company to join her husband in Seattle, her work, she says, will continue. "Diversity is a true passion," Porter says.