Former EPA official joins Walton Family Foundation as fellow

Bentonville-based Walton Family Foundation announced Radhika Fox as a new fellow on Thursday (May 30). Fox will join the foundation’s environmental program and focus her work on the future of clean water protections in the United States.

“Sustainably managing and protecting water is one of the most important issues of our time. Our nation’s precious water resources are being stressed and strained by a changing and more unpredictable climate,” said Moira Mcdonald, Environment Program Director of the Walton Family Foundation. “Radhika is one of the nation’s most insightful and effective champions of water. It is now more critical than ever to have the country’s best minds working on solutions that will provide safe, secure, and sustainable water for all.”

According to a news release, Fox is the former assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Water. Appointed by President Biden and confirmed with strong bipartisan support in the Senate, she served as the chief advisor to the EPA administrator and the White House on domestic water resources and infrastructure.

“It’s essential that all Americans continue to have access to lakes, rivers, and streams where they can enjoy nature with their families,” Fox said. “I’m looking forward to working with the Walton Family Foundation to find bold solutions that will protect our water for generations to come.”

According to the release, as the assistant administrator for the EPA’s Office of Water, Fox managed the agency’s water policy and regulatory agenda, focusing on climate change, sustainability, equity and environmental justice. She led the development of the water pillar of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a $50 billion federal investment in water.

Before joining the EPA, Fox was the CEO of the US Water Alliance, a nonpartisan network that brings together diverse stakeholders to address environmental, water, and climate challenges.

The Walton Family Foundation was created in 1987 and is led by the family of Walmart Inc. founders Sam and Helen Walton. Annie Proietti, one of their granddaughters, is the board chair.

The philanthropy and grantmaking nonprofit supports initiatives focusing on K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in its “home” region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta.

According to the most recent information available, WFF grants totaled more than $566 million in 2022 and the nonprofit’s assets that year totaled nearly $5.7 billion.

The foundation has about 100 employees and additional offices in Denver, Jersey City, N.J. and Washington, D.C.