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Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards Grand Jury
Director, Media Strategy and Planning
Walmart
BIO
D.J. Vaughn serves as Director of Media Strategy & Planning at Walmart. In this role, he develops cross channel, comprehensive campaign strategies and tactics that center on ever-evolving, top business priorities. Currently, his work centers on amplifying Walmart’s nascent sports marketing partnerships, while he continues to oversee award-winning programming focused on brand, culture, commerce, and community.
D.J. leads with passion and a desire to create meaningful impact, a focus illustrated through the intentional development of several incubator programs with HOORAE, NGLmitú, and SiriusXM. Each provides opportunity, access, and professional development to emerging talent across mediums.
Additionally, D.J. oversees media sponsorships, talent & influencer integrations, as well as long & short-from serial content – all efforts that celebrate identity, intersectionality, and excellence. He endeavors to showcase the culture in the most authentic and positive light, resulting in successful, audience-resonating work and strong relationships with leading media companies and creators.
His remit also extends to exciting, commerce-focused executions, partnering with cross-functional teams to promote merchandise drops and limited-time offers from both emerging entrepreneurs and high-profile individuals. From exciting collections with Megan Thee Stallion and Becky G to innovative collaborations with Anwar Carrots and Patti Delgado of Hija de tu Madre, he strategically and carefully manages every assignment. Whether tailoring growth market opportunities or developing general market plans, his approach is customized, optimized, and data-backed.
Formerly, D.J. served on Walmart’s National Social Media team, during which he managed cross-category content development and curation, organic and paid media strategies, and never-been-done-before activations. D.J. coordinated various social series, including features that accounted for 3 of Walmart’s top 5 live-streamed broadcasts.
Prior to his tenure at Walmart, D.J. served as a grantmaker for foundation and corporate givers, managing executive, domestic, and international philanthropic portfolios and communications for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and FedEx. For the latter, D.J. created and launched the corporation’s first CSR strategy for the continent of Africa, which included developing the first corporate-sponsored university scholarship for graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.
A native of North Carolina, D.J. is a Duke University alum, graduating with degrees in Public Policy Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and Documentary Studies. He also earned his MBA at Wake Forest University as a Dingledine Positive Social Impact Scholar.
Get to know the 2026 Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards Grand Jurors.