NACDS elects Ashworth chairman, names other officers

The National Association of Chain Drug Store has added officers, named four new executive committee members, and newly elected three members to its board of directors. It also has re-elected three board members. 

Richard Ashworth, president of Walgreens, will serve as NACDS chairman, succeeding Chris Lane, executive vice president of Wakefern Food/ShopRite. Lane will remain on the board of directors, having completed his term as chairman. 

“Every day, Richard Ashworth demonstrates his passion for the future of pharmacy, for the people and communities that pharmacies serve, and for the issues that we address as an industry,” said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson. “People in the company and in the industry know that Richard gives his all to his commitments and that he expects high levels of accomplishment. He will be an outstanding NACDS chairman of the board.”

Ashworth expressed excitement about the coming year. “I’m honored to serve as board chairman for NACDS, and to do so at such a pivotal time, with our pharmacists across the industry playing a more critical role within the healthcare system than ever before,” he said. “I look forward to working closely with Steve and all of our members in the coming year, and believe we have a tremendous opportunity to further advance the profession, with pharmacists being recognized as a vital part of patients’ care teams, as well as trusted providers in communities across the country.”

The NACDS board also elected Meijer president and CEO Rick Keyes as vice chairman and added Kroger Health president Colleen Lindholz as treasurer — both of whom will serve one-year terms. Lindholz also joins the NACDS Executive Committee. Also joining the organization’s board are Jim Peters, COO of Rite Aid, who also will serve on the NACDS Executive Committee; John Roberts, executive vice president and COO of CVS Health, who also joins the NACDS Executive Committee; and Mike Wysong, CEO of Care Pharmacies. Lori Flees, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for health and wellness at Sam’s Club, who currently serves on the board, also is joining the NACDS Executive Committee. 

Amid newcomers, the NACDS board also re-elected three members for three-year terms: Lynne Fruth, president of Fruth Pharmacy; Brian Nightengale, president of Good Neighbor Pharmacy; and Craig Painter, executive chairman at Kinney Drug.