School of Pharmacy

Rick Baxter, MBA
Manager, Pharmacy Operations Optima Health

Rick is the Manager of Pharmacy Operations at Optima Health.  Prior to joining Optima Health, Rick was the Director of Pharmacy Practice at Express Scripts where he served for nine years.  Rick is a graduate of the Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy where he earned his B.S. in Pharmacy in 1978.  Rick also holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Richmond, Robins School of Business.

John Beckner, R.Ph.
Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives for the National Community Pharmacists Association

John is currently the Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives for the National Community Pharmacists Association. He has been a practicing pharmacist for 36 years, previously serving as Director of Pharmacy Operations for Standard Drug Company, Director of Pharmacy and Health Services for Ukrop’s Super Markets, and most recently Regional Pharmacy Manager for Martin’s Food Markets. John received a B.A. in Biology from Wake Forest University and in 1978 received a B.S. in Pharmacy from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). He is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, and is active in several professional and community organizations including VPhA, the Board of the Virginia Health Quality Center, the Medical College of Virginia Foundation, the Health Practitioners Monitoring Program Committee, APhA, the Central Virginia Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and several industry advisory boards.

Catherine Cary, B.S., Pharm.D.
CEO & Pharmacist Bremo Pharmacy

Catherine is a second generation pharmacist and currently works at Richmond Apothecaries Inc. in Richmond, Virginia. She grew up a part of Bremo Pharmacy and has worked in most every position from delivery driver, to pharmacist, to CEO. Catherine graduated from VCU School of Pharmacy with a Bachelors of Pharmacy in 1989, and a Doctorate of Pharmacy in 1994. She loves being a part of the Bremo team because everyone works together to provide caring and quality patient care. In her spare time she enjoys cycling and serving as a Scout leader.

Kerry Cormier, Pharm.D.
Manager of Professional and College Relations CVS Health

Kerry is the Manager of Professional and College Relations for the Mid-Atlantic at CVS. She works as a liaison between Schools of Pharmacy and CVS Health to support intern development and training, rotations, and hiring. Kerry started her career with CVS as an intern herself during her P4 year at Shenandoah University in 2007. She went on to become a Staff Pharmacist, Pharmacy Manager, and Pharmacy Supervisor in Washington, DC and Southern Maryland before taking her current position in 2014, where she continues to precept students through an Advanced Business Leadership Rotation.

Gary Cupit, Pharm.D.
CEO & Director Somnus Therapeutics, Inc.

Gary is the CEO of a sleep medicine company, Somnus Therapeutics. He held similar positions at Enzo Therapeutics and Sapphire Therapeutics, a private biopharmaceutical company. Prior to Sapphire, Gary was Vice President, Global Business Development and Licensing, Novartis. Gary has held senior positions at Knoll Pharmaceutical as well as The Medicines Company of Cambridge, MA. He entered the industry with SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals in a number of capacities in field sales, product management and new product development where he led the launch of four products. He has more than 28 years of pharmaceutical and healthcare industry experience in addition to 14 years in university-based academics. Prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry, Gary held faculty positions at New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and the University of Tennessee, Memphis.

Ron Davis, R.Ph.
Pharmacist Jefferson Pharmacy

Ron received his B.S. in Pharmacy from Medical College of Virginia in 1973. He practiced at Revco before opening his own store in 1975. Ron is currently with Jefferson Pharmacy. He precepted students for more than 30 years and is an instructor at the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy. He serves on multiple boards and committees including the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy National Advisory Council, Experiential Education Advisory Board and Curriculum Committee, National and Regional GNP Advisory Boards, Virginia Pharmacists Association, Richmond Pharmacists Association and the Virginia Academy of Independent Pharmacies and Bon Air Rotary. He has been recognized with the Innovative Pharmacy of the Year Award, the MCV Preceptor Award, the MCV Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award, Disability Friendly Work Environment Award, Preceptor of the Month and Pharmacist of the Year by Good Neighbor Pharmacies. He received a Purple heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star for his military service in Vietnam.

Preston Hale, R.Ph.
Consultant “Ph” Consulting: Pharmacy Management

Preston is currently a consultant with Ph Consulting. Preston graduated from MCV in 1972. He owned several pharmacies in central Virginia and designed and developed the original Compute-Rx Pharmacy System (one of the first PC based Pharmacy automation systems) in 1979. He is a past chairman of both the MCV Pharmacy Alumni Association and the Pharmacy National Advisory Council. He is past president of the Virginia Pharmacists Association (VPhA) and serves on the boards of both the MCV Foundation and RxPartnership. Preston has received many awards for his contributions to pharmacy including: VPhA Outstanding Pharmacist, the MCV Alumnus Service Award, the VCU School of Pharmacy Alumni Star Award, the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) Pharmacy Leadership award and the Friends of the Virginia Academy of Student Pharmacists (VASP) award.

Keith Hodges, B.S.
Delegate – 98th District VA General Assembly

Keith has served as a Delegate for the Commonwealth of Virginia House of Delegates representing the 98th district since 2012. He is also the President of Gloucester Pharmacy and Vice President of Poqouson Pharmacy. Keith is a 1989 graduate of the Medical College of Virginia with a B.S. in Pharmacy. He is a member of the Research and Education Foundation Board and serves on the Board of Directors for EPIC Pharmacies, as well as the National Community Pharmacists Association. Keith has been the recipient of many awards including Merck, Pharmacist Achievement Award, National Community Pharmacists Association, Leadership Award, Virginia Pharmacists Association, President’s Award, Virginia Retail Merchants Association, Retailer of the Year and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Bowl of Hygeia Award. Keith is a resident of Urbanna, VA where he lives with his wife Shelley and daughters Chloe and Ella.

Susan Learned, M.D., Pharm.D./Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Development Indivior, Inc.

Susan is the Senior Vice President, Global Clinical Development at Indivior, Inc. Susan joined GSK in 1997 and spent 12 years leading various global neurosciences clinical divisions, including posts based in Europe and Asia-Pacific, before being named to her current position.

William Lee, D.Ph., MPA, FASCP
Pharmacy System Director Carilion Medical Center

William is the Pharmacy System Director for ACO model (1200 bed) Carilion Clinic Health System in Roanoke, VA. William has a background in acute care and all aspects of ambulatory settings, pharmacy automation, wholesaling, pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) and employee prescription strategies. He is the 2012 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awardee for the Improving Health of At-risk Rural Patients (IHARP) grant ($4.2 M) for improving healthcare of rural patients utilizing pharmacists in medical home environment. William is a graduate of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists’ (ASHP) 2014 Leadership Institute and serves on the pharmacy advisory committees of various colleges of pharmacy. He also served as the Regional VP and Divisional VP for Comprehensive Pharmacy Services. William is a resident of Radford, VA.

Charles "Rusty" Maney, B.S.
Area Healthcare Supervisor Walgreens

Charles has spent most of his career in community pharmacy for Revco Drug Stores and Walgreens. As the Area Healthcare Supervisor of Walgreens he is responsible for the clinical program design and results, professional development, and operational consultant for the Central and Eastern Virginia area. Prior to joining Walgreens in 1996 Charles held various management positions for Revco Drug Stores, Bon Secours Health Systems, and Caremark. He is involved in several community associations and service organizations as well; serving as President of the Virginia Association of Chain Drug stores since 2010, President of Richmond Pharmacist Association in 2009-2010, and various leadership positions with the Virginia Pharmacist Association. Charles is a member of the Dean’s National Advisory Council for MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy, bringing over 30 years of pharmacy experience to the group. He is a Virginia native and graduate of the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy.

Everett McAllister, R.Ph., MPA
CEO & Executive Director Pharmacy Technician Certification Board

Everett is Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer for the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board (PTCB). Responsible for leadership of the nation’s leading certifying body for pharmacy technicians. With 30+ years of health care leadership experience, Colonel McAllister held senior pharmacy positions with the Air Force and Department of Defense, as well as executive-level positions at teaching medical centers, ambulatory clinics and health-systems across the country. Prior to joining PTCB, Colonel McAllister served as the Deputy Director of the Pharmaceutical Operations Directorate within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense in Washington, DC. He also served as senior DoD military pharmacist and policy advisor, responsible for managing a complex $7.6 billion pharmacy program, impacting over 9.6 million DoD beneficiaries worldwide. Everett earned his Bachelor of Pharmacy from University of South Carolina and Masters of Public Administration from Auburn University.

Ron McFarlane, R.Ph.
Retired

Ron recently retired as the Group President of Specialty Infusion Services at DiplomatRon joined Diplomat when it acquired MedPro Rx in June 2014 where he served for 11 years as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. Previously, he helped lead home infusion companies in a number of executive roles, including as President and CEO of Sunrise Healthcare, President of Home Healthcare Solutions and Vice President of Sales and Operations at Biomedical Homecare. Ron has also served on the boards of local youth education programs, environmental and community advocacy groups, as well as the board of the National Myasthenia Gravis Association. Ron currently serves on the Board of Visitors for VCU and is also on the Medical College of Virginia Foundation Board. Ron received his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University. He later completed an ASHP-accredited pharmacy residency at MCV Hospitals in Richmond, Virginia.

Meredyth C Nelson, Pharm.D., MSHA
Retired

Meredyth is the former Director of Pharmacy at McGuire VA Medical Center. She supervised a wide variety of clinical and distributive pharmacy services for inpatients and outpatients including specialty areas like Spinal Cord Injury, Oncology, Polytrauma, Pain and Mental Health. She provided oversight for pharmacist-managed clinics in Anticoagulation, Metabolic Syndrome in addition to educational programs for IPPE and APPE students. She also supervised ASHP-accredited PGY-1 and PGY-2 residency programs. Meredyth earned two VCU/MCV degrees - A BS in Pharmacy in 1980 and a Master of Science in Healthcare Administration in 1994. She also received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Shenandoah University in 2006. She is currently a volunteer pharmacist for Crossover Ministries.

Peter Ramsey, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Global Health Richmond Site Leader Pfizer Consumer Healthcare

Peter leads the Pfizer Consumer Healthcare Global Health organization and the Pfizer Richmond, Virginia site with approximately two decades of experience spanning multiple areas of leadership responsibility. Peter has over 18 years of industry experience, with leadership responsibility in the areas of Pharmaceutical R&D, Global R&D, Operations, Business Operations, Strategy Development and diversity initiatives. He has a proven record of successful cross-functional team leadership across varied dosage forms, resulting in multiple prescription and consumer healthcare product launches. Peter is a member of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, the American Chemical Society and the Dean’s National Advisory Council at the VCU School of Pharmacy. He serves Junior Achievement of Central Virginia as a member of the Board of Directors. Peter holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Pharmaceutics / Pharmaceutical Chemistry. 

Al Schalow, Jr., B.S.
Retired

Alvin is a 1961 graduate of MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy and has given his time and talents to VCU and to the pharmaceutical field. Alvin took an active role in local, state and national professional associations and was elected top leadership positions in most. Fascinated with the field of pharmacy and its long history, Alvin has created programs to present to both pharmacy students and civic groups and is playing an integral part in the development of a history of pharmacy museum at the VCU School of Pharmacy that will appeal to students and history buffs alike. Alvin has served as a lecturer, adviser and preceptor for VCU pharmacy students. He spearheaded the creation of the School of Pharmacy Scholarship Golf Tournament and serves on various local, state and national pharmacy associations. He has also devoted time, energy and resources to support the MCV Alumni Association, including serving as its president and raising funds to restore the Maupin-Maury House, now home to the MCVAA.

Janet Silvester, Pharm.D., MBA, FASHP
Vice President, Accreditation Services ASHP

Janet received her B.S. in Pharmacy from MCV/VCU, a Doctor of Pharmacy from Creighton University and a Masters in Business Administration from James Madison University. In 2013, Janet joined American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) as Vice President of Accreditation Services, responsible for providing strategic direction for all ASHP accreditation programs and services domestically & internationally. Janet spent 34 years in hospital pharmacy and was Director of Pharmacy & Emergency Services at Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, VA. Janet is a past president of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and past president of the Virginia Society of Health-System Pharmacists. She is a past recipient of the Virginia Health-System Pharmacist of the Year award, the RD Anderson Distinguished Leadership Award, and the 2012 ASHP Award for Distinguished Leadership Award, and the 2012 ASHP Award for Distinguished Leadership in Health-System Pharmacy Practice.

Rebecca Snead, B.S.
Executive Vice President and CEO NASPA

Rebecca is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA). Prior to assuming this position she was the Executive Director of the Virginia Pharmacists Association for over a decade. She is also the Secretary/Treasurer for the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety Pharmacy (APMS), a non-profit supporting entity to NASPA whose mission is to foster a culture of quality within the profession of pharmacy. Rebecca is recognized nationally for her leadership and service to the profession of pharmacy. Most recently, the 2011 Medical College of Virginia Alumni Association’s Outstanding Alumnus Award and in 2008 the American Pharmacists Association Gloria Niemeyer Francke Leadership Mentor Award and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation’s UCB Leadership in Pharmacy Award. She received her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Medical College of Virginia.

William Zellmer, MPH
President Pharmacy Foresight Consulting

William is a consultant, writer, and speaker on professional and strategic issues in pharmacy practice and education. He is the elected President of the American Institute of the History of Pharmacy and the President of Pharmacy Foresight Consulting. He retired from the staff of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists at the end of 2009 after serving for many years in senior positions including: Deputy Executive Vice President and earlier, Editor of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. He is a pharmacy graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earned a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University.