DSN_TopWomen

COVER STORY

DSN salutes the winners of this year’s Top Women in Health, Wellness and Beauty

BY THE EDITORS

Entering its fifth year, the Top Women in Health, Wellness & Beauty awards program acknowledges women at the pinnacle of their expertise, leaving an indelible impact in the realm of retail healthcare, beauty and wellness The DSN team chose 113 recipients in three categories—Business Excellence, Commitment to Care and Rising Stars—honoring women making significant advancements at different stages of their professional journeys. In Chicago later this month, the award winners will receive recognition at the upcoming Top Women in Health, Wellness & Beauty. The event will feature networking opportunities, keynote speakers, panels and more, which will showcase the essential elements for women to thrive and excel in the field of retail pharmacy. Discover more about these remarkable women who continually surpass expectations through either leading their communities or achieving noteworthy career milestones.

BUSINESS

EXCELLENCE

Amanda Leider

Pharmacist

Dave’s Pharmacy

Leider has been a pharmacist in Alliance, Nebraska, for more than five years. A staffer at Dave’s Pharmacy for the past four years, Leider began as a staff pharmacist and is now the pharmacy manager at the Alliance location. Over the last year, Leider’s main accomplishment has been inventory management; decreasing overhead inventory without compromising patient access to their medications. Ordering from multiple suppliers is key to increase profit margins as insurance reimbursement continues to decrease. Promoting the pharmacy’s clinical services, vaccinations, strep and flu testing, A1C and cholesterol testing also has been beneficial.

Amber Kayse

Vice President of Health & Wellness Payor Contracting Strategy

Kroger Health

Amber Kayse, PharmD, joined The Kroger Co. in 1998. She has held many roles, from pharmacy technician to corporate teams, where she created efficient processes for prescription fulfillment and clinical services. Currently, Kayse leads the team responsible for negotiating fair and equitable contracts with health plans and PBMs. She is also responsible for the success of Kroger Health’s payor strategic programs that yield industry-leading, quality outcomes. She has been previously recognized with Kroger’s Leadership and Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery Awards for contributions to simplifying the pharmacy experience, while enabling associates to practice at the top of their licenses.

Barbie Blair

Senior Director – Sales, Kroger Team Beauty, Personal Care, Health & Baby Care

Procter & Gamble

Blair is P&G’s HBC team leader for Kroger responsible for eight of P&G’s 11 categories. With 30 years of experience, she has played a pivotal role transforming joint business plans, influencing go to market strategies and codifying management systems unlocking joint value for P&G and her customers. Blair is a collaborative, possibilities leader known for her problem-solving skills and transforming team cultures to enable winning results. She was selected as a Champion for the inaugural year of the Queen City Game Changers—a Cincinnati women’s leadership program and previously recognized by Progressive Grocer for Top Women in Grocery.

Anita patel

Vice President, Pharmacy Services Development

Walgreens

Dr. Anita Patel leads the development of Walgreens clinical pharmacy services. She is responsible for the advancement of existing clinical programs such as immunizations and medication adherence, expansion into new therapeutic areas including health screenings, care gap closures for diabetes and hypertension, and innovation for clinical service delivery to improve access to quality care across all communities. Dr. Patel also oversees the Walgreens COVID-19 strategy and execution, including vaccines, testing, data and analytics. She has more than 20 years of experience in the public health and healthcare industry, helping to accelerate Walgreens into its pharmacy of the future strategy.

Brianna Stetson

Director of Performance Marketing Strategy

CVS Health

As the director of performance marketing strategy Stetson and her team drive holistic, customer-oriented strategy across performance marketing channels driving millions of dollars in revenue each year. As a critical touchpoint in the customer’s journey, Stetson and her team are constantly looking at new ways to drive value to our customers through innovative marketing programs, diversified and personalized marketing messages across a variety of shopping touchpoints, and offers that keep the customer at the sole focus of everything we do. Outside of work, Stetson is a volunteer for her town’s finance committee and The New England Parent liaison for Early Intervention.

Beth Bell

Vice President, Healthcare Sales

Inmar Intelligence

Bell has been delivering solutions to pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies for more than 20 years. Bell started her career in accounting services and has applied unique financial best practices to the healthcare supply chain and pharmaceutical reimbursement processes. Bell leads the Inmar sales teams for pharmaceutical manufacturers, wholesalers, and retail pharmacy clients. Her superpower is listening to clients and working with the Inmar Intelligence teams to develop business solutions to address client needs. She is a true innovator and collaborator in our industry.

Claire Biermaas

SVP & President, Corporate Partnerships

AmerisourceBergen

Biermaas leads AmerisourceBergen’s Corporate Partnerships team, which provides wraparound support and resources to the company’s most strategic customers, including some of the largest healthcare institutions and retail pharmacies across the United States. These industry-leading customers are responsible for approximately $125 billion in annual revenue. Biermaas leads the team in strategizing effective methods of establishing and maintaining these robust partnerships to not only fulfill customers’ unique distribution needs, but also help them design and execute solutions that promote affordability and accessibility—a critical need for these customers, given the fiercely competitive and rapidly evolving healthcare market.

Candice Judy

Vice President, Pharmacy Retail Operations

McKesson

Judy supports McKesson and Health Mart independently owned pharmacies. She works with pharmacy owners and sales partners to grow revenue, strengthen business operations and thrive in a challenging environment to be there for their patients and community. Judy also serves as a consultant, mentor and business coach for various key initiatives within McKesson, including the new Health Mart franchise market strategy and the Community Pharmacy Scorecard for field teams to monitor and respond to the needs of our pharmacy customers. Judy also is an advocacy ambassador advocating for provider status for pharmacists and is an engaged member of the Retail Solutions Council.

Crystal Lennartz

Pharm.D., MBA, VP & General Manager

Health Mart Atlas & Atlas Specialty, McKesson

Lennartz is a highly accomplished pharmacist, healthcare leader and advocate with more than 15 years of experience in managed care, pharmacy operations, strategy and business development. She led McKesson’s Health Mart Atlas to be the largest, top-performing pharmacy services administrative organization in the market offering industry leading centralized managed care solutions for pharmacies. Lennartz led the implementation of Atlas Specialty, bringing the strength of Health Mart Atlas to support specialty pharmacies. As community pharmacies expand their clinical services offerings, Lennartz is dedicated to helping pharmacies get fairly reimbursed for the care they provide patients.

Cristina Kroening

Director of Sales

Market Performance Group

Kroening is director of sales at Market Performance Group, a leading, end-to-end omnichannel strategy and services company for many of today’s fastest-growing manufacturers and retailers in the CPG industry. She is on the CVS team and is responsible for developing and executing strategic go-to-market strategies for her supplier partners and achieving long term growth. She has a passion for developing brands by using a proactive and fact-based approach, leveraging data and customized insights to create consumer lead sales strategies. Kroening lives MPG’s core value of client intimacy, always going above and beyond to find solutions for our partners.

Dana Steinfeld

Senior Vice President, Brand Incubation & Innovation

Maesa

Steinfeld is a beauty executive with 24 years of experience creating products for global beauty companies. Since 2011, she’s been at Maesa, a brand incubator recently named a top 10 fastest-growing beauty company. In her current role, Steinfeld leads product innovation and new brand incubation. The brands and products she creates span categories with a focus on connection, accessibility and wellness. She believes that beauty and self care are luxuries that everyone deserves and refuses to compromise on product quality, irrespective of price. She strives to bring joy and optimism to the world through meaningful brands and products.

Dana Cohen

Omni Channel & Shopper Insights Manager

The Emerson Group

Cohen is a leader in the omnichannel category development process, with its evolving shopper insights, at The Emerson Group and on the Walmart Team. Cohen’s strategic focus on omnichannel development helps redefine categories through unifying data from shoppers’ behavior, on and offline. She and her team leverage established and emerging technologies to identify new growth opportunities for the retailer and brand partners. Cohen believes creativity and trust are key to building stronger relationships and achieving mutual success in the CPG community. She is also a member of Emerson’s Give Back program and an advocate for personal and professional development.

Deidre Williams

Chief Marketing Officer

Soapbox

Williams is a results-driven business leader and accomplished marketer with the proven ability to scale consumer brands for the CPG industry. As the chief marketing officer for Soapbox, a natural hair and skin care mission-driven company, Williams’ marketing and branding strategies has helped to build Soapbox into one of the fastest growing natural brands. Her professional experience includes managing leading brands for Unilever and revitalizing small and mid-sized brands in the Beauty, Natural and Wellness Space.

Debbie Aslup

VP of Sales Strategy & Services

Market Performance Group

It is a bit easier to do business with Walmart, thanks to Aslup. With her expertise in the industry, she has successfully developed and managed growth-focused strategies for brands in the Beauty, Health and Wellness sectors. Aslup has played a crucial role in building brands like Claritin, Ecotools, and Real Techniques, as well as leading teams such as Walmart Beauty, Schering Plough, Paris Presents and now Market Performance Group. She is known for her ability to drive growth and build strong brands and relationships within Walmart. Aslup serves her community, serving as 2023 board chair for American Heart Association.

Diane Bojic

Customer Business Manager

Crossmark

As customer business manager at Crossmark, Bojic partners with Walgreens’ Category Management Teams and manufacturers to deliver sales, inventory management and profitability at retail. Bojic gives back to the retail/CPG industry by mentoring and connecting women. This past year Bojic created monthly meetups to connect and give colleagues the support to help them frame their career path. As a 15-year member of NextUp, she held the following roles: co-chair, secretary, and membership lead. Past awards received are the new Bobbie O’Hare Regional Committee Member 2009; New Best of the Best Regional Committee Member 2009; Crossmark Efficiency Award 2018.

Dena Melnick

Executive Director, Divisional Merch - Beauty

CVS Health

Melnick is an industry veteran with over 30 years of retail experience. She has held various roles in her seven years at CVS and is currently the DMM, executive director of personal care, managing all of the Hair Care, Oral Health, Shave, and Deodorant categories. During her time at CVS she has become known as “The Queen of White Space” introducing many new brands and businesses such as Claire’s and Fabulous Fashion Extras. She also developed the very first Big Hair Event at CVS back in 2018 and this is now a bi-annual event and grows every year!

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson

CEO

Eosera, Inc.

Dickerson is CEO and co-founder of Eosera, Inc., a female-led company that focuses on ear care. Eosera has products in more than 28,000 retail stores nationwide, including major retailers like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite Aid, Albertsons and Kroger. Dickerson is the recipient of numerous industry awards, including being named EY’s 2023 Entrepreneur of the Year and ranked on Inc. 5000’s National List of fastest-growing private companies three years in a row in 2023, 2022 and 2021. Dickerson holds a bachelor’s of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.

Elizabeth Karvonen

CVS Team Lead

The Emerson Group

Current CVS team lead and head of store brands at The Emerson Group, Karvonen works with 13 amazing teammates managing over $600 million in POS at CVS. She played a key role in launching and managing Emerson Giving, the Emerson Group’s charitable arm. Karvonen holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. In her free time, you can often find her running with her friends and colleagues, and volunteering in her community. She’s also the proud mother of twin teenage girls, and she never tires of being their No. 11 soccer and basketball fan.

Hailey Helin

Sr. Director, P&G Walmart Hair Care

Procter & Gamble

Helin leads the P&G Hair Care business for Walmart, responsible for creating multi-year joint business plans that drive sales, profit, market share and category growth. Under her leadership, the business has delivered $200 million in incremental sales, leading Walmart’s category growth and outpacing North America. Since joining P&G in 2011, Helin has held numerous roles across beauty and household needs, and broad-based channel experience including Mass, Dollar and Food. She is a passionate, strategic leader with a track record of building strong relationships, championing female and multicultural talent, and establishing sustainable winning plans that leave a lasting impact.

Emily Rogers

Director, Retail Strategy, Drug/Value Channels

The Coca-Cola Company

Rogers leads retail channel strategy for the drug and value channels at the Coca-Cola Company. She has been in her current role since May of 2023 and is working to evolve the channel strategies to enable sustainable, profitable growth for the future. She has experience across category leadership, insights, strategy and people leadership. Prior to this role, Rogers has held various roles across category advisory and leadership, supporting drug, value and convenience retailers.

Heidi Winthrop

Vice President, Customer Facing Supply Chain

Nestlé Health Science

Winthrop has more than 28 years of experience in the nutritional supplement industry and is the vice president of the customer facing supply chain for Nestlé Health Science. Over the years she has held roles in marketing, private label sales operations and supply chain and has been extremely successful in all areas with a proven track record of flawless execution. She currently leads the global order to cash, domestic customer facing teams and an extended member of the customer leadership team ensuring strong collaboration with sales and driving exceptional customer service driving for results.

Heather Grantham

Sr. Director Marketplace Intel & Category Management

Market Performance Group

Grantham is an experienced U.S. category and shopper insights leader. Over her 23+ year career, Grantham has gained a deep expertise in analytic development and insights, selling presentation creation and delivery, strategic planning and training/development. She has been with Market Performance Group for the last three years leading its SmartSights Marketplace Intelligence team who manage over 30 ongoing clients, internal and external training initiatives, and insights with consultative projects. Prior to MPG, she worked for NielsenIQ for 11 years followed by almost nine years leading U.S. Analytics for Sanofi CHC.

Jaime Romano

Sr. Director Cat Dev & Cap./NRM

Haleon

As a senior director of category development and capability and NRM at Haleon, Romano leverages her expertise in customer strategy and insights to lead insight driven commerce solutions within H&W. Romano is also responsible for building Haleon’s NRM Team where she implemented new processes, tools and capability across the organization delivering profitable growth for Haleon and retail partners. She is a dynamic and accomplished leader who has demonstrated a track record of success. She was previously responsible for $1 billion in category sales, delivered double digit net sales and co-led the commercial introduction of the brand Voltaren OTC in the U.S.

Holly VanLente

Pharmaceutical Buyer

Meijer

As a pharmacy buyer for Meijer, VanLente is responsible for securing stable supplies of safe and affordable prescription products for Meijer’s pharmacy customers. She collaborates with leadership across all areas of the pharmacy business to ensure patients’ and stores’ needs are met. By building strong relationships with suppliers, VanLente’s’s efforts have enabled Meijer to weather the many supply disruptions that plague the industry. She also works closely with the Meijer distribution team to ensure product flows efficiently so pharmacy teams can focus on the patient, not product availability.

Jasteena Gill

Vice President of Marketing

CeraVe USA

Gill is a vice president of marketing at CeraVe USA, part of the L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty Division, with over 9 years of marketing experience in beauty and skin care. CeraVe, developed with dermatologists, has become one of the most relevant and top-performing skin care brands in the United States. Prior to joining the CeraVe brand in 2022, she was head of brand of Vichy Laboratoires, and grew the brand by 35% in 3 years. Gill graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of science degree in biology and is passionate about combining the worlds of science and skin care.

Janell Stephens

Chief Executive Officer/Founder

Camille Rose LLC

A leader in this space is none other than Janell Stephens, CEO and founder of Camille Rose LLC, who has been at the forefront of the radical shift in the beauty industry since its conception in 2011, and has been defining what it means to be a lover of all things beauty since it all began in her small kitchen many years ago. In a matter of three short years the brand morphed into a multi-million dollar company with legions of fans and throngs of supporting retailers.

Jennifer Livingston

Director, PR & Social Media - Marketing

Simply Good Foods Co.

Livingston is director, PR and social media, for The Simply Good Foods Company and its nutritional brands, Atkins and Quest. She manages all PR for the robust portfolio of products, programs, celebrity spokespeople, influencers and social media. She works with healthcare practitioners to amplify the benefits of a low carb lifestyle and the Atkins and Quest products that are rich in protein and lower in carbs and sugar. In the past year, she has launched Quest For Impact grants for people making an impact in their community for health and wellness initiatives.

Jeanne Lucas

Sr. Director, Consulting

Market Performance Group, LLC

Lucas is an accomplished CPG professional with more than 25 years of combined strategic consulting and sales experience across a diverse portfolio of health, beauty and food brands. Since joining MPG, Lucas has applied her experiences and strong critical thinking to help clients improve efficiencies and financial results by optimizing terms of sale and commercial investment; implementing effective go-to-market strategies based on consumer, category and customer insights; and building organizational capabilities through effective change management initiatives. She is passionate about exceeding client expectations to deliver sustained results and relationships.

Julie Anne Lalicon

Senior Manager Specialty Pharmacy

Publix Super Markets

Lalicon has been with Publix Super Markets since 2014. She is the senior manager of specialty pharmacy and is responsible for implementing strategies and maintaining trade relations with manufacturers, vendors and other healthcare professionals to drive operational success. She successfully led her team in getting and maintaining Publix Specialty Pharmacy’s dual accreditation by URAC and ACHC and licensure in all 50 states. Lalicon is a pharmacist who is board-certified in ambulatory care and takes it upon herself to learn new skills and gain knowledge beyond her current role to bring added benefit to her department and operations

Joni A. Odum

President & CEO

Firstline, Incorporated

Joni leads Firstline, Incorporated, a Black- and women-owned consumer products company. Joni is integral in the development of Firstline’s national brands, including Evolve, WavEnforcer, DriSweat, Camryn’s BFF and Sleek. Joni’s entrepreneurial spirit is inspired by her late father, Robert A. Bowser (founder). Her spirit led Firstline’s award-winning product innovation and penetration into untapped retail channels. At her core, Joni has an indisputable focus on people, culture and delivering affordable tools that inspire love for textured hair. Her leadership is vital to Firstline’s continued growth of product lines and expansion across the country.

Karen Todd

Vice President, Global Brand Marketing

Kyowa Hakko USA

Todd, a registered dietitian and vice president of global brand marketing at Kyowa Hakko, has spearheaded the company’s global brand expansion with remarkable success. Her leadership has led to numerous ingredient awards and elevated brand recognition. Cognizin Citicoline, Kyowa’s flagship product, now dominates sales across various platforms, backed by clinical studies supporting cognitive benefits. Beyond her corporate achievements, Todd is an executive board member for the Council for Responsible Nutrition and she chairs the Women In Nutraceuticals non-profit, advocating for gender equity and women’s unique nutritional needs.

Julie Wilson

Founder/Chief Executive Officer

Patina Development Group

Wilson has a strong background in sales and management within the CPG industry. She has worked for notable companies such as P&G and Hershey. In her role, she collaborated with Costco to help develop and market the Kirkland Signature vitamin SKUs. In 2009, Wilson founded her own brokerage company, Patina Development Group, where she is the CEO. Patina has achieved success with their partners by introducing new trending categories and direct-to-consumer SKUs and then driving sales through creative marketing tools. Wilson embodies the mantras of “Whatever it takes” and “No just means not today.”

Laura Medcalf

Senior Buyer

Target

Medcalf is a senior buyer at Target, leading the strategy and assortment for the surface cleaning and cleaning tools businesses. She has 8 years of Target experience, holding roles in inventory management, planning and buying. The award recognition is for her collaboration with internal and external partners, leadership and eye for innovation to drive strategic category growth.

Kelly Sobol

Senior Vice President of North America Sales & Customer Development

Milani Cosmetics

Sobol is the SVP of sales and customer development at Milani Cosmetics, where she leads North America. Over the past year, Sobol has driven significant revenue growth and helped lead a brand transformation that has resulted in Milani’s growth outperforming the beauty category for the last seven straight quarters. Sobol is a results-driven and collaborative leader, deeply committed to mentorship, building cross-functional teams and creating partnerships that unlock business value and drive growth. Her involvement in Women in Retail Leadership extends her influence beyond Milani Cosmetics and sets a precedent for other women in retail to follow.

Lisa MacMillin

Executive Vice President of Sales

Soapbox

MacMillin is a proven results-driven executive vice president of sales who motivates and inspires best-in-class teams and partnerships while delivering profitable volume growth and brand development. Since joining Soapbox in early 2021,MacMillin has created selling strategies that doubled the sales and distribution through key strategic retailer partnerships in food, drug, mass and specialty. Not only does Soapbox produce an amazing on-trend portfolio of natural hair and body products, but also has the privilege of donating 36 million-plus bars of soap through Soapbox’s 1 for 1 give back mission.

Lauri Gosline

Director, Customer Development & Insights

Quest Products LLC

Gosline is the director of customer development and insights at Quest Products, a company specializing in OTC solutions that put the power of self-care into the consumer’s hands. In this role, Gosline has transformed the way the company uses and shares insights with retailers across all classes of trade. She is responsible for identifying customer and category trends, working with internal teams to develop selling strategies, and utilizing data to drive internal and external growth initiatives. Gosline’s work has been an integral part of Quest doubling the size of their business in the last three years.

Divisional Vice President Pharmacy Operations

Rite Aid

Cardello’s length of service with Rite Aid has spanned more than 27 years. Of that time, 10 of those have been as the divisional vice president of pharmacy operations of New York City and New Jersey. That role grew this past year when Cardello assumed responsibility for New England. It has been very rewarding for Cardello to see the script growth and immunizations increase throughout the division, while improving the customers’ experience. Cardello’s biggest accomplishment has been to build a great team that is very driven to succeed. “To watch my team grow, becoming candidates for higher positions is probably the biggest reward any leader could ask for.”

Mandy Johnson

Category Director - Hair/Bath & Personal Care

Rite Aid

Johnson is responsible for 13 categories across hair, bath and personal care at Rite Aid. Working with supplier partners to introduce better-for-you assortments in branded and private label products to meet the needs of our customers, Johnson grew share in the market across key categories. In addition, Johnson is responsible for promotional planning, assortment decisions, profit and loss management and the development of long-term growth pillars to accelerate growth at Rite Aid.

Margherita Cardello

Maxine Weir

Director, Compliance & Ethics

McKesson

Weir works with various businesses at McKesson to ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, internal/industry standards, and community expectations to promote doing “what is right.” Other duties include fostering a complementary relationship with legal colleagues to support compliance program effectiveness and supporting and encouraging teamwork with internal colleagues and business partners along with fostering respect and camaraderie with external customers. Weir is a mentor for new and existing employees interested in self-development and advancement and is a .General Council Organization 2022 award recipient for outstanding contribution, leadership, support, problem-solving skills and guidance in standing up the HealthMart Federal COVID-19 Vaccine Program.

Marina Welk

Sr. Director - Consulting

Market Performance Group

Welk has been with MPG in a strategic consulting role for 10 years as senior consultant. Welk’s thought leadership and problem solving approaches have helped clients in health and beauty to achieve their business goals across various initiatives including; delivering a trade optimization model that results in more efficient spending strategies allowing the client to re-invest into growth driving initiatives, building a customer engagement planning process to elevate client’s engagement with customers and improve impact on the business and designing best in class innovation launch plans to create optimal impact on sell in and sell through.

Omonye Phillips

Divisional Vice President, Pharmacy Operations

Rite Aid

Dr. Omonye Phillips is a divisional vice president at Rite Aid. Her reputation thrives on dynamic servant leadership, overseeing 160-pus stores and 3,500 associates across Southern to Central California. Omonye spearheads strategic vaccination administration, MTMs and pharmacy sales, fostering essential connections between pharmacists and the community. Renowned for nurturing talent and driving exceptional results, her division achieved EBITDA growth of 200% above plan in the latest fiscal year. Beyond her professional prowess, Omonye boasts a diverse academic journey spanning Africa, Europe and America, culminating in her alumni status at the University of Michigan and a seat on its alumni board.

Nada Robel

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist

Meijer

Robel plays a pivotal role in overseeing clinical services across 40-plus pharmacies in the Illinois/Wisconsin region. With 30 years of valuable experience in retail pharmacy, she guides her teams through dynamic pharmacy landscapes and the burgeoning prospects in clinical services. Her paramount goal is to transparently convey objectives and initiatives of clinical programs to ensure seamless implementation throughout stores. Robel’s passion lies in nurturing individuals, confidently fostering teams who achieve the extraordinary. She empowers her teams through education and critical thinking to apply their expertise to enhance patient outcomes. This approach has been instrumental in propelling her toward unparalleled success.

Paula Bogoslofski

Senior Category Manager, Wellness

CVS Health

Bogoslofski leads the wellness strategy and categories at CVS Health as lead director while also leading the Tested to be Trusted company-wide initiative and commitment to the customer. She leads with a people-first mindset by continuing to reshape the wellness strategy to deliver new, disruptive and innovative solutions to better serve the changing customer needs. She not only supports and serves customers on their journey to reach their health and wellness goals, she also prioritizes her passion for developing people by sharing her knowledge of the business through coaching, teaching and mentoring.

Pam Gaik

Senior Vice President, Client Engagement

Market Performance Group, LLC

Gaik has more than 25 years of experience in the CPG and retail industries. She joined MPG in 2020 and currently leads client engagement. Gaik is a champion for ESG initiatives within the industry and MPG. Under her leadership MPG has established its supplier diversity and inclusion programs, providing pro-bono resources and mentorships to further develop capabilities and connectivity for minority owned businesses. Gaik is passionate about giving back to the communities she lives in and regularly volunteers across several charitable organizations. She serves on the Community Board of Directors for the American Diabetes Association, a position she’s held since 2018.

Ruth Rachelle

Regional Vice President, Sales

Piping Rock Health Products

Rachelle has more than 40 years of retail and sales experience, with the last 20 spent in the wellness and nutrition industry. As regional vice president at Piping Rock, Rachelle and her team have built the company’s business in the East from the ground up, expanding Piping Rock’s brand presence and sales across the territory. As a thoughtful mentor and advocate, she supports and develops future industry leaders at every point in their career. Rachelle plays a key role in supporting the strategic direction of Piping Rock and is passionate about the long-term success of both retail partners and the company.

Rashe Bowie

(Formerly) Director of Business Development

Firstline Brands

Bowie boasts a career spanning more than two decades in the CPG industry, with experience across product management, marketing, and business development. As growth and strategy director at Firstline, Bowie is recognized for her deep insights into retailers and customers, turning them into actionable strategies, driving success in sales, profit, market share and category growth. With unwavering dedication spanning a decade, her role has been pivotal in achieving retail partnerships and driving sales to unprecedented heights across key retailers, such as Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, H-E-B, Kroger, Sally Beauty, Dollar General, Nexcom and AAFES.

Shannon Heffernan

Vice President, Sales

L’Oreal Dermatological Beauty

Heffernan has been at L’Oreal Dermatological Beauty for two years, currently leading the commercial team for the drug channel. Prior to L’Oreal, Shannon spent 13 years at WBA in various buying, strategy and leadership roles; most within the beauty and personal care space. She and her husband, Sean, live in Chicagoland with their three children, Honora (10), Mairead (8) and Joseph (4).

Selena Cox

Executive Director, Divisional Merchandise - Beauty

CVS Health

Selena Cox is the divisional merchandising manager for beauty where she and her team are responsible for cosmetics, facial care, sun, fragrance, personal cleansing, hand and body lotion and trail travel. Cox joined CVS Health last year, coming from GNC where she was the senior director, DMM of beauty, health and wellness. She has spent her entire career in merchandising, holding a variety of different positions at iconic retailers including Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. She has also been involved in diversity and social efforts throughout her career and is most proud of launching the Employee Resource groups at Macy’s. A dynamic beauty enthusiast, Cox is bringing new ideas and ways of looking at the business to enable CVS Beauty to continue leading the industry. Selena graduated from the esteemed HBCU Hampton University with her Bachelor of Science degree in business. She is married to Dexter Cox, an engineer with whom she has a 2-year-old son, Amir.

Stacia Schaefer

Strategy Execution Manager

Meijer

Stacia Schaefer, pharmacist with seven years at Meijer, currently guides enterprise-level strategic initiatives as strategy execution manager. In her prior role as trade relations manager at Meijer’s Specialty Pharmacy, she excelled in forging invaluable manufacturer partnerships and introducing innovative solutions. Additionally, Schaefer is a strong advocate for nurturing talent within Meijer, dedicating herself to mentoring and fostering growth opportunities. She extends her impact beyond the workplace, serving as vice chair on the board of Ele’s Place, a Michigan non-profit. Schafer’s comprehensive commitment fosters a culture of growth, collaboration and community impact, positively influencing both the Meijer team and the wider community.

Staci Cochran

Vice President, Health Merchandising

Walmart

Cochran is the omni merchandising vice president of health at Walmart. Cochran leads an $8.5 billion portfolio anchored on strategies that have consistently delivered market share gains, increased digital penetration and rapidly expanded omni assortment. Cochran leads a team of 16 merchants and 30-plus cross-functional partners that are laser-focused on providing frictionless retail experiences for customers, leaning toward the senior and aging consumer. Cochran is known for her people-first leadership, both internally and externally, focused on developing merchant talent as well as strategic supplier relationships focused on growth.

Turkessa Knox

Team Leader, Kroger

Haleon

Knox is the director of sales at Haleon for the Kroger team. In this position for three years, Knox has been able to build positive working relationships with key leaders that has resulted in building $35 million in strategic initiatives with her customers over the next three years. She has been able to realize $6 million thus far. As a result, she has been able to turn share losses into gains in all major commodities over the last year.

Tracy O’Neill

Director of Project Management

O’Neill, as iA’s director of project management, is responsible for managing some of iA’s largest centralized fulfillment centers. She works closely with customers to ensure both the immediate and long-term success of each of these high-volume locations, from the initial design phase, to building and launching a location, to managing post-goals and helping customers grow their solution sets. O’Neill’s commitment to the customer, collaboration and sustainable innovation is how she successfully launched 17 centralized fulfillment locations for iA customers in two years—a process that would normally take several years.

Valerie Mondelli

Executive Vice President - Chief Commercial Officer

RevSpring

Mondelli is the EVP – chief commercial officer at RevSpring, responsible for driving overall growth and market strategy across healthcare and financial services business segments. She has a passion for bringing solutions to the market that enhance the patient experience. Mondelli has 25-plus years of exceptional results in revenue growth, new market development, go-to-market planning and operations. She is an inspiring and influential collaborator with a proven track record in building and promoting teams. Mondelli has worked across all segments of healthcare including pharmacy, health systems, health plans, providers and manufacturers, driving double-digit revenue growth year after year.

OTHER

WINNERS

Elizabeth Colvin

Vice President of Merchandising

Kroger

Kelly Mckinnon

(Formerly) Sr. Director DMM, Beauty

Walmart

Hazel Nussbaum

General Manager, Kristin Ess Brand

Maesa

Melinda Rubin

President

Garcoa Labs

Raana Sidky

Pharmacist-in-Charge

Parkview Medical Plaza Pharmacy

COMMITMENT

TO CARE

Deborah Lolo

Pharmacy Manager

Publix Super Markets, Inc. - Publix Pharmacy

Lolo, formerly a pharmacy manager at CVS and Publix Supermarket, currently holds the role of manager of pharmacy outpatient and ambulatory at Memorial Health System. She also serves as president of the Haitian American Pharmacists Association. Through HAPA, Lolo provides free health education, health fairs and organizes international medical missions to aid underserved communities. In 2022, she earned recognition as one of South Florida Legacy magazine’s top 40 under 40 and as a top 20 under 40 by the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida. In 2023, she received the Mr. George Community Service Award from Publix Supermarket.

Brooke Roe

Manager of Pharmacy Quality & Accreditation

Meijer

Roe is the manager of pharmacy quality and accreditation at Meijer, Inc. Her primary role is to oversee the patient safety strategy and error prevention in the pharmacy area. She also ensures Meijer Pharmacy continues to remain accredited with necessary programs. Over the past year, she’s streamlined the continuous quality improvement process and further enhanced the safety culture. This work has provided even better care for both patients and team members. Additionally, Roe is very active in both local and state pharmacy organizations.

Gina Daley

Assistant Vice President, Integrated Health

L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty

Daley is the assistant vice president of integrated health with L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty. Part of her role focuses on driving accessibility of dermatological expertise at retail, especially through the pharmacist. Through her and her team’s work CeraVe was named the No.1 pharmacist-recommended skin care brand in 2023. Daley also does innovative work with large dermatology groups and in teledermatology and is passionate about creating better access to care. By connecting key-opinion-leading dermatologists with retail visionaries, Daley is fostering relationships that will lead to better and clearer shopping experiences for those seeking dermatological solutions.

Eleonora Huskey

Pharmacy District Manager

Meijer

As a Meijer Pharmacy district manager, Huskey is responsible for overseeing pharmacy operations and patient care while driving compliance with state and federal regulations. She is passionate about advancing the pharmacy profession and positively impacting patients’ lives. She has built collaborative relationships with health departments and communities providing vaccinations while focusing on patients’ health and wellness. Huskey has successfully launched various programs that improved system functionality while leading change through innovation. Huskey is a true leader, who supports her teams by developing and mentoring them to make a positive impact and create moments that matter in the communities Meijer serves.

Julie Bagley

Director, Regulatory Affairs

iHealth Inc., a division of dsm-firmenich

Bagley has spent 30-plus years in health and wellness CGP (dietary supplements, OTC drugs, medical devices). Since 2008, she has led the iHealth regulatory affairs team in cross-functional development and global marketing of its microbiome, women’s health and healthy aging portfolios. Her consumer-first mindset has made the regulatory team a valued partner throughout the organization. Awareness of food insecurity and domestic violence are two social issues Bagley is passionate about. She brings this passion to work and leads many of the charitable and community initiatives at iHealth. Bagley is also a mentor in DSM’s Bright Mentoring program.

Jaclyn Vogt

Pharmacist

Meijer Pharmacy

Jaclyn Vogt, Pharm.D., is an ambulatory clinical pharmacist with Meijer Pharmacy practicing in hypertension clinics via a partnership with Michigan Medicine. She works closely with patients to manage their hypertension through a combination of lifestyle and medication interventions. In addition, Vogt has assisted with opening new clinic locations, coordinating the Meijer pharmacists who staff these clinics, and collaborating with Michigan Medicine to foster growth of the program. In the past year she mentored two new clinical pharmacists, requested expanded electronic medical record access to enhance patient communication, and helped launch new virtual appointments.

Lillian Hill

Registered Pharmacist & Registered Nurse

Publix Pharmacy

Hill is a healthcare professional with a remarkable journey spanning more than three decades. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing in 1987, embarking on a 35-year career as a registered nurse, specializing in post anesthesia care units and open heart recovery. In 1993, she added another accolade to her repertoire, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy. For nearly three decades, Hill has served as a pharmacy manager with a focus on immunization clinics with Publix Supermarket, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to patient care. Her dedication extends beyond the pharmacy counter; she’s committed to patient well-being and education.

Krista Hein

Patient Care Services Manager

Albertsons/Safeway Pharmacy

Hein is the patient care services manager and residency program director for the Safeway Mid-Atlantic Division. She manages clinical programs for the division including the immunizations and prescribing services for D.C., Maryland and Virginia. She spearheaded the implementation of medication administration in Maryland, Pharmacist Led Travel Health, PrEP/PEP and OTC prescribing in Virginia, and PrEP/PEP prescribing via a CPA in D.C. Hein works with the local health departments to provide the community with increased access to vaccines including becoming a Vaccines For Children provider in D.C. and working with BCHD to provide vaccinations to underserved communities in Baltimore City.

Olivia Kinney

Clinical Program Development Manager

Kroger Health

Kinney is a community-based pharmacist who is passionate about simplifying health care. In her role at Kroger Health, she designs and implements preventive health programs to close gaps in care and promote medication adherence. Kinney serves as a subject matter expert on vaccinations and customer outreach. She exemplifies a commitment to care by distilling medical information into approachable training and guidance that empower customers to make evidence-based decisions on their health journey. Kinney is an active volunteer with the American Pharmacists Association and most recently served in the elected role of national member at large.

Nancy Van Till

Pharmacist

Meijer Pharmacy #158

Van Till is a highly skilled and respected pharmacist with more than 29 years of experience, including 17 years of leadership. Van Till has been with Meijer for 8 years, 6 of those as team leader mentoring, coaching and developing countless pharmacy leaders. Van Till is a champion of advocating vaccine protection through active promotion within the pharmacy also has a current patient-centric focus to provide outstanding care by assisting the elderly, in specific, in navigating the medical and pharmaceutical landscape, both in the pharmacy and the community. Van Till also collaborates with physicians, nursing and local establishments to help elderly locate resources.

Summer Kerley

Vice President, Clinical & Market Access Solutions

Rite Aid

Kerley is the vice president clinical operations and health plan solutions for Rite Aid Corporation. In her role, she oversees clinical pharmacy initiatives that further enhance the ability to deliver a higher level of patient care focusing on adherence, immunizations, medication therapy management, state-specific prescriptive authority (i.e., point-of-care testing and hormonal contraceptive prescribing) and development of ACPE pharmacist and technician continuing education in the ~2,300 Rite Aid locations. Additionally, she is responsible for the development of new and enhanced clinical operational processes to increase overall profitability and positive health outcomes with health plan partnerships.

RISING

STARS

Allie Rooney

Sr. Director of Software Platforms

Senior director of software platforms at iA, Rooney is responsible for ensuring the delivery and seamless integration of the software solutions and systems that make up iA’s pharmacy fulfillment platform. The customer solutions Rooney oversees include high-volume centralized fulfillment, commercial solutions at retail pharmacies, and now cloud-based applications through iA’s NEXiA software suite, the first of which iA launched in 2023. In her role, Rooney developed and now manages the process, procedures, and mechanisms to scale and optimize iA’s software solutions and systems as the needs of these prescription fulfillment customers and the pharmacy industry at-large rapidly evolves.

Abby Klein

Buyer, Vitamins & Nutrition

Meijer

Klein has spent the last four years of her career buying various categories within health, beauty and personal care at Meijer, most recently buying vitamins and fitness nutrition. She is passionate about creating customer centric strategies and achieving results with her team. With her ability to think strategically, challenge the status quo and lead key initiatives, Klein has been able to achieve strong results across her categories. Most recently Klein has contributed to exceptional growth in the fitness nutrition category by investing in new brands, reflowing store floorplans and accelerating advertising and display strategies.

Amanda Storin

Supply Chain Manager – Supplier Collaboration

Walgreens

As a supply chain manager on the Walgreens Supplier Collaboration Team, Storin is responsible for leading national brand supplier engagement and bringing ideas and solutioning to the supplier community. She supports in creating and growing partnerships with suppliers and carrying out new strategies that bring to life on shelf availability, point of sales forecast accuracy and productive inventory.

Allyson Brennan

Founder

Emogene & Co.

Dr. Allyson Brennan has 15 years’ experience specializing in neurology. She received a bachelor’s of science degree in psychology with a minor in chemistry/biology from Millsaps College and received her bachelor’s of science in pharmaceutical sciences and Pharm.D. from The University of Mississippi. Three years ago, Brennan created her own skin care company, Emogene & Co., focusing on effective pharmacist-formulated skin care using naturally derived ingredients to bridge the gap between science and nature. Brennan provides customer education about effective ingredient selection while leading her all-female team to produce high-quality skin care with no outsourcing, from formulation to fulfillment/shipment.

Amie Stephens

Director of Adherence Improvement & Client Services

Rite Aid

Stephens is the director of adherence improvement and client services on the clinical services team at Rite Aid. In this role, Stephens leads the company’s adherence and medication therapy management strategies. She also works directly with clients to stand up and deliver value-based programs to close healthcare gaps. She is passionate about supporting the development and growth of others, driving efficiencies by focusing on technology and standardization, and ensuring teams have the tools and training they need to successfully care for their patients.

Amanda Waugh

Category Manager Facial Skin Care

CVS Health

Waugh is the category manager for facial care at CVS Health, focussing efforts to help customers on their path to better health by providing a thoughtful, curated inclusive assortment of items and helping each and every customer to achieve better outcomes related to their skin health. Waugh has been with CVS for six-plus years and “loves working for such an incredible organization.”

Angela Ferguson

Category Director, Beauty

Rite Aid

Ferguson is the category director for beauty at Rite Aid. With her passion for product and results, Ferguson drove share, along with double digit top line and margin growth, in her categories last year. Ferguson has updated and streamlined processes, partnered with new brands and grown key existing brands, and built and executed long term strategies—all with the consumer at the heart of her decisions. In addition to driving results, Ferguson is a wife and mom. She is also on the Board for Nature of Fire, a nonprofit that helps the poor and marginalized in Pittsburgh communities.

Angelica Esparza-Trujillo

Sales & Planning Manager

Similasan

As the sales and planning manager for Similasan, Esparza-Trujillo leads the company’s U.S. sales team’s sales strategy and planning for food, mass and drug channels. She develops annual/quarterly sales plans in support of organizational strategy while managing sales activities to support retailer sales execution and overall sales plan objectives. Esparza-Trujillo has been a key player in successfully achieving +75% ACV for the company’s new product, iVIZIA, in year one of launch while maintaining distribution of current Similasan products. Esparza-Trujillois an advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. She strives to guide the younger generation of women in the workplace.

Ban George

Health & Wellness Leader, Michigan Division

Kroger Health

George is the Kroger Health and Wellness leader for the Michigan division. She joined Kroger in 1999 as a pharmacy intern. Since, she has held various pharmacy positions. In each role, she has carried through her deep passion for serving people. She oversees 103 pharmacies and has been successfully leading efforts to strengthen community access to health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, George spearheaded Kroger’s effort to set up the first pharmacist-led drive-thru testing in Michigan, providing critical access to health care, with a special focus on underserved communities. George is originally from Baghdad, Iraq, and speaks English, Arabic and Chaldean fluently.

Annelise Riebling

Marketing Director

Bausch + Lomb

Riebling has more than 15 years of experience working in sales, brand management and marketing. At Bausch + Lomb, Riebling’s leadership has been instrumental to the success that the Lumify brand has received since launching in 2017. She is responsible for overseeing cross-functional and inter-agency teams to activate consumer campaigns across digital and social media channels. As a result of her ongoing efforts, Lumify is the No. 1 brand in the category with sales that exceed $200 million, and it has received more than a dozen media, beauty and industry awards.

Caitlin Connolly

Manager Pharmacy Contracting

Publix Super Markets

Connolly is a manager of pharmacy contracting for Publix Super Markets and has been in the pharmacy industry for 12 years in various roles from operations, procurement, specialty and managed care. She has worked tirelessly throughout the COVID pandemic to lead COVID billing efforts and leads the team on data analytics to standardize and streamline pharmacy claims data. In addition, she is working with the industry to find standardized solutions to requirements within the Inflation Reduction Act.

Beth Eggleston

Nutrition Education Specialist

Meijer

Beth Eggleston, MS, RDN, is a nutrition education specialist for Meijer Specialty Pharmacy, a subsidiary of the Midwest-based grocery retailer, Meijer. Hired into a new position, Eggleston helped to build Meijer Specialty Pharmacy’s nutrition programming, focusing on web-based nutritional resources and recipes tailored to those living with specialty medical conditions. At the same time, she and her team, via Meijer’s national sales team, create and provide nutritional-based materials for physician offices and their patients. More recently, Eggleston has expanded her job responsibilities into Meijer’s retail pharmacy and grocery business and is collaborating with various departments, including merchandising, marketing and communications.

Chanae Gilbert

Nationally Certified Patient Care Technician

Meijer

Gilbert is the lead pharmacy technician at Meijer pharmacy, where she plays a key role with hiring new technicians along with training. Gilbert also works with WMCAT’s employer retail partnership with Meijer, mentoring pharmacy technician students during the program and retail externship. This year Gilbert received an award for inspiration.

Caitlin Malone

Director, Procurement

Albertsons Companies

As the director of pharmacy procurement for Albertsons Companies, Malone oversees prescription drug supply and pharmacy consumables for Albertsons Companies’ pharmacies nationwide. Malone’s background as a clinical pharmacist along with 15-plus years of company experience, have driven her commitment to customers. Through cross-functional leadership and development of strategic partnerships, Malone has delivered value via productivity and cost savings initiatives. Malone also serves on the board of directors for Albertsons Women’s Inspiration and Inclusion Network, striving to empower female leaders.

Courtney O’Grady

Vice President, Sales Strategy & Services, Value & Emerging Channels

Market Performance Group, LLC

O’Grady is the vice president of sales strategy and services for the value, specialty beauty, pet and alternative channels at Market Performance Group. She has more than a decade of experience within the CPG industry. O’Grady joined MPG in 2020 and developed the company’s value channel team, working with multiple vendor partners in the health, beauty and wellness space to bring accessible products and offerings for the underserved shopper. She has executed several brand launches as well as transformed business models and go-to-market strategies for many manufacturers. O’Grady is focused on enhancing retailer partnerships and relationships as well as building a powerhouse team.

Christine Pope

Consumer & Market Knowledge Manager

Procter & Gamble

Pope is responsible for the creation and activation of the analytics and insights strategy on Procter & Gamble’s CVS Retail Team. In her role, she has driven a “consumer-first” mentality within her team and CVS. She has uncovered consumer and market insights that have served as the foundation of breakthrough drug channel and CVS joint business plans and that have also allowed P&G to break into new white space opportunities. Pope also develops the team’s analysis capabilities as well as long-term business planning processes to ensure the team‘s strategy is led by the latest, best available insights.

Devin Ward

Merchant – Cough, Cold, Flu

Walmart

As the cough, cold and flu merchant for Walmart U.S., Ward is an advocate for the customer in the OTC industry. With more than 17 years of retail expertise, she is a highly driven/ results- oriented professional who has highlighted her ability to develop and implement winning strategies, growing category performance over 20% from previous year through cross functional partnerships. Ward has a commitment to price leadership, operational excellence, and dedication in finding innovative solutions to complex business challenges.

Debbie Carney

Manager of Central Processing

Publix Super Markets

Carney has a 23-year professional tenure at Publix Pharmacy. Over the last six years she has held the role of central processing manager. She has demonstrated her dedication and ability to constantly evolve and adapt to the ever-changing landscape of pharmacy. Under Carney’s guidance, her team has grown exponentially and has been marked by a relentless pursuit of excellence, a passion for service and an unyielding commitment to improving workforce efficiency. Her forward-thinking strategies have not only enhanced internal operations but also impacted the retail teams she supports, leading to greater overall efficiency and effectiveness.

Emily Keiper

Director of Hardware & Robotics Product Management

Keiper, director of hardware and robotics product management at iA, is responsible for the life cycle and growth of iA product portfolios, including robotics, hardware, consumables and third-party integration solutions. Keiper has scaled and grown essential business verticals within iA since joining the team in 2021. In her first year with the organization, Keiper evaluated, built and launched a new consumables business vertical. Within that time, she captured significant sales growth of more than 90%+ in the first year. During her second year, under Keiper’s management, her team launched a dozen new product releases. More innovations are planned in the coming months.

Dorothy Hart

National Account Manager, Pharmacy

Haleon

Hart is a registered pharmacist and a Haleon national account manager responsible for developing executive level relationships with assigned national retail pharmacy chain clinical teams to develop over-the-counter product self-care programs, pharmacist education and strategic Rx-to-OTC switch business plans that align with the objectives of the retail pharmacies. Hart spearheaded the Haleon Medicare OTC Benefit Task Force working with Haleon Shopper Insights to develop an in-depth OTC Benefit Research Report which is being offered to retailers in a phased approach. This ongoing research is providing a deeper understanding of the benefit and how utilization can enhance preventative self-care with OTCs.

Gayle Young

OTC Category Merchant

Giant Eagle

Young is the over-the-counter medicine merchant at Giant Eagle. Over the years, Young navigated fast leadership changes and kept a steadfast hand on the business, providing guidance and consistency to supporting teams. Consistently, she has and continues to optimize her assortments bringing at least a 10% gain in warehouse space. Her work has increased average margin by 2% and increased market share in her top seasonal categories by almost one share point. Most of all, she priorities integrity and communication, priding herself in treating everyone with respect and kindness.

Erin Stunyo

Director of Sales, Target

Simply Good Foods Company

Stunyo is the director of sales leading the Target team for The Simply Good Foods Company, supporting both Quest and Atkins Nutrition brands. She is responsible for strategic annual planning in-store and online, new product introductions, and leading health and wellness initiatives to help Target guests live happier, healthier lives. Through these strategic initiatives, she has bolstered Quest Nutrition into one of the top growth brands in healthy snacking. Stunyo oversees a cross-functional team as well as leads the partnership with Target, and continues to showcase her passion and thought leadership as she drives the business every day.

Heta Patel

Division Pharmacy Manager

Albertsons Companies/Randalls/ Tom Thumb

Patel is the for Randalls/Albertsons Companies, covering the Houston and Austin area and overseeing the operations for 27 stores. An employee of Randalls/Albertsons for 30 years, Patel also serves as a board member for the Texas Federation of drug stores, is an active preceptor and is a member of the Residency Advisory Committee. Patel participates in cultural dance and competes in dancing competitions around the country.

Heather Hopkins

Patient Care Pharmacist

Albertsons Companies

Hopkins is a patient care pharmacist with Albertsons Companies and has worked to expand specialty care services across nine states and two divisions. She has helped to develop and implement collaborative practice agreements across three states for pharmacist administered long-acting medications. Hopkins also works directly with pharmacists to train them on medication injection techniques. She has also played a large part in expanded pharmacist billing practices for services in the state of Colorado.

Jan Janson

Customer Business Manager

Crossmark

In the role of customer business manager at Crossmark, Janson successfully managed diverse CPG clients while fostering strong relationships with drug wholesale customers. From 2021 to 2023, she leveraged a wealth of experience to forge dynamic partnerships between the two parties. Janson developed targeted strategies to optimize sales for customers and retailers. Collaborating with internal teams, Janson ensured seamless execution of product distribution and rollovers. She monitored supply constraints, flexing promotions months in advance to meet availability. Through meticulous data analysis and consistent client and customer engagement, the agency was represented well within the CPG landscape, fostering enduring success.

Jaclyn Behnke

Buyer, Bath

Meijer

Behnke is the bath buyer at Meijer. Over the past six years, Behnke has held various merchandising roles at Meijer in beauty. Behnke is passionate about the customer experience and strives to drive a collaborative environment. Behnke is most proud of her leadership among her partners through streamlining communication, collaboration and empowerment. In addition, Behnke helped lead a total department aisle reinvention in skin care, which has driven new premiumization and customer count in Meijer stores.

Jennifer Roush

Sr. Category Manager

Amerisourcebergen

As category manager of diabetes care, cold and allergy, and women’s wellness, Roush has a passion for customer care and supplier support that drives positive and profitable sales results across multiple categories. An industry veteran, she is most proud of her teammates and enjoys supporting them in their career journey.

Jenna Smith

Strategic Client Executive

Smith joined iA in 2022 as strategic client executive. In her role, Smith is responsible for creating alignment between pharmacy fulfillment customer and iA managers and solutions for the best possible customer outcomes. For iA customers, this means ensuring that they have the right set of solutions and systems for the business needs of that fulfillment setting; whether that’s designing a blueprint with iA’s modular hardware to best fit a centralized fulfillment environment, or creating a mix of automated and semi-automated dispensing options for a commercial pharmacy so pharmacists can spend more time patient-facing rather than counting pills.

Kerri Quigley

Category Manager, Health & Beauty

The Giant Company

Quigley is the category manager responsible for all health and beauty categories for The Giant Company, a grocery store chain within the Ahold Delhaize group. She was an analyst and assistant category manager in HBC for two years before being promoted to manager in February 2023. Quigley was responsible for delivering an overall sales growth in 2022 of more than 5%. She is working on special projects like a kid’s zone and a reinvention of the design and flow of the HBC aisles. She is known by her team and the vendor community for her strong customer focus and relationship-based leadership.

Jessica Busick

Brand Manager

Soapbox

Busick’s strong marketing skills led her to her role as brand manager at Soapbox, with accomplishments that include new product development, having launched 50-plus SKUs, and managing omnichannel marketing campaigns supporting incremental sales and distribution growth. She is also privileged to lead a team of three strong and talented women, bringing diversified skills to the company. This year, she had the honor to visit one of Soapbox’s aid partners in Cambodia, where the company’s sales support hiring local women who create and distribute bar soaps and teach hygiene education to their community.

Kristy Smith

Sales Manager

Market Performance Group

Smith has a strong track record in driving sales. She’s achieved impressive results, including adding more than 45 items to the product assortment in less than a year and generating over $1 million in incremental sales. A key strength is her ability to view situations from both a buyer’s and a manufacturer’s perspective. This unique dual lens approach allows her to understand the needs and expectations, leading to effective and mutually beneficial outcomes. In addition to her strategic mindset, Smith has also developed tools and resources for her team to enhance productivity and streamline processes.

Kimberly Watson

Manager Pharmacy Procurement

Publix Super Markets

Watson serves as the procurement manager for Publix Super Markets. In this role, she develops and directs procurement strategy for the company. Watson began her career with Publix in 2006 where she worked as pharmacy manager before transitioning to the corporate office, where she has held a variety of role,s including clinical pharmacist and senior manager of managed care. From 2019 to 2021, she directed medical/clinical affairs for a specialty manufacturer before rejoining Publix in 2022. Watson earned her Pharm.D. degree from The University of Georgia in 2006. She lives in Lakeland, Fla., with her husband, Drew, and their dogs.

Lindsay Ulatowski

Sales Manager

Market Performance Group

After spending 15-plus years in retail, Ulatowski transitioned from national category director at Albertsons Companies to sales manager at Market Performance Group. In her new role, she calls on Albertsons while representing a variety of clients across health and beauty care. Her strong relationships with both the merchandising team and the vendor community have helped gain new distribution across several brands. In the upcoming hair care reset, Ulatowski successfully added 17 incremental items totaling $4.7 million in annual sales.

Lesley Osorio

Merchant – Wellness, Lifestyle Nutrition

Walmart

Osorio currently serves as a merchant in health and wellness at Walmart, where she leads the lifestyle nutrition category. Her passion for enhancing people’s lives by saving them time and money is evident in her work. Osorio’s extensive leadership and work experience have molded her into a versatile professional. She has spearheaded numerous impactful initiatives, yielding tangible accomplishments and process enhancements. Osorio excels at optimizing supplier relationships and securing favorable terms that translate into significant cost savings for the company. Her enthusiasm for elevating wellness initiatives at Walmart highlights her dedication to the customer.

Melissa Llewellyn

Clinical Care Coordinator

Meijer

Llewellyn, a valued colleague within the company, has tenure of 23 years. She has contributed to the health screening programs that would train multitudes of technicians in patient care, company wide. She has been awarded the “Golden Apple” to enhance productivity with-in the pharmacy. She volunteered, assisting with COVID clinics, working alongside the U.S. National Reserve at Ford Field to help vaccinate patients. She initiates collaboration to build on innovative ideas. Llewellyn takes pride in training teams at local Meijer Pharmacies to spread her passion and excitement to each of them to focus on the community, customer service and compliance.

Liz Moir

Sr. Manager, Patient Care Services

Albertsons Companies

Moir has over 14-plus years of professional focus in patient care. She has program oversight of immunizations, travel health, point-of-care testing, pharmacist prescribing services, vendor-sponsored clinical programs and diabetes engagement programs in Albertson’s 1700-plus pharmacy locations. She oversees program creation, design and implementation rollout for all clinical programs performed by pharmacists and technicians in-store. In the past year, Moir focused on creating patient engagement programs to ensure patients were informed and educated on vaccinations they may be eligible for, redesigning and expanding a pharmacy-based travel health program, and innovating and expanding pharmacist prescribing services in step with legislative opportunity.

Minela Vrbanjac

E-commerce Sales Manager

O-Cedar (FHP)

Vrbanjac is a dynamic channel account manager, responsible for the strategic business management of O-Cedar’s e-commerce division. Over the past year, Vrbanjac leveraged her more than seven years of expertise in e-commerce management to implement a customer-centric approach that paved her way to success. Through this approach, she tailored an omnichannel marketing and promotional plan, leading to increased brand share and higher repeat consumer retention rates. Furthermore, she utilized her strong business relationships to secure key annual negotiation wins, resulting in cost savings.

Michelle Shumate

Lead Director, Category Manager

CVS Health

Shumate is a lead director, category manager responsible for eye care/ear care and top of checkout categories at CVS Health. Shumate is responsible for developing and executing category strategy as well as being accountable to deliver sales and margin goals of the P&L. She collaborates across the enterprise to deliver industry leading growth plans. Shumate works closely with the supplier community to ensure the right product placement and strategy drives profitability as well. Now in her fifth year with CVS, Shumate also handles initiating and executing strategic promotional strategies and marketing plans by joining forces with cross-functional partners.

Panissa Williams

Director of Marketing & Product Development

Clavél Corporation

Williams serves as the director of marketing and product development for Clavél Corporation. She has been in this role for more than two years and prior experience has been in healthcare marketing for more than 10 years. She works alongside her husband, Dason Williams, and has been instrumental in launching their products (Blue Stop Max) in over 20,000 retail locations including Walmart, Walgreens, Dollar General and more. Clavél Corporation has experienced exponential growth including a rebranding of one of their skin treatment products.

Misty Keller

Team Leader, Shopper & Category Insights, Target OH

Haleon

Keller leads the shopper and category insights team for Target at Haleon and has more than 18 years of experience in sales, category management, and shopper and category insights. Keller is a talented insights partner that has transformed thought leadership with her retailer. She is an inspiring coach for her team and champion of culture within the organization. In addition to her leadership skills and understanding of customer dynamics, she has tremendous passion for storytelling and bringing insights to life through actionable solutions to drive growth. Keller is also on the Women at Haleon Steering Committee and a member of NextUp.

Stephanie Tharp

Sr. Merchant, Health – First Aid, Footcare, Elastics

Walmart

Tharp is a senior merchant with more than 11 years of experience in merchandising and supply chain across food service and retail. As the senior merchant of first aid, foot care and elastics, Tharp is passionate about providing affordable healthcare solutions to customers. She is a data-driven professional who utilizes her expertise to lead cross-functional teams to drive proven results. This past year, she led a department wide project to bring navigational and educational signage to stores to improve customer experience and engagement. She is dedicated to customers and committed to providing quality products at accessible prices.

Sasha Harris

Director, Women’s Health – Baby Care, Personal Intimacy, Feminine Care

CVS Health

Harris leads women’s health categories at CVS Health as lead director, while supporting its enterprise-wide women’s health and wellness blue chip and WIC program. While overcoming nationwide supply challenges (i.e. formula crisis), Harris showcased servant leadership, collaborative stakeholder planning and crisis management. Her diverse retail background uniquely generates consumer-focused strategic solutions. Harris successfully revitalized a category, launched a localized assortment, curated a space to support new moms and co-launched the company’s HERe for Her campaign within her first two years. Harris is a heart-led, people champion who strives to leave a positive impact on as many people as possible.

Vanessa Ruys

Commercial Pharmacy Manager

Marley Drug, Inc. (a subsidiary of Medicure, Inc.)

Ruys is the director of pharmacy operations for Medicure and Marley Drug. She oversees the staff and operations of a nationwide pharmacy solution for cost effective access to important prescription medications without the need for any insurance. She manages the team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to ensure smooth flow of Marley’s online and in person orders. She works to negotiate contracts with different manufacturers to reduce costs to the business and ultimately to reduce costs to the patients.

Van Morris

Sr. Category Manager - McKesson

Market Performance Group, LLC

Morris serves as the senior category development manager for Market Performance Group , where she leads the category management process for McKesson. With Morris at the helm and along with her team, they have successfully driven efficiency in reporting practices, developed elevated analytics capabilities and leveraged consumer insights and industry trends to develop retailer-specific strategies to cater to the independent pharmacy shopper. Together with her cross-functional team at MPG and merchants at McKesson, they have created consumer-focused strategic solutions to drive incremental sales for the health and wellness categories.

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BUSINESS EXCELLENCE | COMMITMENT TO CARE | RISING STARS

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