It’s that time of year again! Cast your ballot for the 2023 – 2024 VPhA Board of Directors! Take a look at the candidates this year!
Deadline to Submit is Friday, July 21, 2023. Check your inbox for the ballot for your region!
President – Elect
Steve Hylton has 39 years of healthcare experience and is the owner and PIC of Clark’s Pharmacy, an independent pharmacy in Saltville, Virginia. He began as pharmacy technician in an independent pharmacy in his hometown of Grundy, Virginia. Later becoming a Medical Technologist (AMT) before obtaining his Pharmacy Degree. He completed his undergraduate degree from East Tennessee State University and later graduated from Mercer University’s Southern School of Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.
Having always had a passion for Community Independent Pharmacy, he and his wife Mary Beth purchased Clark’s Pharmacy in 2004. He is currently serving as Luminary for CPESN-VA, the Board of Directors for Mutual Drug, and serving as an Elder at Woodland Hills Christian Chuch in Abingdon, VA. Steve has served on committees for SAMHSA for suboxone access, Ad-Hoc committees with NCPA and served as Board Member and Chair of Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems (SVCHS) a Federally Qualified Health System.
“My passion for Independent Pharmacy and making sure patients have access to local pharmacies has driven me to become more active in VPhA, and the political process. I would like to improve the growth of VPhA membership, push for better pay from third parties, and work for better working conditions for Pharmacists and Technicians, regardless of workplace settings so we can continue to help all patients in our communities. We are the most accessible Health Care providers and we need to be sure we can continue to help our patients.”
Treasurer
Sam Silek attended VCU School of Pharmacy (then Medical College of Virginia) and graduated in 1983 with a BS in Pharmacy. Sam has recently retired from a Senior Director position at Medtronic Diabetes where he had responsibility for Pharmacy services, PBM contracting, Health Plan contracting, and DME Distribution, and is now President of his consulting company. He currently resides in Salem, VA with his wife Dawn of almost 33 years. He has two sons, Samuel and Andrew (recently engaged to be married!).
Sam began his career as a retail pharmacist and subsequently moved to Ohio to take a corporate position running pricing for a large chain drug company. He moved back to Virginia and worked for an Independent Retail Pharmacy and Mail-order Diabetes Durable Medical Equipment company, where he eventually became president and developed an Accredited Diabetes Management program. He worked for Liberty Medical Supply for several years and had responsibility for diabetes supply purchasing, managed care contracting, audit responses, as well as clinical education, and insulin pump training.
Sam then went to work for Senseonics for approximately three years where he was responsible for the distribution channel for an implantable Continuous Glucose Monitoring system. He ultimately was offered a position at Medtronic Diabetes.
He has served for several years on the VPHA Board of Directors including 3 terms as treasurer. He is looking forward to serving the organization for another term if elected.
Region B (Southside, Roanoke Valley)
Chad Alvarez, PharmD, MBA is currently serving as the System Director of Pharmacy for Carilion Clinic, which includes responsibility of all inpatient and outpatient pharmacy services. Over his last 21 years in healthcare, Chad has practiced in a variety of settings including acute care hospitals, long term care, Virginia State Psychiatric Hospitals, informatics, and community pharmacy. He currently leads the community pharmacies at Carilion. While at Carilion, he led the implementation of an electronic medical record for pharmacy, developed the first Pharmacist led smoking cessation program at Carilion Clinic, as well as implemented point of care testing in the retail pharmacy setting. He serves as the Residency Director for the PGY1 Community Pharmacy Residency and recently led Carilion Clinic’s task force for COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the region and expanded outpatient specialty pharmacy services. Still a practicing Pharmacist, Chad enjoys working in the Community Pharmacy setting, providing immunizations and direct patient care.
The opportunity to serve on the VPhA Board of Directors is an opportunity to advocate for the role of all pharmacy professionals in the care of patients. As the most accessible healthcare professionals, we serve an important role not only in patient advocacy, but in public health. The Board of Directors needs to have a diverse practice background to help guide the future of our profession utilizing education, technology, clinical expertise, and leadership to foster impactful, meaningful change.
Region C (Lynchburg)
Stephen Anderson, PharmD is a highly skilled and accomplished pharmacy professional with a strong background in pharmaceutical sciences and healthcare management. With extensive experience in the industry, Stephen has consistently demonstrated his passion for delivering quality patient care and optimizing pharmacy operations.
Stephen’s educational journey includes a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree and a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. These qualifications have equipped him with a comprehensive understanding of pharmaceuticals, drug interactions, and medication management.
Throughout his career, Stephen has held key positions in reputable healthcare organizations, where he has made significant contributions to improving patient outcomes and pharmacy services. He has successfully implemented innovative strategies to enhance medication safety, optimize inventory management, and streamline workflow processes.
Stephen’s expertise in pharmacy operations and regulatory compliance has been instrumental in ensuring adherence to industry standards and guidelines. His strong attention to detail and meticulous approach have helped him maintain accurate records, manage inventory effectively, and facilitate seamless communication with healthcare providers and patients.
In addition to his technical expertise, Stephen is a dedicated advocate for patient education and counseling. He strongly believes in empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their medications, and he actively engages in promoting health literacy and medication adherence.
Region E (Potomac, Rappahannock)
I want to continue to help guide VPHA toward the future of our profession and bring others with us. The profession has done so much but we still have more to do!
John W. Seymour received his B.S. in Pharmacy from Medical College of Virginia – Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Pharmacy in 1983. In 2005, John ventured into the world of independent pharmacy after working for various corporations for 22 years. John currently co-owns and operates three stores: Orange Pharmacy in Orange, VA, Elkton Family Pharmacy in Elkton, VA and Your Gordonsville Pharmacy in Gordonsville, VA.
He has previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Pharmacists Association several times. He has been and continues to be legislatively active to further healthcare and the profession of pharmacy over the years, and has been an advocate for pharmacists and patient care. Most recently interviewed by the national news about the current drug shortage and how it is affecting patients and pharmacies.
John has been active in local and state associations over the years; working on the PBM task force, past Executive Director Search committees, and several DMAS groups. He is currently working with DMAS on Electronic Prior Authorization initiative, serves on the Pharmacy Liaison Committee and serves on VPHA finance committee.
As a pharmacist at all three pharmacies, he is actively involved in immunizations, glucose monitoring, patient education and counseling, Medicare D counseling, MTM, and community outreach. John has a passion for his patients and promoting independent pharmacy. To that end, he has served for many years as Chairman of the Academy of Independent Pharmacists. He has been a National Advisor for his buying group Compliant Pharmacy Alliance (CPA) and works with other independents to improve their businesses.
John lives in Ruckersville Virginia with his wife Mary. He has two sons Brian age 26 at Cal-Tech pursuing a PHD in Physics and Mark age 24 VA Tech graduate in engineering and computer science working as a consultant. In his spare time, he enjoys time with family and friends, disc golf, traveling, hiking, and sports.
Region I (Tidewater)
Amy Schultz is the Director of Pharmacy Services for Chesapeake Regional Healthcare in Chesapeake, Virginia. Amy started her pharmacy career as a Red Cross pharmacy volunteer at Boone Clinic Pharmacy on the Little Creek Amphibius base in Hampton Roads. She received her Pharm.D from VCU School of Pharmacy and then went on to complete both a PGY1 and a PGY2 in Emergency Medicine at Grady Health System in Atlanta, Georgia. Amy is board certified in critical care and spent the early part of her career as a bedside pharmacist in the emergency rooms of southern West Virginia for multiple organizations. She focused on starting up clinical pharmacy services for these emergency departments during the opioid epidemic. She continued her career working in underserved Appalachia providing consultative services for EMS and police, teaching critical care transport pharmacotherapy, as well as toxicology and a simulation-based emergency medicine elective for pharmacy students at the University of Charleston in Charleston, WV. Amy transitioned to an informaticist role and led a large-scale electronic health record transition and was able to implement quality improvement and IT projects such as smart pump interoperability and dispensing technologies. For this work, Amy received the Chief of Staff award by the health system Chief Medical Officer at Charleston Area Medical Center. Amy became the director of pharmacy at Cabell Huntington Hospital, where she was able to partner with the Board of Pharmacy to obtain a waiver to pilot remote checking of IV products through technologic solutions. She was also able to leverage the health system advocacy agenda to have Senate Bill 787 (provider status) introduced into the Senate for pharmacists in West Virginia, where it did successfully pass.
In 2020, Amy took on the directorship for pharmacy services for Chesapeake Regional in an opportunity to move back home to the Hampton Roads area. As the director, she has a diverse practice of pharmacy to advocate for and support, including multiple community pharmacies, an inpatient pharmacy, advanced technician roles, clinical pharmacy service lines, and a 340B program. The work at Chesapeake Regional is a continued opportunity to serve the community and help advance multiple facets of pharmacy practice.
Amy is an active member of multiple pharmacy organizations and currently serves as a Delegate for the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP). She is also an active VPhA member, where she sits on both the legislative / governmental affairs committees for both VPhA and VSHP. For VPhA she is coordinating a grassroots subgroup of the legislative committee, helping to execute the greater goal of going out to pharmacies and engaging with frontline pharmacists and technicians throughout the state.
I would like to serve the Virginia Pharmacy Association because I have a passion for the profession and a desire to continue to support and truly understand the challenges that frontline pharmacists and technicians face. Throughout my career I have been able to experience many pharmacy disciplines and witness the direct impacts of the profession on patient outcomes and it is these moments that drive me. The profession is changing, and it needs passionate advocates that can help navigate the challenges and propose solutions. I am honored to have been nominated by a peer to serve in this capacity and will bring with it the energy and ingenuity needed for success.
Dr. Ebony Andrews is a 2004 graduate of Hampton University School of Pharmacy. Since graduation, Dr. Andrews has worked in several pharmacy settings to include hospital, community, long term care, consulting, free clinics, and a methadone clinic. She also served on the Professional Advisory Board for Sears Holdings/Kmart Pharmacy for 2 years. She is member of VPhA, ASCP (American Society of Consultant Pharmacist), and AACP (American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy). Dr. Andrews returned to her Alma Mater at Hampton in 2009 to teach and help train future Pharmacists. Currently, she is an Associate Professor and serves as the Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs and Interim Chair of the Department of Pharmacy Practice. Her teaching assignments include Geriatric Pharmacotherapy, Pain Management/Rheumatology Therapeutics, Geriatric Therapeutics, Patient Assessment and Pharmacy Practice Lab. Dr. Andrews served as a preceptor for the School of Pharmacy since 2006 and continues to precept 4th year professional students for the Geriatrics Advance Pharmacy Practice Experience. She is currently working closely with administration and the accrediting body to bring a NEW PharmD program back to Hampton University.
Her dedication to mentoring young adults seeking to better themselves is fueled by two major life altering moments: 1) watching her parents sacrifice everything to ensure she received an education despite living in a car, and at one point in a camper on the back of a pickup truck shuffling between the camp grounds in Newport News City Park and Gosnold’s Hope park (Hampton, VA) every 30 days during her elementary through middle school years, and 2) unexpected motherhood at the tender age of 19. It is no secret that Dr. Andrews’ compassion for ensuring students with life challenges pursuing a future in her beloved profession of pharmacy is one of her top priorities.
In addition to her professional roles, Dr. Andrews is a caregiver of a mother with Alzheimer’s Disease. Having served in this role for almost 20 years along with her elderly father and working in the community with senior citizens, she is dedicated to spreading Alzheimer’s Disease awareness, it’s effects, treatments, and prevention strategies through her work with the AHEAD Sub study recruitment team; a project that is recruiting patients for an Alzheimer’s prevention study and spreading awareness of this devastating disease. Dr. Andrews’ experience as a caregiver has put her in the forefront to witness the frustration encountered when attempting to obtain the best care for not only patients with dementia but for those with chronic conditions in a healthcare system that is broken on numerous levels. Her continued active engagement in community pharmacy coupled with her own experience has allowed her to not only help her patients but train future pharmacist to advocate for their patients too.
Due to the ever-changing role of pharmacist, barriers encountered that either prevent or slow those changes, and requirements for changes in the education of future pharmacist, Dr. Andrews desires to serve on the VPhA Board of Directors because she shares its commitment to driving a renewed interest in current/future pharmacist as well as our community partners that support pharmacy across the state to not only get involved but STAY involved in all of the decisions that ultimately determine the direction of our profession.
Technician Director
Meredy Ayers, CPhT-Adv has worked in independent community pharmacy for over 20 years. Working in independent pharmacy has allowed her to forge strong connections with patients, providers, and peers thus playing an essential role in patient well-being. She has served as the Technician Director for Virginia Pharmacy Association since 2019, is an active member of the membership and marketing committee, and is involved with the Grants & Scholarships Committee with the VPhA Foundation. She is the administrative coordinator at Bremo Pharmacy in Richmond, VA and has been with Bremo since 2014.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of her being a non-traditional pharmacy technician is interacting with patients, students and her peers in pharmacy. She is currently working towards her Community Health Worker designation (CHW) as to assist with health disparities in the community and aiding pharmacists with providing for patients in need. Her interest in evolving technician roles has led her to work with National Community Pharmacy Association, National Pharmacy Technician Association, Pharmacy Times, Drug Topics and American Pharmacists Association among others.
As an advocate for pharmacy technician growth and allowing pharmacists to practice at the top of their license, she addresses the advancement of pharmacy technicians and utilizing them to their fullest potential. As Technician Director, she has and will continue to use her platform to education pharmacists and technicians about the abilities and growth opportunities of pharmacy technicians, the role pharmacy plays in today’s world, and the ability of the association to advance our profession
My name is Amber Mills from Family Pharmacy Cumberland.
I am a pharmacy technician & CHW. In our rural community. I would like to serve , so I can represent pharmacy technicians and CHW’s , that can not be in the frontline supporting their profession.