MY NCPDP - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Owner
• Pharmacist
• Vice - President of the Missouri State Board of Pharmacy

Christian currently serves as Vice-President of the Missouri State Board of Pharmacy and Board member of the National Community Pharmacists Association, CPESN- USA. He served a previous three-year term on the NCPDP Board before being elected to the current three-year term. He is currently chair of the NCPDP Strategic Planning Committee. He is also an active member of other state and national pharmacy and industry organizations or governance bodies.

Job Titles:

• Senior Director

Darren Townzen is currently the Senior Director II of Health and Wellness Pharmacy Audit, Billing, Reconciliation, and ePrescribing for Walmart. In 1988, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University School of Pharmacy and in 2006, a Master of Business Administration from Webster University. In 1989, he began work for the Wal-Mart Pharmacy division as a pharmacist in east Texas before moving into the Walmart Bentonville, Arkansas home office in 1995 for various other responsibilities. His currently responsibilities are pharmacy audits, billing operations and reconciliation of pharmacy transactions and contractual payments, industry standards, and electronic messaging. He has been a member of NCPDP since 2001 and is active in Work Group 1 - Telecommunication and Work Group 2 - Product Identification. He has served in the past as Work Group 2 Co-chair, Standardization committee co-chair, NCPDP Board of Trustees, and as past Board of Trustees chair in 2014-2015.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President, Standards & Information Technology
• Senior Vice President, Standards and Industry Information Technology With the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs

John Klimek R.Ph. is senior vice president, standards and industry information technology with the National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). His main objective is to work with industry leaders in healthcare to achieve interoperability amongst the healthcare standards, which will ultimately increase healthcare efficiencies and patient safety. John previously sat on the HIT Standards Committee created by the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), for three years. This tenure was the basis for developing the guidelines for Meaningful Use requirements, one of which was incorporating the NCPDP SCRIPT (eprescribing) standard in the initial MU requirements. John holds a B.S. Degree in Pharmacy from the University of Illinois School of Pharmacy, and is a Registered Pharmacist in the state of Illinois.

Job Titles:

• Board Member of Pharmacy Quality Alliance

Hill is a board member of Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) and is a current member of American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and is a past professional member of Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) and Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute (PBMI). He is a published author in Chain Drug Review and Executive Insight, and has represented NCPDP and DST in Washington, D.C. Hill has a BA in Communication Studies from University of Missouri and an MBA in Healthcare Management from University of Phoenix. In 2019, Hill received his certification as a Non-Profit Executive Director from NonProfitWebAdvisor.

Job Titles:

• Independent Industry Consultant
• VP, Industry Relations and Government Affairs of CoverMyMeds

Kim Boyd serves as the VP, Industry Relations and Government Affairs of CoverMyMeds where she successfully develops and executes on healthcare policy strategies, builds political relationships, and leads a team that focuses on legislative and regulatory advocacy, stakeholder and industry engagement and standards engagement on a range of healthcare priorities. Kim's years of healthcare advocacy has resulted in passage of legislation and regulation in over 25 states, as well as, federal policy, much of which promotes NCPDP standards utilization. The most recent success was the inclusion of electronic prior authorization (ePA) in HR 6 - SUPPORT Act (2018). In concert with her role at CoverMyMeds, she has successfully grown her leadership in NCPDP. Kim is a 19-year member that engages in standards advancement for real-time prescription, price transparency, prior authorization and specialty pharmacy services. Kim serves on NCPDP's Finance, Strategic Planning and Annual Conference Committees and leads the Mentor/Mentee Program, and with the help of talented mentors successfully grows new leaders in healthcare and NCPDP. She previously served as Senior Director, Government Affairs and Regulatory Compliance for PBM/Ancillary Services Providers, Helios and MSC (now OneCall) and as Senior Director, Business Development, NCPDP. She is a member of Health Innovation Alliance; Opioid Safety Alliance; HIMSS, Council for Affordable Healthcare; Public Affairs Council; P4HA; HL7, Women Business Leaders and Greenhouse Ministries.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• PRESIDENT
• President & CEO of NCPDP

Lee Ann Stember is President & CEO of NCPDP, a not-for-profit multi-stakeholder forum for developing healthcare business solutions, including ANSI-accredited standards for electronic exchange of healthcare information. As President & CEO for four decades, she has led NCPDP to continued success in its transformative role in pharmacy services, creating and promoting adoption of consensus-based standards and best practices that improve patient safety and decrease costs. Stember represents the Council and work of its membership to government agencies, other standards development organizations, healthcare industry associations and coalitions seeking to achieve HIT interoperability and other reforms that improve the coordination and quality of care while reducing system costs. She currently serves on the board of the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), MedData Foundation Board, NCPDP Foundation Board, and University of Arizona School of Pharmacy Board. She also serves on the Advisory Boards for CAQH/CORE, CoverMyMeds, and ScriptDrop. She is a member of the American Management Association (AMA) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) as well as numerous healthcare organizations, including the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), American Pharmaceutical Association (APhA),American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP), and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). Stember has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona College of Business.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning & Communications

Maggie Bruce joined NCPDP in 2010 and is currently Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Communication. She develops and oversees NCPDP's internal and external communication strategy and programs to advance organizational priorities and increase member and industry engagement. In addition, she supports development and implementation of the NCPDP Board of Trustees strategic plan guiding the organization. Maggie has nearly 30 years of experience in recommending, developing and managing strategic B2B and B2C communications programs for diverse healthcare organizations -- both non-profit and for-profit. Immediately prior to joining NCPDP, she was Director of Marketing for the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute where she developed and implemented marketing communications programs for the organization's research and education products to help stakeholders optimize the value of drug benefit programs. At the HSM Group, a healthcare market research firm, she conducted audits to develop communication and positioning plans for provider organizations and created research-based communication for managed care executives on retention issues and changing customer expectations. As an account executive in an Arizona-based public relations and marketing firm, she advised healthcare clients on targeted communication, positioning and community involvement. She also created communication programs for provider organizations, including several-award-winning programs for Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. In addition to her experience in healthcare, Maggie also served for several years as Director of Communications for the Arizona State University Foundation, providing communications support for multiple fundraising efforts. Her experience was valuable in supporting the establishment and early growth of the NCPDP Foundation.

Job Titles:

• Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Oscar Health

Mark Gingrich played a key role in creating the nation's largest health information network. As the company's first employee in 2001, he led engineering, operations, and standards development through every phase of the company's growth. Prior to joining Surescripts, Gingrich held management roles at McKesson, Abaton.com, and UnitedHealthcare. With 30 years of healthcare experience, Mark is currently serving on the NCPDP Strategic Planning Committee, the Argonaut Steering Committee, and the Da Vinci Operating Committee. His past industry standards involvement supported e-prescribing adoption and included Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT), Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC), and Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP). For EHNAC, Gingrich served three terms as Commissioner, Standards Chair, and Executive Committee member. In addition, Mark has been involved in various regional eHealth exchange initiatives including Minnesota e-Health Initiative, Massachusetts Health Data Consortium/MA Share, Markle Foundation's Connecting for Health, and KatrinaHealth.org. Mark received his MS in AI from the University of Pennsylvania and his BS in CS from Virginia Tech. He also serves on the board of Anser Innovation, creator PetChatz and Ōmcare. Within the community, Mark has held roles as church financial officer and district board member, booster treasurer, youth coach, and President of the Minnesota Chapter of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association for 20 years.

Job Titles:

• Director, Pharmacy Clinical Integration at Humana

Morgan Bojorquez, Director, Pharmacy Clinical Integration at Humana, Inc., is a dynamic team player who seizes opportunities and is sought by upper level management for special projects and initiatives. He is a proven leader who thrives on challenge while displaying energy and enthusiasm. He will always take the initiative to make things happen with a very thoughtful and strategic approach. Morgan has been with Humana's Pharmacy Benefits Manager since 2006 and has filled various roles. Initially focused on Six Sigma initiatives and process improvements, he currently serves as the Director of Pharmacy Clinical Integration. In this role, Morgan is responsible for Humana's PBM HIT capabilities, which includes ePA and Real-time Benefit Check. He has owned and implemented several innovative industry solutions to facilitate better transparency and efficiency between health care providers and Humana. He continues to spearhead major initiatives that enable innovation in healthcare. Prior to Humana, Morgan worked at Cott Beverages in Elizabethtown, KY where he led numerous Continuous Improvements teams and earned his certification as a Six Sigma Black Belt. Morgan earned a Master's and Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Louisville.

Rear Admiral (RADM) Pamela Schweitzer retired in September 2018 from a four-year term as the Assistant Surgeon General and 10th Chief Pharmacist Officer of the United States Public Health Service (PHS). RADM (ret) Schweitzer received her Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from California State University Fullerton (CSUF), earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Pharmacy, completed an Ambulatory Care/Administrative Residency at University of California Irvine Medical Center. Currently, with Summit Healthcare, LLC, she is supporting the pharmacy profession and HHS efforts to increase access to pharmacy services, especially in ambulatory and community pharmacy settings. She provides support for a number of public health related projects, including improving health and access to healthcare services in rural communities. She also provides strategic support to the pharmacy profession regarding Medicaid reimbursement for pharmacist clinical services and the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an advisory member of the Pharmacists Public Health Initiatives (PPHI) and a member of the Public Health-Pharmacy Partnership Navigator Team (COVID-19 pandemic response). She serves on multiple Boards including the NCPA Innovation Center, Board of Directors, Tabula Rasa Healthcare (TRHC), Board of Directors, NCPDP Foundation Board of Trustees, Albany College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (ACPHS) Board of Trustees, and the FDA and MediMergent Advisory Board on Medication Adherence/Persistence.

Pooja Babbrah is PBM Practice Lead with Point-of-Care Partners. She specializes in strategic planning and go-to-market strategies and execution. With more than 25 years' experience in a variety of health care IT companies, she brings unique expertise as she understands perspectives of all stakeholders - PBMs, health plans, patients, physicians, pharmacies, EHR vendors and health systems. Pooja was previously Task Group leader of the Specialty ePrescribing and Biologic and Biosimilar Access/Traceability Task Group and a Co-Chair of Workgroup 18 Specialty Pharmacy. Pooja started her career in a Strategic Planning role with a large Hospital System and spent nearly 5 years on the strategic planning side of a nationwide PBM, initially focused on the company's pharmaceutical clients, then moving into eBusiness strategy focused on early-stage ePrescribing. Throughout her career, Pooja's efforts have been instrumental in bringing relevant and critical information into a prescriber's workflow, and earlier this year, her expertise was recognized when she was asked to testify before Congress about the need for accurate, real-time drug cost information at the point of care. Pooja has her BA in Business Administration from the University of Washington and an M.B.A. from Arizona State University.

Job Titles:

• SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, INNOVATION

Richard Sage brought his unique blend of broad and deep industry experience to NCPDP in 2021 to assume the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Innovation. In this critical role, Sage cultivates a community of innovation within NCPDP to ensure our standards continue to support interoperability for new technologies, reforms, and advances to transform the future of healthcare in alignment with NCPDP's 3-Year Strategic Plan. Sage additionally provides leadership in the development and implementation of research needed for NCPDP's business development, strategic planning, budgeting, membership recruiting, outreach and sponsorships. Sage has shown a long-standing commitment to NCPDP's vision to lead the industry in healthcare standards and solutions for the common good. Before joining NCPDP, he supported the Standardization Committee Co-Chair and was a member of the Bylaws Committee and Finance Committee. He also served as Co-Chair of NCPDP's Work Group 11 ePrescribing & Related Transactions. Sage is a well-known industry executive, most recently demonstrating success as Vice President of Retail Solutions at McKesson Corporation, where he led the development and implementation of a strategic roadmap to govern its retail pharmacy business. Previously Sage served as Vice President and General Manager at Supplylogix, a division of McKesson, managing the business unit and expanding market penetration into health systems and independent pharmacies in the U.S. and Canada. Sage was also Chief Executive Officer and Partner at Check-InMD, a health information technology start-up focused on patient access and transparency. Before that, as Senior Vice President of Pharmacy Services at Emdeon Business Services, Sage led the vision, strategy and execution of all facets of its Pharmacy Services unit, shifting the business model from a single product focus to a multi-product suite of services that served as the foundation for Emdeon's revenue growth. Sage earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Illinois State University. He also studied Business Essentials for Executives at the University of Pennsylvania's The Wharton Business School and received Executive Management Training at the University of Michigan.

Job Titles:

• Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Industry Relations

Steve Mullenix joined NCPDP in 2009 and currently serves as SVP Public Policy & Industry Relations. Prior to accepting his current position Steve served as Director of Professional & Trade Relations for Covidien/Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. Mullenix also served as Vice President of Managed Care & Professional Services and Vice President of Professional & Industry Relations during a ten year period with the national pharmacy franchise organization, Medicap Pharmacies, Inc. He is the former Executive Vice-President of the national drug utilization review and pharmacy consulting company, Q-A, Inc. Mullenix also served as Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer for the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA) and its for-profit subsidiary, PNI, and was instrumental in the development of the very successful "Iowa Drug Utilization Review Program". Mullenix has been an active member of numerous state and national pharmacy organizations including the Iowa Pharmacy Association (IPA), the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA), the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), the American Society of Health System Pharmacists and the National Council on Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP). Mullenix's current and past elected positions and appointments include serving as Standardization Co-Chair, Past Chairman and member of the Board of Trustees of NCPDP, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, Vice President of the Iowa Prescription Drug Corporation Board of Directors, member of the APhA and Iowa Pharmacy House of Delegates, member of the Editorial Board of several pharmacy publications and numerous other professional and civic appointments. Mullenix is a graduate of the University Of Iowa College Of Pharmacy and began his career in community and hospital pharmacy, serving more than ten years as Director of Pharmacy Services in a regional acute care health system. Mullenix has served in a number of research, consultant, teaching faculty, and administrative capacities and now represents NCPDP in the areas of government affairs, and professional and industry relations. Mullenix has been quoted in a number of national publications and is a frequent speaker at many national conferences on topics such as quality assurance, managed health care, pharmaceutical care, and pharmacy technology. Mullenix was recently named the 2014 recipient of the University of Iowa Distinguished Alumni Pharmacy Practice Award, an honor given annually to a University of Iowa College of Pharmacy Alum for sustained commitment and success in enhancing the practice of pharmacy.