CVS Health recognizes annual Paragon award winners
CVS Health is honoring the retailer's top colleagues with its annual Paragon Awards.
The award recognizes the best of the best among CVS Health colleagues and are among the highest honors awarded by the company.
CVS said these exceptional individuals, selected from more than 220,000 colleagues across the Pharmacy & Consumer Wellness organization, have demonstrated outstanding leadership, innovation and dedication to enhancing the consumer and colleague experience across more than 9,000 CVS Pharmacy locations and in its distribution centers.
Their commitment sets them apart as true paragons of excellence, the retailer said.
Ashkan Isakharian
Pharmacy manager in Los Angeles, Calif.
Ashkan immigrated to the United States from Iran 10 years ago. After reuniting with his family, he worked multiple jobs to help support them while pursuing his education. In his current role as pharmacy manager, he is known for his exceptional leadership and commitment to patient care. Beyond his own store, Ashkan also mentors and trains fellow colleagues across his district and is always championing a culture of development and growth. He consistently exceeds expectations and drives results in all aspects of his work.
Brittney Hoover
Store manager and district leader emerging leader in Kailua, Hawaii
Across her district, “Hoover,” as she is known, has redefined what it means to be a leader at CVS Pharmacy. She has achieved 100% of her store’s goals, spearheaded colleague engagement initiatives and provided crucial support to her community in the wake of the 2023 Maui wildfires. She is frequently praised by senior leaders for her commitment to high standards, and she consistently achieves high customer satisfaction scores. Hoover nurtures and develops top talent, champions a positive culture, drives accountability and inspires trust.
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Christy Garmon
Region director in Spanish Fort, Ala.
Christy consistently demonstrates leadership skills and a passion for developing others. As a member of one of the company’s leadership development programs, she has mentored multiple colleagues, led a successful acquisition project and played a key role in the approval of the virtual verification tool in our pharmacies. She empowers her team and leads by example, resulting in high performance and a strong culture across her district. Christy is a shining example of what it means to put people first.
Clinton Hoffman
District support pharmacy leader in Saint Charles, Mo.
Clint has successfully led the development and implementation of a pharmacist training program in his market, which has proven to be a critical initiative. Under his leadership, the team has revamped the onboarding process for new hires, resulting in minimal turnover and overall district-wide success. Clint consistently brings his heart to work, making him an indispensable asset to the team.
Edwin McGee
Pharmacy manager and district leader emerging leader in Huntsville, Ala.
Edwin shows passion, commitment and a “one team” mindset in overcoming challenges, championing a culture of dedication at his store and across his district. His leadership and communication styles have driven his team to achieve many milestones, rapidly adopting new initiatives and delivering high-performing metrics. Edwin is known for driving organizational change and boosting store performance.
Irasema Chaidezdiaz
Pharmacy technician in Alhambra, Calif.
Irasema, a dedicated pharmacy technician, exemplifies the company’s purpose-driven culture through her commitment to streamlining processes and fostering innovation in the pharmacy setting. She enhances customer experiences, creates efficient and effective work environments and contributes significantly to the success of her region by frequently administering COVID-19 vaccines and assisting in the hiring process.
James Rider
Pharmacy manager in Forsyth, N.C.
For more than 40 years, James has excelled as a pharmacy manager in his community. He has trained numerous pharmacists, who have gone on to successfully lead high-volume CVS Pharmacy locations. James is dedicated to providing the best customer service, patient care and immunizations, consistently delivering high-level outcomes and driving business growth. In a recent urgent situation, he efficiently coordinated with multiple stores in his district to provide Tamiflu to a nursing home for more than 100 patients in need. His “people-first” leadership approach has driven superior business results.
Jeffrey Martinez
Store manager in Orange, Fla.
Born in Colombia, Jeff is deeply connected to providing products and services that cater to the Hispanic community, including the introduction of y más elements in his store. Jeff also is a member of one of our leadership development programs, which has accelerated his growth and development as a manager. Outside of his day job, Jeff is an active community member, empowering local youth by helping them establish and achieve goals, in addition to exploring employment opportunities at CVS Pharmacy.
Josh Duquette
Region director in Orlando, Fla.
Josh’s region of stores often leads the Miami market, with impressive sales, improved loyalty metrics and increased ExtraCare+ enrollment. He prioritizes the well-being of his team members, fosters engagement and builds trust within the organization. Josh's dedication to talent development is evident in his team members' continual growth. In the fall of 2022, during Hurricane Ian, he showed resilience and compassion by ensuring the safety of his colleagues, providing them with essential resources such as food, water and hygiene products.
Juan Pena
District training store manager in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
Juan is a dedicated and proactive colleague who has made a significant impact within his first year in the role. He prioritizes his team's needs, champions a collaborative culture and sets a high standard as the manager of the highest-volume store in the region. His leadership has a lasting impact, driving district-wide accomplishments and enhancing colleague engagement.
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Khaja Basheer Ahmed
District support pharmacy leader in Phoenix, Ariz.
With 19 years at CVS Pharmacy, Basheer continues to grow as a leader. He excels by recruiting and mentoring new hires, ensuring they follow guidelines precisely and enhancing operations through collaboration. His dedication, patience and kindness have made a significant impact on many colleagues across his district. Basheer’s commitment to his community is truly inspiring — in his free time, he volunteers with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, an organization that helps families in need.
Nicole Lee
Store manager in Mecklenburg, N.C.
Nicole is a valuable member of Team CVS who is passionate and determined in all she does. She excels at recruiting and mentoring new talent and has been a great mentor to store managers in training. In addition to being a store manager, Nicole also is a licensed pharmacy technician and a certified immunizer. She enjoys volunteering, raising funds for Ronald McDonald House and organizing successful toy and food drives.
Nicole Shepard-Slaymaker
Pharmacy manager in Syracuse, Ind.
Driven by her dedication to patient-centered care, Nicole has successfully built and developed a strong team at her local CVS Pharmacy, consistently helping them exceed their immunization goals. She also is involved in giving back to the community and supporting causes like The Cure Starts Now, an organization focused on curing cancer.
Sofia Betancourt
District leader in Medford, Mass.
Sofia continually rises to the challenge by taking on new opportunities for growth, such as training pharmacy managers, mentoring graduate interns and contributing to succession planning within her district and region. She has played a pivotal role in implementing strategic omnichannel initiatives in the pharmacy, demonstrating her strong leadership and educational skills.
Tammy Grubb
General manager, Omnicare in Abingdon, Va.
Tammy brings her heart to work by prioritizing people, fostering a positive atmosphere and demonstrating exceptional leadership. She collaborates with colleagues, such as the pharmacy delivery team, to prioritize patient care and deliver impressive business outcomes. Outside of work, Tammy and her husband manage Kruisin’ for Kids, an organization that has raised over $500,000 for children in need.
Shannon Long
Lead director, Omnichannel in Peoria, Ariz.
In partnership with colleagues from across the organization, Shannon helped develop a digital-first solution that provides patients with real-time prescription status updates via text message and on the CVS Pharmacy mobile app. This innovation is driving digital adoption and engagement among customers, leading to a reduction in unnecessary calls to pharmacies. Shannon and her team have transformed patient interactions and infused convenience into the pharmacy experience.
John Piotti
Director, supply chain in Woonsocket, R.I.
John consistently confronts challenges with a positive outlook and has made a significant contribution to the company’s success. He has demonstrated exemplary leadership by safeguarding and streamlining the supply chain, identifying and mitigating potential risks and leading the carrier and transportation strategy in support of our same-day delivery offering. His efforts underscore his commitment to achieving results through people-centric leadership.
Alyssa Januszka
Nurse case manager, Coram in Syracuse, N.Y.
Alyssa is well-known for her compassion, dedication, patient advocacy and trust-building skills. She consistently exceeds expectations to ensure the well-being of each patient under her care. Recently, she successfully managed a seamless care transition for a patient returning to Florida by proactively coordinating with the Coram team there to guarantee continuity of care post-discharge. Alyssa not only traveled outside her regular geographical domain to assess and educate the patient but also provided continuous support throughout the patient’s journey home, showcasing her unwavering dedication to making healthier happen together.