APhA Foundation taps exec search firm to find replacement for Ellis

WASHINGTON — Moving a step closer to filling a leadership void, the American Pharmacists Association Foundation said Monday it has tapped The Bernard Consulting Group, an executive search firm, to assist with the search for the next executive director and CEO of the organization.

The nationwide search for a new top executive will begin in January, with a decision on a new CEO expected from the APhA Foundation’s board by next July. Meanwhile, the group will be led by interim executive director Elizabeth Keyes. Keyes, who is chief business officer and SVP-business strategy and operations for the American Pharmacists Association, was tapped to fill temporarily the management void left by the departure in September of William Ellis, who left to become executive director of the Board of Specialty Pharmacies after serving as APhA Foundation’s CEO for 13 years.

The foundation is a nonprofit affiliate that works to design solutions to medication use problems in the U.S. Among its most notable successes over the past decade has been the launch of Project ImPACT programs to demonstrate the value of pharmacist-delivered screenings and disease management programs for hyperlipidemia and osteoporosis, as well as the Patient Self-Management Program for Diabetes.

“The foundation will continue to focus its work on promoting advancements in pharmacy practice and using practice-based research to develop collaborative practice models for programs that truly help patients achieve better outcomes in their health care,” said Keyes. “I am excited to work with the foundation staff and board of directors to assist in their search for and transition to new executive leadership.”