Press Release
ASHP Foundation Announces New Chair, Vice-Chair, and Board of Directors Member
The ASHP Foundation announced today that Kelly M. Smith, PharmD, FASHP, FCCP, has been elected chair of the ASHP Foundation Board of Directors, and Ken Perez, MBA, has been elected vice-chair. In addition, Wendy Horton, PharmD, MBA, FACHE, has been appointed to the board as a director at large.
Smith joined the ASHP Foundation Board of Directors in 2017 and previously served as vice-chair of the board. She succeeds John T. Tighe III, who retired from the ASHP Foundation Board of Directors after five years as chair, during which he successfully led the organization through the development and implementation of a new strategic direction.
Smith is the dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Georgia (UGA). She is an ASHP past president and former chair of ASHP’s Section of Clinical Specialists and Scientists and Commission on Credentialing. She has served on many ASHP councils, commissions, and task forces and has been a member of the AJHP Editorial Board. As dean of the UGA College of Pharmacy, Smith has overseen key initiatives, including developing and implementing a five-year strategic plan that more than doubled research funding, intensified and expanded diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and increased the number of degree offerings. Her career includes leadership positions at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, where she served as director of residency program advancement, associate dean for academic and student affairs, and interim dean of the college. Smith received her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and her PharmD from UGA and completed her postgraduate residency training in drug information at UFHealth Jacksonville.
Perez, who joined the ASHP Foundation Board of Directors in 2017, is the vice president of healthcare policy and government affairs for Omnicell. In addition, Perez hosts The Future of Pharmacy Podcast and has been a health policy columnist for hfm, the monthly journal of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, for over ten years. He also serves on the Dean’s Executive Council for the University of California San Francisco School of Nursing. Perez holds a bachelor's degree in international relations with an emphasis in economics from Stanford University and an MBA with a concentration in finance from UCLA Anderson.
Horton is the chief executive officer (CEO) of the University of Virginia (UVA) Medical Center, a nationally recognized 1,000-bed health system serving the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. Before becoming CEO, she served as the medical center’s chief operating officer. Horton previously served as chief administrative officer for The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine, OSU Physicians, and the Office of Health Sciences. She also served as vice president of operations for University of Wisconsin Health for 12 years. Horton received her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Oregon State University, her PharmD from the University of Utah, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. She is active in the Charlottesville community serving on several boards.
“Through the years, the ASHP Foundation has benefitted from a strong and diverse Board of Directors. With Kelly and Ken leading the board, the tradition of outstanding leadership will continue,” said Steven A. Rubloff, chief executive officer of the ASHP Foundation.
“We are thrilled to welcome Wendy Horton to the Board of Directors,” he added. “Wendy’s experience, perspective, and insights on pharmacy and healthcare will strengthen the foundation’s efforts to advance pharmacy practice and improve medication safety.”
About the ASHP Foundation
The ASHP Foundation was established in 1968 by ASHP as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. As the philanthropic arm of ASHP, the foundation shares ASHP's vision that medication use will be optimal, safe, and effective for all people all of the time. Our mission is to support ASHP by advancing the professional practice of pharmacists and the pharmacy workforce by funding research and education that improves health outcomes through optimal, safe, and effective medication use.