From Executive Fellow to senior leadership, McFeely has helped shape NACDS’ vision for the future of pharmacy-based care.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) today announced Kayla McFeely, PharmD, has been promoted to senior vice president, health and wellness strategy and policy - a recognition of nine years of work that has taken her from Executive Fellow at the NACDS Foundation to senior leadership at NACDS.

McFeely got her start as an Executive Fellow with the NACDS Foundation - a year-long program through which a post-graduate pharmacist contributes to the Foundation's research, education, and philanthropic mission. She went on to join NACDS, advancing through roles of increasing responsibility, including manager of pharmacy programs and then a progression of Pharmacy Care, Health & Wellness Programs roles - director, senior director, and most recently vice president. She has remained engaged with the Foundation throughout her tenure, currently serving as its vice president of research - a role she will continue. With each position building on the last, McFeely has established herself as an indispensable member of the NACDS team: a trusted resource for members and a tireless advocate for pharmacists and the patients they serve.

"Kayla embodies what makes our team strong: a focus on members, a clear vision for the future, and a drive to get things done for patients and communities," said NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson, FASAE, CAE, IOM. "Throughout her time at NACDS, Kayla has seen where pharmacy needs to go and built the policy and partnerships to make it a reality. We look forward to her continued leadership on behalf of NACDS, the NACDS Foundation, and the industry as a whole."

Early in her tenure, McFeely helped lead pilots under NACDS' Optimizing Care Program that tested how an expanded role for pharmacy technicians could free pharmacists to spend more time face-to-face with patients. That early work reflected a conviction that has carried through every role since: a focus on integrating pharmacy into value-based care, and aligning policy and payment so that pharmacies and pharmacists can drive better outcomes for patients and the broader health system.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, McFeely served as a primary NACDS liaison with the federal government, working to identify and clear the operational and regulatory barriers that stood between pharmacies and their ability to rapidly scale testing, vaccinations, and treatment in communities.

More recently, her focus has expanded to upstream health - including advancing Food is Medicine initiatives and strengthening pharmacy's role in preventing and managing chronic disease. Through the NACDS Foundation and partnerships with organizations such as the Milken Institute and the Health Action Alliance, she has helped commission a body of research that puts data behind pharmacy's impact and evaluates care models poised to drive the next wave of pharmacy innovation.

In her new role, McFeely will lead NACDS' health and wellness strategy and policy agenda, with a particular focus on expanding access to care and building the systems and technologies needed to sustainably scale pharmacy-based healthcare services across communities. She will continue to shape federal and state policy on pharmacist-provided services, new care-delivery models, and public health, in close coordination with NACDS' reimbursement, state and federal government affairs, and communications teams.

Speaking in his capacity as chair of the NACDS Foundation, Anderson added, "Kayla has been a driving force behind the Foundation's research, filling gaps in public knowledge and evaluating the cutting-edge pharmacy models that point to where pharmacy is headed for the benefit of the public. We are fortunate to have her continued leadership as the Foundation builds on its record of advancing patient health through research."

"Pharmacies are where healthcare meets people in their everyday lives, and time and again they've proven how much that access means for patients and communities," said Kayla McFeely, senior vice president, health and wellness strategy and policy at NACDS. "I'm grateful to NACDS and our members for the chance to build on that foundation - advancing the policies and partnerships that empower pharmacists to do even more for the people they serve. I'm energized for what's ahead."

McFeely earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, where she completed an area of concentration in Pharmacy Business Administration. During the COVID-19 pandemic she volunteered with the Medical Reserve Corps of Virginia, supporting unhoused populations in Arlington and providing vaccine support at the Arlington Free Clinic. She is a licensed pharmacist in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

McFeely reports directly to NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson. A photo is available for media use.