PRESS RELEASE

Pharmacy Quality Alliance Elects 2026 Board of Directors and Executive Committee

PHIT CEO Jeff Rochon Will Serve as Board Chair

Alexandria, Va. (February 11, 2026) – The Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA) Board of Directors elected its 2026 executive committee officers and Board members during the 2025 fourth quarter meeting. Individuals began serving their 2026 term on January 1.

“PQA’s Board of Directors is a collaborative, strategic and visionary group of industry experts and decision makers, who help advance our mission,” Micah Cost, PharmD, MS, CAE, PQA’s CEO, said. “The board’s leadership is essential as we celebrate 20 years of PQA and embark on the next chapter in our history through the launch of Blueprint PQA 2030. I’m excited to work alongside Chair Jeff Rochon and our board in the year ahead to continue our important work and shared goals for improving quality medication use and better patient care.”

Jeff Rochon, Executive Director of the Pharmacy Health Information Technology (PHIT) Collaborative, will serve as PQA’s board chair in 2026. Rochon has been a member of the PQA board since 2023. Rochon succeeds Jim Kirby, Chief Commercial Officer at Kroger Health, who served as PQA’s board chair in 2025 and will continue as immediate past chair.

"I am truly honored to serve as the incoming PQA board chair and continue to great work of my predecessors, Jim Kirby and Susan Cantrell,” Rochon said. “The strength of PQA lies in bringing together diverse voices united by our commitment to excellence in medication use.”

“In an era of rapid health care transformation, PQA's role is to ensure quality measurement evolves as thoughtfully as the care we're measuring. Our work at PQA translates data into action, measurement into improvement, and structure into better health for millions of Americans. I look forward to contributing to PQA's foundation of rigorous, evidence-based quality measurement that serves patients, providers and the entire health care ecosystem."

PQA’s board, including its executive committee, represents the breadth and diversity of PQA’s multi-stakeholder membership. In addition to Rochon and Kirby, the 2026 executive committee includes:

  • Lauren Esterly, Vice President, Pharmacy Clinical Strategy and Operations, Humana
  • J.W. Hill, Chief Operating Officer, National Council for Prescription Drug Programs
  • Crystal Lennartz, President, Health Mart and Health Mart Atlas
  • Christopher Powers, Director of Medicare Stars Data and Analytics, Health Care Service Corporation

Seventeen board members will continue their service in 2026:

  • Amina Abubakar, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Avant Pharmacy & Wellness Center
  • Parmjit Agarwal, Vice President, Channel Management, Pfizer, Inc.
  • Shantanu Agrawal, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health 
  • Sheila Arquette, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Specialty Pharmacy
  • Justin Bioc, Head of Clinical Pharmacy, Devoted Health
  • Ceci Connolly, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alliance of Community Health Plans 
  • Scott Dell, Vice President, US Health Outcomes & Medical Engagement, Eli Lilly and Company
  • Laurin Dixon, Vice President and Chief of Staff, Enterprise Operations and Clinical Services, Centene Corporation 
  • Jim Gartner, President, PerformRx
  • Deanna Horner, Senior Vice President, Chief Pharmacy Officer, Waltz Health, an EVERSANA company
  • Michael Johnsrud, Executive Director, TxCORE, and Senior Research Scientist Health Outcomes, University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
  • Michelle Ketcham, Director, Division of Clinical and Operational Performance, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 
  • Lauren Lyles-Stolz, Head of State Pharmacy Policy, Amazon Pharmacy
  • Brian Nightengale, Executive Vice President and President of Healthcare Solutions, Inmar Intelligence 
  • Anita Patel, Vice President, Pharmacy Services Development, Walgreens
  • Tricia Lee Rolle, Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Theresa Tolle, Owner, Bay Street Pharmacy

PQA thanks Susan Cantrell, Chief Executive Officer, AMCP, who served as Board chair in 2024 and most recently as immediate past chair. Her term concluded at the end of 2025 following seven years of service on the Board. 

No new individuals were elected to the Board for 2026.

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Contact: Rachel Cormier, Senior Manager, Communications, [email protected]