President’s Message

P r e s i d e n t ’s M e s s a g e

Dear AzPA Members,

I am beyond excited and honored to serve as your President to our State Association over the next year. And to be honest ... I am also nervous. Nervous that I won’t compare to the amazing leaders that have come before me. But as I tell my students, there’s nothing better than a good challenge.

The theme of our Annual Convention this year was “Ingredients for Success.” I chose this theme for two reasons. First, because I am Italian and the ability to prepare the perfect pasta is a make or break situation in my family. Second (and more importantly), I believe that we each have a unique recipe for success and if we work together to share our recipes we can succeed at anything.

Pharmacy is not only my career, but my passion. I have spent half my life in a pharmacy advocating for my patients and for my profession. Many often ask me how I have so much enthusiasm for what I do. Here’s my tip for you ... marinate in your ingredients for success. My go-to ingredients include passion, communication, networking, and having fun.

As your President, I want to help spark that passion and excitement for our profession in you, so I encourage you to take a minute of your busy day and participate in a short little activity. For best results, make sure to read the full recipe first: Close your eyes! Think about why you wanted to pursue a career in pharmacy. Recall the first positive impact you had on a patient. Recall the first error you made in the pharmacy. Take a minute to reflect on your key influencers. Every now and then we need to be reminded of they ‘why.’ We can get so entwined with our day to day lives that we often forget why we do what we do. Hopefully this exercise has stewed up some emotions for you. Use those emotions to ignite the grill of your dreams. Whoa! Okay ... I think I have taken the kitchen references a little too far.

Your Board of Directors has worked diligently over the past year to ensure that our organization is expanding alongside our profession. Our newly structured board of directors and bylaws ensures that our organization is working as one united force to advance pharmacy practice in our state. As your President, I will bring my passion to every AzPA meeting and conference to share with you. I will strive to communicate the needs of our association and profession with you through advocacy and education. It is my goal to network with as many members as I can. I fully believe that the only reason I am writing this letter to you today is because of the relationships I have built within this profession. I want us as Pharmacists, technicians, and students to advance our profession together!

As in all great collaborations, we need to work as a team. We have a strong board of directors this year, each director coming from various pharmacy backgrounds and bringing key ingredients for success. I am eager to get to know more of you, along with your thoughts and concerns, over the next year. Your involvement, ideas, and thoughts are the key to our continued success as a profession and organization.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve you and I look forward to meeting you all!

Jessica DiLeo, PharmD, BCACP, BCGP AzPA President • 2018–2019