A motto instilled in him by his father guided John F. “Jack” Schlegel ’67, PharmD, MSEed, CAE throughout his career and served him well as chief executive officer of three major national associations.

“My philosophy has always been to say, ‘Yes’ when asked to do something, and then go home and figure out how to accomplish the challenge before you,” said Dr. Schlegel.

He earned a bachelor of science in pharmacy from University of the Pacific in 1967. Two impactful events happened during his time at Pacific — he joined the Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity and he met his wife, Priscilla.

Recently, the philanthropic couple invested in the future of pharmacy by establishing endowed scholarships for Pacific doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students. The endowments have been matched through the generosity of Robert C. and Jeannette Powell, who established the Powell Fund Match.

Dr. Schlegel earned his PharmD and his master of science in education from University of Southern California (USC). Upon graduation, he was asked to serve as a faculty member and chief pharmacist at USC. Shortly thereafter, Priscilla began a 33-year career at the RAND Corp., a nonprofit global policy think tank. Dr. Schlegel’s position at USC was the beginning of a unique career in pharmacy.

Eight years after joining the faculty at USC, he was recruited to join the staff of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy in Washington, D.C., where he eventually became CEO. Dr. Schlegel went on to serve as CEO of the American Pharmacists Association and the Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. These roles gave him keen insights into health care and public policy, on which he has published more than 100 articles and made hundreds of presentations.

In 1994, he founded Schlegel & Associates, a consulting and training firm that assists association boards, volunteer leaders and staff in improving leadership and governance for the purpose of achieving high performance. As president of Schlegel & Associates, he has worked with more than 300 associations, universities and organizations.

In 2008, Dr. Schlegel, along with fellow brothers of the Alpha Psi chapter of Phi Delta Chi, Edward Larimer ’69, RPh and Ralph L. Saroyan ’64, RPh, founded the Alpha Psi Education, Scholarship and Leadership Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support leadership development in student pharmacists and new practitioners.

"Successful leaders become change agents and health care is one of the most dynamic fields in today’s world,” Dr. Schlegel said.

Dr. Schlegel was named the 2024 Pacific Pharmacy Alumni Association Alumnus of the Year in recognition of his contributions to the pharmacy profession and his support of Pacific.

“I am deeply honored, and it is truly humbling,” he said. “So many graduates from this pharmacy school have made wonderful contributions to the profession, to health care and to their communities.”

Dr. Schlegel and his wife have been residents of Sarasota, Florida since 1998, where they are patrons of the arts and frequent attendees of orchestra concerts, opera and live theater.