NACDS Names Michael R. Wysong Next President and CEO
Elected by the NACDS Board of Directors to succeed Steven C. Anderson, Wysong will build on the Association's success and momentum, and execute its new member-driven strategic framework for the future of pharmacy and retail, and for delivering membership value
CARE Pharmacies CEO and past NACDS chair brings broad industry knowledge, strong relationships, and energetic advocacy to the crucial work of meeting Americans' needs through accessible and trusted health and wellness destinations and their supplier partners
ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected Michael R. Wysong, currently chief executive officer of CARE Pharmacies, as the Association's next president and chief executive officer, effective December 1, 2026. Wysong will succeed Steven C. Anderson, FASAE, CAE, IOM, who is retiring after 20 years of transformational leadership, as of December 31, 2026.
The Board elected Wysong following a competitive national search, led by a Board-level committee and by the executive search firm Spencer Stuart.
Wysong has spent more than three decades in healthcare and retail pharmacy and has served as CEO of CARE Pharmacies — a member-owned network now ranked among the 20 largest pharmacy chains in the United States — since 2010. Wysong is well known across NACDS, having served as Chair of the Association from April 2023 to April 2024, and he continues to serve on the NACDS Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
NACDS enters this next chapter from a position of strength. The Association is guided by a new member-built strategic framework and its two imperatives: Shape the Future of Pharmacy and Strengthen Member ROI. Developed through the insights and engagement of retailer and supplier members, that direction points toward innovation in care delivery, in health and wellness, and in sustainable economics, and it will drive NACDS' work under Wysong's leadership.
"People want their pharmacies to thrive and to achieve their full potential as care destinations, so health and wellness needs can be met close to home by trusted healthcare professionals. This is a defining moment for pharmacy, NACDS is ready to lead it, and Mike will hit the ground running," said NACDS Chair David B. Warner, president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services. "In electing Mike Wysong, the Board chose a leader who understands this industry and this moment from every angle—retailer and supplier, regional and national, public policy and practice. He knows this membership deeply, and he has built strong bridges throughout pharmacy and across every segment of the supply chain and far beyond. He brings proven engagement in federal and state advocacy at a time when both matter enormously. Just as important, Mike leads the way NACDS operates: member-driven and grassroots, always listening first. He has the vision to move pharmacy, retail, and the supplier community forward, and the relationships to bring people with him. The Board is united and enthusiastic in its support."
Warner also credited Anderson with building the foundation for that future. "Over two decades, Steve Anderson created a sustainable infrastructure of progress at NACDS—advocacy strength, trusted partnerships, financial stability, and a world-class team," Warner said. "That foundation is exactly why NACDS is so well positioned today. Mike will build on Steve's legacy and carry it forward."
Wysong said he is honored to take on the role and committed to keeping members and the NACDS staff team, and ultimately people and communities, at the center of the Association's work. "It is an honor to be entrusted with the leadership at NACDS, and I receive it with a deep sense of responsibility to our profession," Wysong said. "We are at a pivotal moment in our industry. NACDS has led through every challenge our profession has faced since 1933, and that history of perseverance is what gives us the strength to navigate today's uncertainty. We're building on that legacy to advance our profession and improve the lives of the people we serve. Throughout my career, I have worked to build relationships across pharmacies, suppliers, and the many partners and coalitions in healthcare, wellness, retailing, and beyond. I have seen what we can accomplish when we move in a unified direction. This new role gives me a broader platform to strengthen the economics of pharmacy, expand pharmacy's role in patient care, and address the unsustainable cost of healthcare in our country. I'm ready to work with the dedicated NACDS staff team, whose talent, commitment, and mission-driven work make everything this Association achieves possible. Together with our members, our partners, and that exceptional team, I am confident about the road ahead. There is no more important work in healthcare today."
Anderson expressed strong support for his successor. "Mike Wysong is an exceptional choice, and he will do a great job leading NACDS," Anderson said. "He brings energy, experience, and a genuine passion for this industry and the people it serves—and he has earned the trust of members and partners across the entire sector and beyond. It has been the honor of my career to serve as president and CEO of NACDS. Together with our Board of Directors, our members, and our extraordinarily talented staff, we helped position pharmacy as an essential, frontline part of American healthcare—in fact, the face of neighborhood healthcare. I could not be more enthusiastic about the future. NACDS is strong, focused, and well positioned—and in Mike, it has a leader who will carry that momentum forward on behalf of members and the American people."
Since becoming CEO of CARE Pharmacies in 2010, Wysong has helped guide CARE through a period of steady growth, expanding the network to more than 200 locations across 27 states and Washington, D.C., while growing annual sales to nearly $2 billion. Today, CARE ranks among the Top 20 largest pharmacy chains in the United States, while still maintaining its focus on supporting locally owned pharmacies. During Wysong's leadership, CARE has been recognized several times as a "Hot 100" retailer by the National Retail Federation and was named by Chain Drug Review as Regional Drug Chain of the Year in 2021, and by Drug Store News as the Pharmacy Innovator of the Year for 2026. In 2024, Drug Store News included Wysong among the 50 most influential people in retail health, highlighting his role in advancing specialty pharmacy and helping pharmacies stay competitive in a rapidly changing industry. Before joining CARE, Wysong held leadership roles with Baxter Healthcare, Allegiance Healthcare, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen, where he served as Lead Vice President of Retail Sales. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the Virginia Military Institute and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Mount St. Mary's University.
Photos and a full biography of Mike Wysong are available at the links below.
About NACDS
NACDS represents stand-alone drug stores, supermarkets and mass merchants with pharmacies. Chains operate approximately 32,000 pharmacies, and NACDS' member companies include regional chains, with a minimum of four stores, and national companies. As the most accessible healthcare destinations, and among the most trusted, pharmacies help patients use medicines correctly and safely, while offering innovative services that improve patient health and healthcare affordability. NACDS members also include supplier partners that help to meet Americans' expectations by leveraging the total store for the total person.
SOURCE National Association of Chain Drug Stores
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