BOSTON — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores unveiled the direction of a new strategic framework Sunday at the 2026 NACDS Total Store Expo, outlining priorities to strengthen the association’s value to members and position community pharmacy for an expanding role in health care.
NACDS Chair David B. Warner, president and CEO of KPH Healthcare Services Inc., and NACDS President and CEO Steven C. Anderson offered the first public look at the framework during the TSE Business Program. The strategy, developed with input from NACDS retailer and supplier members, builds on what association leaders described as an “infrastructure for sustained progress.”
Anderson said NACDS enters its next chapter from a position of strength, following years of work to expand its advocacy capabilities, build coalitions, and create new policy and payment pathways for pharmacy.
“As I look back over the past 20 years, I am proud of what NACDS has built together: strength, influence, credibility, and trust,” Anderson said. “We have used that strength to deliver for members, advance pharmacy, and serve the American people. Today, NACDS enters its next chapter from a position of strength.”
Among the recent developments Anderson highlighted were federal and state efforts to reform pharmacy benefit managers, the House Ways and Means Committee’s May approval of the Main Street Pharmacy Access Act, and initiatives to secure payment for pharmacist-provided care.
He also cited NACDS partnerships focused on areas such as Food Is Medicine, chronic disease, and test-and-treat services as examples of how the organization is seeking to broaden pharmacy’s role in the health care system.
Technology and workforce development are also part of that effort. More than 50 AI-enabled exhibitors are participating at this year’s TSE, representing the largest AI presence in the show’s history. NACDS also brought the inaugural Emerging Leaders Academy class of 49 pharmacy students and 20 pharmacy school deans to the event.
Warner said the new strategic framework reflects extensive feedback from NACDS members.
“The clearest voice in this strategic framework is yours,” Warner told retailer and supplier members.
The framework is initially organized around two strategic imperatives. The first, “Shape the Future of Pharmacy,” focuses on moving pharmacy beyond its traditional dispensing role and further into care delivery, health and wellness innovation and sustainable economic models.
The second, “Strengthen Member ROI,” is intended to make NACDS resources and benefits more visible and practical for members.
“What one store does locally, NACDS does nationally,” Warner said. “What works in one state, NACDS helps scale across the country.”
Warner emphasized that the framework remains under development and that NACDS will continue gathering member input as it moves toward a broader rollout.
“We are at a defining moment,” Warner said. “The direction is clear: all in on members, all in on value, and all in on the industry’s future. Become the leader of tomorrow’s community pharmacy.”
The TSE Business Program also featured a discussion with retired Gen. David Petraeus, former commander of U.S. Central Command and former CIA director, who is now a partner at KKR and serves as chairman of the KKR Global Institute.
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