Interim Meeting 2026 - Speakers
Sigal Ben-Porath, Ph.D.
MRMJJ Presidential Professor of Education
University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Sigal Ben-Porath is the MRMJJ Presidential Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is a member of the philosophy and the political science departments, and the faculty director of the SNF Paideia Program for civic dialogue. In 2025, she was elected to the National Academy of Education. She received her doctorate in political philosophy from Tel-Aviv university in 2000 and was a fellow at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Tel-Aviv University’s Safra Center for Ethics, the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, and the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies. Her recent books include Cancel Wars (Chicago 2023), Free Speech on Campus (Penn Press, 2017) as well as Making Up Our Mind (with Michael Johanek, Chicago 2019). She chaired Penn's Committee on Open Expression 2015-2019, and serves on the boards of the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia, Middlebury’s Conflict Transformation Center, and Penn’s Project for Philosophy for the Young. In the past decade she has been offering guidance to college campuses on policy development and responses to controversies surrounding speech.
Jeffrey Buller, Ph.D.
Director of Leadership and Professional Development
Florida Atlantic University
Dr. Jeffrey L. Buller is an author and facilitator of leadership development workshops who has more than thirty years of experience as an academic administrator at public, private, secular, and faith-based institutions. As a workshop leader, Buller specializes in transforming organizational turbulence into opportunities for cultural renewal and adaptive leadership. He has led workshops for academic leadership teams all over the world, focusing on resilience, appreciative inquiry, and values-based decision-making. An active scholar-practitioner, Buller has published more than fifty books and over three hundred articles, essays, and reviews in such topics as faculty culture, institutional change, and leadership ethics. He brings to his sessions a blend of humor, practical wisdom, real-world case experience, and a passion for helping academic leaders move from chaos to intentional culture.
Jan Engle, Pharm.D., Ph.D. (Hon), FAPhA, FCCP, FNAP
Executive Director
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education
Janet P. Engle is the Executive Director of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). She is past president of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), the national professional society of pharmacists with over 60,000 members. She has served as a voting member of the FDA Nonprescription Drug Advisory Committee and continues as a Special Government Employee Consultant to FDA. Dr. Engle is a past member of the Board of Directors of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties. Dr. Engle was elected as a Distinguished Practitioner in the National Academies of Practice in Pharmacy. Dr. Engle has also been named a Fellow of the APhA Academy of Pharmacy Practice and Management and a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. She also has received the APhA Distinguished Achievement Award for Clinical/Pharmacotherapeutic Practice.
Dr. Engle is an internationally recognized expert on the topics of nonprescription medicines, pharmacy education, and leadership and is very active in international pharmacy. She has served as Chair of the ACPE International Commission and is serving a third term as overseas expert of the Post Graduate Allied Health Institute Board at Singapore General Hospital. Dr. Engle has worked with National Taiwan University and was a guest professor at Harbin Medical University in China. She worked with the Pharmacy Council of Thailand and received an honorary PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Khon Kaen University in Thailand. She has served as a consultant to the Western Pacific Region of the World Health Organization. She has practiced pharmacy in community, hospital, long-term care and pharmacy-directed ambulatory clinic settings.
Diane B. Ginsburg, Ph.D., M.S., R.Ph., FASHP
Clinical Professor and Interim Head, Pharmacy Practice Division
Associate Dean for Healthcare Partnerships
G.D. Searle Endowed Fellow in Pharmacy
University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy
Dr. Ginsburg completed her B.S. in pharmacy at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in 1984 and a M.S. at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy in 1990. She completed a two-year ASHP-accredited residency in hospital pharmacy administration in 1987 at The Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in higher education administration and leadership in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently a clinical professor and interim head in the Pharmacy Practice Division, associate dean for healthcare partnerships, and G.D. Searle Endowed Fellow in Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy. She is also a Gallup-certified strengths coach.
She has been active with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) and served as president and a three-year term on the Board of Directors. She has served ASHP in several capacities including: chair, Council on Educational Affairs, AJHP Editorial Advisory Board, Texas delegate, co-coordinator National Clinical Skills Competition. She is co-editor of Infectious Disease Pharmacotherapy Self-Assessment and an author and editor of ASHP’s Preceptor’s Handbook for Pharmacists. She was inducted as fellow the ASHP in 1998. She also served as chair of the ASHP Research and Education Foundation Board of Directors.
She is a past president of the Texas Society of Health-System Pharmacists and TSHP Research & Education Foundation. She has received several honors and awards including the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and is a 2016 recipient of the Texas Ex Students Association Texas Ten Award recognizing the 10 most talented and inspiring professors at the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Ginsburg is internationally known for her work on ethics and the legal and regulatory aspects of pharmacy and healthcare.
T. Kristopher Harrell, Pharm.D., M.A., FASHP
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Professor of Pharmacy Practice
The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy
Dr. Harrell has been in academia and practiced as a pharmacist for more than 20 years. He received his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from The University of Mississippi. He completed postgraduate residency training at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System and a second primary care residency at The University of Mississippi Medical Center. He also received a Master of Arts degree in Higher Education and Student Personnel from The University of Mississippi. Prior to assuming his current academic dean role four years ago, Dr. Harrell was the director of experiential education for 12 years.
Kristin Kari Janke, Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmaceutical Care & Health Systems
Director, Wulling Center for Innovation & Scholarship in Pharmacy Education
Associate Dean, Assessment, Quality and Educational Development
University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
Dr. Janke received her Ph.D. in Pharmacy Administration from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Janke was a member of the 2019-2020 American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Student Affairs Committee (SAC), which examined the role of Professional Identity Formation (PIF) in US pharmacy education. She was chair of the committee in 2020-2021 and co-chair of the 2022-2024 AACP Council of Faculties PIF Task Force, which continued the PIF work of the two SACs. Dr. Kristin Janke is also the Editor-in-Chief Designate for the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. In addition, Dr. Janke is also a co-host for the Pharmacy Fika, a podcast by pharmacy educators, for pharmacy educators. Dr. Janke received the Rufus A. Lyman Award for best paper in AJPE in 2012 and in 2020.
E. Michael Murphy, Pharm.D., MBA
Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy
The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy
Dr. Murphy is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pharmacy at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy and a Senior Advisor for State Government Affairs at the American Pharmacists Association (APhA). A dedicated advocate for pharmacy policy, Dr. Murphy works closely with policymakers, professional organizations, and health systems to advance legislative and regulatory initiatives that expand pharmacists' roles in patient care. His expertise spans payment for pharmacists’ services, drug reimbursement reform, and optimizing pharmacist payment models. Dr. Murphy has presented at numerous national and state conferences and has collaborated with federal and state agencies to enhance pharmacy practice. His research and advocacy efforts focus on ensuring pharmacists receive recognition and reimbursement for their critical healthcare services.
Denise H. Rhoney, Pharm.D., FCCP, FNCS, MCCM
Ron and Nancy McFarlane Distinguished Professor and Laboratory Director of Education and Learning Innovation
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Eshelman School of Pharmacy
Dr. Rhoney is the Ronald and Nancy McFarlane Distinguished Professor in the Division of Practice Advancement and Clinical Education at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She also serves as Director of the Research Laboratory in Education and Learning Innovation. Dr. Rhoney earned her B.S. and Pharm.D. degrees from the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and completed residencies in general clinical pharmacy and critical care, followed by a clinical research fellowship at UNC/Glaxo.
Dr. Rhoney began her academic and clinical career as the first pharmacist to fully integrate clinical pharmacy services into a neurocritical care team, establishing a precedent-setting practice model at Detroit Receiving Hospital during her 17-year tenure at Wayne State University. Her scholarly work has focused on improving outcomes in neurologically critically ill patients through optimization of medication therapy. She has served as an investigator on numerous clinical trials and authored more than 110 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Rhoney is a Fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) and the Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) and was named a Master of the American College of Critical Care Medicine. She has held national leadership roles, including two terms on the NCS Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and active involvement in the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Within ACCP, she has served as Chair of the ACCP Foundation Board of Trustees, led multiple programming and membership committees, and currently serves as President-Elect of ACCP.
A recognized leader in educational innovation, Dr. Rhoney chaired the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Joint Task Force on Competency-Based Pharmacy Education and Academic Affairs Committee where the work centers around competency-based pharmacy education and is a key contributor to the national dialogue shaping pharmacy education reform. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Collaborative for Competency-Based Health Professions Education (ICBHPHE), and editor of a special collection of the American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education on CBE. Her work has been instrumental in advancing competency-based education frameworks using implementation science and has informed both U.S. and international initiatives.
Sarah Shrader, Pharm.D., FCCP
Senior Director of Academic Programs and Professional Development
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
Dr. Sarah Shrader is the Senior Director of Academic Programs and Professional Development at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP). She leads professional development programs for members to reach their potential as strong academic pharmacists. Prior to AACP, she was a faculty member for 17 years at three colleges of pharmacy. She has focused the majority of her scholarship on the scholarship of teaching and learning and interprofessional practice and education. She is passionate about fulfilling her professional purpose of developing, teaching, serving, and leading others to grow their potential and leave the world even better than they found it.
Sarah Spreitzer
Vice President and Chief of Staff, Government Relations
American Council on Education (ACE)
Ms. Sarah Spreitzer represents ACE and its members on matters related to research policy and funding, federal policy, international students, immigration, and legislative issues.
Before joining ACE, Spreitzer held senior positions in higher education advocacy at the University of Missouri System, Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, and the University of Washington’s Office of Federal Relations. At the University of Missouri System, she served as the director of federal relations, working to connect system and campus leadership, as well as faculty and staff, with congressional offices and key science and education agencies to influence federal policy, inform the university of federal opportunities, and position the university within emerging federal initiatives. At Lewis-Burke, she represented an array of public and private institutions of higher education before Congress and the federal agencies, including the University of Illinois System, the University of Southern California, the University of Virginia, and the University of Cincinnati. Before coming to Lewis-Burke, Spreitzer served as the assistant director of the University of Washington’s Office of Federal Relations, where she focused on federal student aid policy and funding, and advocacy efforts with federal science agencies.
Spreitzer has held leadership positions within the higher education community, including chairing working groups on higher education for the Association of American Universities (AAU) and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU. In addition, she has served as the vice chair of the AAU Council on Federal Relations steering committee and the co-chair of the APLU Council of Government Affairs.
Spreitzer received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Beloit College in Wisconsin and a master’s degree in medieval studies from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. She is a founding board member of the Creative Minds International Public Charter School, a growing charter school in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Krisy Thornby, Pharm.D., BCPS
Professor of Pharmacy Practice
Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Gregory School of Pharmacy
Dr. Krisy Thornby is a Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Administration at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Gregory School of Pharmacy. Her primary responsibilities include teaching and coordinating drug information and literature evaluation courses, as well as precepting fourth-year students and residents in drug information, medical writing, or academia. She is affiliated with a local hospital, supporting various drug information initiatives.
She actively engages in professional organizations such as American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), and the Florida Society of Health-System Pharmacists (FSHP). Her scholarly work focuses on drug information practice and pharmacy education, with particular emphasis on curriculum. She has been a member of AACP’s Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) since 2023, engaging in work on competency-based pharmacy education (CBPE). She currently serves as vice chair of AAC’s subcommittee on academic coaching, supporting efforts to align coaching with CBPE.
Jonathan Wolfson, J.D.
Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director
The Cicero Institute
Jonathan Wolfson, J.D., is an attorney, policy advisor, author, teacher, and speaker whose career includes multiple roles in both the private and public sectors. He has been a senior executive for the U.S. Department of Labor, a litigation attorney at an international law firm, an adjunct faculty member at the Honors College at the University of South Florida, a policy analyst at the White House, and a debate and public speaking coach and consultant. As the author of "The Great Debate," a debate textbook used by students around the globe, he has provided debate, public speaking, and organizational decision-making training to businesses, nonprofit organizations, academics, and students alike. He studied economics at Washington University in St. Louis and later earned his law degree at the University of Virginia School of Law. He presently is General Counsel and Senior Policy Advisor at the Cicero Institute, a nonpartisan think tank focused on creating entrepreneurial solutions to the most challenging public policy problems. Wolfson lives in Richmond, Va., with his wife and four children.
Robin Zavod, Ph.D., FAPhA
Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Midwestern University College of Pharmacy, Downers Grove
Dr. Robin M. Zavod is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Midwestern University’s College of Pharmacy in Downers Grove, IL. With a strong foundation in medicinal chemistry, Dr. Zavod has dedicated just over three decades to the advancement of pharmacy education and scholarly publishing.
Dr. Zavod’s academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Kansas, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at Indiana University. Since joining Midwestern University in 1994, Dr. Zavod has developed and taught a wide range of courses, including the medicinal chemistry of agents to treat diseases within the cardiovascular and endocrine systems. Known for fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment, Dr. Zavod has also designed elective courses on Mental Health First Aid, LGBTQI+ Considerations in the Provision of Healthcare, Healing Therapies, and Cannabis for Healthcare Professionals.
An influential leader in academic scholarship, Dr. Zavod has presented at national conferences, including multiple sessions at the AACP Annual Meetings and Rx Writing Challenge webinars. These presentations focus on educational scholarship and academic writing in pharmacy education. Dr. Zavod's professional contributions extend to peer review, as well as the founding editor-in-chief of Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning and Associate Editor of the Journal of Pharmacy Teaching and AAPS Open. Additionally, Dr. Zavod has been an active member of the American Foundation for Pharmaceutical Education’s Board of Grants, where they review and contribute to funding decisions supporting the next generation of pharmacy researchers. Dr. Zavod has co-authored several books with colleague Dr. Marc Harold and has contributed several book chapters for many editions of Foye’s Principles of Medicinal Chemistry. Her research interests include student self-efficacy, as well as learning and retention strategies.
Dr. Zavod has received several awards for teaching excellence and the Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award. Dr. Zavod is also a Fellow of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA-APRS) and has provided leadership on multiple levels at several professional organizations including AACP, APhA, AAPS, and ACS.
As an advocate for mental health awareness and inclusive education, Dr. Zavod is certified in Mental Health First Aid and Safe Zone workshops. She has been a passionate mentor for students, guiding them through academic rotations and supporting their development in both clinical practice and scholarly pursuits.
Dr. Zavod's commitment to the advancement of pharmacy education, leadership, and advocacy for diversity and inclusion has made a profound impact on students, faculty, and the broader pharmacy community.