Monday, 10:10 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Presidential Address
Kevin J. Colgan, MA, RPh, FASHP, Senior Vice President of Health Economics and Outcomes Research, EPI-Q, Inc., Oakbrook, Illinois
Acknowledgement of the 2009 Harvey A.K. Whitney Award Recipient
Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, FASHP, Interim Hospital Associate Director for Professional Services and Chief Pharmacy Officer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; and Professor and Assistant Dean at the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy, Iowa City, Iowa
Keynote Address
Howard Putnam
As former CEO of Southwest and Braniff Airlines, Howard Putnam has something in common with health-system pharmacists: he’s a veteran of one of the most volatile industries in the world.
Recruited in 1978 from United Airlines to become President and CEO of fledgling Southwest Airlines, Putnam became the architect of the excellent customer service Southwest is still known for today, while simultaneously creating the famously “fun” culture. While he was at it, he tripled revenues – as well as profitability – within his first three years there.
Are excellence, fun, and efficiency part of your career goals? In his remarks to ASHP pharmacy leaders, Putnam will address the “visioning” process that empowers health systems to develop exceptional skills among their people, improve service, and thrive even during turbulent times. “Some people play the game, while others change the way the game is played,” he says. As he explores with us the parallels between healthcare systems and today’s financial markets, Putnam will illustrate his strategies for fostering a climate of innovation and improvement.
Author of “The Winds of Turbulence,” on leadership and ethics, Putnam notes that in turbulent times, the way you support a vision is through building a culture of trust. He should know: recruited by Braniff in 1981 to come aboard as CEO and save the failing airline, Putnam became the first airline CEO to successfully take a major carrier into, through, and out of chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Raised on a farm in Iowa, Putnam learned to fly from his father, who taught him to take off and land in cow pastures in an old Piper Cub. At 17 Putnam got a job as a baggage handler at Midway Airport in Chicago. Over the next two decades, he rose from position to position, and by age 41 was named Group Vice President of Marketing for United Airlines, the largest airline in the world.
Presently an entrepreneur and in demand as an energizing as well as an entertaining speaker, Putnam enthralls audiences with his insights on the challenges facing you: change and transformation, ethics, crisis management, and leadership.
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