Alumna named TN Board of Pharmacy Executive Director

East Tennessee State University Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy alumna Lucy A. Shell ('14), PharmD, has been named the next Tennessee Board of Pharmacy Executive Director. Dr. Shell has served at the Tennessee Pharmacists Association (TPA) for the past seven years. Her husband, Eric, is a 2013 Gatton College of Pharmacy alum.

TPA Executive Director Dr. Anthony Pudlo states, “I could not be more excited to work alongside Lucy in her new leadership role for the profession. The wealth of experience and expertise she has gained while working for the members of TPA will benefit the Board of Pharmacy and the entire profession, as we face new challenges and exciting opportunities together.”

In Dr. Shell’s role as TPA’s Director of Pharmacy Practice Initiatives, as well as her time as Interim Executive Director, she has had the opportunity to work on numerous initiatives that impact the profession of pharmacy and how it is regulated. She has been heavily involved with the legislative and regulatory process, serving as the Association’s primary lobbyist in 2021 and developing comments on pending rules before the Board of Pharmacy on several occasions. Dr. Shell has also led numerous grant, practice, and education initiatives, leading to publications and the development of training materials for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. She has not only authored chapters on pharmacy law in publications released for student pharmacists and foreign pharmacy graduates, Dr. Shell also updated the Association’s publication,Tennessee Handbook on Pharmacy & Drug Law, an annual compilation of applicable state and federal law for pharmacy professionals.

“It has been an absolute honor to work for the members of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association for the past seven years, and I look forward to collaborating with Dr. Pudlo as he works to move the Association forward in such a positive direction,” Dr. Shell states. “I am excited to work with Assistant Commissioner Putnam and the members and staff at the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy on the many challenges that the Board will face in the coming years, as they continue in their commitment to maintain the public’s confidence in the integrity of the pharmacy industry.”
Shell received her Doctor of Pharmacy from Gatton College of Pharmacy in 2014 and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Mars Hill University. She completed a one-year Executive Residency in Association Management and Health Policy at TPA prior to her current position. Dr. Shell also worked in the community chain environment for five years as a floater pharmacist. She lives in Nashville with her husband, fellow pharmacist and Gatton alum, Eric Shell (13').

Shell’s last day at the Tennessee Pharmacists Association will be February 15, and she will begin at the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy on February 21.