Three College of Pharmacy alumni received Life Member Award from OPA
Three College of Pharmacy alumni received the Life Member Award by the Ohio Pharmacists Association (OPA).
Presented during the OPA 148th Annual Conference & Trade Show, the award recognizes pharmacists for distinguished, long‑term service to the profession and to the association. The Life Member Award is among OPA’s highest honors and acknowledges careers dedicated to advancing pharmacy practice across Ohio.
Amy Bennett, BS ’70, is a past-president of the Ohio State Pharmacy Alumni Society and a recipient of Ohio State’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Bennett served as assistant executive director of the Ohio Pharmacists Association from 1980 to 2023, dedicating her career to leadership and the professional development of hundreds of Ohio pharmacists and student pharmacists. She directed the activities of OPA’s pharmacist preparedness task force and represented the association in state disaster planning efforts. OPA also offers a one‑year postgraduate Executive Fellowship named in honor of Bennett and her husband, Don. Her honors include the OPA Beal Award and the OPA Keys Award, two of the association’s highest distinctions.
Donald Bennett, MBA, BS Pharm ’70, is a past-president of the Ohio State Pharmacy Alumni Society and a recipient of the College of Pharmacy's Distinguished Alumni Award.
Bennett has held numerous leadership roles within OPA, including service on the Board of Trustees and as OPA President from 1999 to 2000. He currently serves as vice president and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation and previously served as interim executive director of OPA from 2022 to 2023, helping ensure the association’s continued functionality and success. Bennett also played a key role in the passage of legislation allowing pharmacists and student pharmacists to administer immunizations in Ohio.
Kathleen Nameth, MBA, BS Pharm '70, is a past-president of the Ohio State Pharmacy Alumni Society and a past recipient of an College of Pharmacy's Distinguished Alumni Award.
Nameth served as OPA Director of Continuing Education from 1999 to 2023. During her tenure, she served many roles at OPA. She led the development and coordination of live and home-study continuing pharmacy education. This included the Ohio Pharmacists Foundation’s Pharmacist Training Program for immunizations and long-acting injectables, which trained more than 1,200 pharmacists around the state. In addition, she added certificate programs from the American Pharmacists Association, pharmacy technician seminars, and bloodborne pathogens training webinars and coordinated the home-study lessons published in the Ohio Pharmacist journal.