Who drives WBA’s work for social good?

As we celebrate WBA’s work in the 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance Report, we’re spending time meeting some of the people behind the programs and projects that help local communities lead healthier lives.  Below, meet Sam Okasinski, Dana Glim, Andrew Horn and Desi Paoli-Pupillo, some of the hardworking individuals who manage corporate social initiatives across WBA.

Desi Paoli-Pupillo, senior manager, supply chain reverse logistics

Desi Paoli-Pupillo and her team create and manage the processes for Walgreens’ surplus store inventory by returning it to vendors, donating or liquidating it versus sending it a landfill. The team handles all store and distribution center (DC) customer returns, damaged or defective items. Doing this enables stores and DCs to best manage inventory and bring in new products for customers.

• Tell us about Green Boxes.

Green Boxes is a program I created in 2018 that allows stores to collect items that are not sellable but still useable (e.g. a box of cereal that has a ripped box). The idea was to expand on what we were already doing and create an additional option for stores that would support cost savings, waste mitigation and increase donations from our stores.

We centrally collect Green Box items using our reverse logistic hub process, which my team and I created. We use a decision tree to scan, process and sort each item to determine what’s eligible for donation versus liquidation. We have expanded our donation and liquidation partnerships to support the process and clear out unneeded inventory from the stores and DCs.

• What are you most proud of achieving in your role?
  Mentoring my team. I have had the chance to work with some of the best people in the company. My team works so hard and give it everything they’ve got. I couldn’t do it without them.

• What are you most excited about in your work today?

Most recently, the COVID-19 inventory has been a whole ‘nother thing! With the global supply chain challenges, we’ve been faced with truckloads of surplus inventory, often of the same item. Although it’s been a huge undertaking outside of the day-to-day, it’s allowed us to partner with new organizations like the American Red Cross and FEMA, which can filter goods down to more organizations in a really big way. 

Most people don’t know that I… love DIY projects. My husband and I have completed five bathrooms from start to finish as well as a kitchen and various other projects in and outside of our home.

Dana Glim, director, Walgreens brand marketing

Glim leads Walgreens’ community strategy for charitable partnerships and multicultural and DE&I marketing efforts. She works to bring Walgreens’ commitment to the health of local communities to life for its customers. Through charitable giving, her team deploys local and national programs—with a focus on health equity—to ensure all individuals have access to the healthcare they deserve. Additionally, she builds unique campaigns that create a personal connection with multicultural customers and demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusivity.

• If you had to describe your role to a 10-year-old, what would you tell them?

I tell stories about how Walgreens is helping our communities and making them healthier.

• What is cause marketing? Why is it important?

Cause marketing brings greater awareness to the charitable efforts of an organization. It allows customers, team members and brand partners, like Walgreens, to get involved. By doing this, more money is raised and more visibility is achieved for the organization, ultimately enabling us to have a greater impact.

• What are you most excited about in your work today?

I really enjoy that my work has a direct, positive impact on people. I always knew I wanted to do something to give back. The programs we support not only contribute to the meaning of our brand but they also create real, sustainable change in the lives of people, including children, who need healthcare support. Our charitable partners often share “stories of impact” with us and when you see that the money Walgreens raised through a month-long program was able to provide a child with access to a doctor so they could get their regular checkup, that’s a really good day!

• When not working, I can be found … probably chasing around my son who is officially walking…and running!

Sam Okasinski, senior manager, Walgreens brand marketing

Okasinski oversees marketing for immunizations, including COVID-19, flu and other routine immunizations, as well as COVID-19 testing. She works closely with operations, clinical and digital teams and agency partners to develop messaging, creative assets and media placements to develop deeper connections between customers and their Walgreens experience.

• If you had to describe your role to a 10-year-old, what would you tell them?

I work to get as many people vaccinated as possible each year – right now, from COVID-19. My team drives awareness about vaccines and encourages people to come to Walgreens for their shots.

• What are you most proud of that you’ve worked on at Walgreens?

The “This is our Shot” campaign, which encouraged people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. We created a partnership with a celebrity spokesperson, launched TV ads and more. Each asset had such value, meaning and purpose tied to what we were trying to do.

• What are you most excited about in your work today?

Where we can take the work—over the last 15 months of working on the immunizations team, our work has continued to evolve and it’s just the beginning. Many cross-functional teams come together to orchestrate the task at hand for COVID-19 vaccine efforts. Over the last year we’ve navigated the vaccine rollout, changes to the vaccine recommendations, eligibility changes and countless other things that have caused us to continually pivot.

I genuinely feel so lucky and proud to be working here, and it’s been amazing to see how the work has evolved and how differently we work across the organization. I love that there’s always something new in the work.

• Currently obsessed with… Wordle, Ted Lasso and house plants—though I lack windowsills and proper natural light—which isn’t a great combination for keeping them alive.

Andrew Horn, sustainability operations manager

As a member of WBA’s Global Sourcing Quality and Technical Americas team, Horn works with WBA’s sourcing team, suppliers and owned brand product teams to best position Walgreens’ owned brand products and packaging for a sustainable future. Most recently, he’s helped shape WBA’s product sustainability minimum requirements, set plastic reduction targets, eliminated problematic chemicals from owned brands products and launched programs to capture sustainability data regarding the performance of suppliers and products.

• If you had to describe your role to a 10-year-old, what would you say?

I’m helping my company do our part to protect the planet so we’re not overusing resources. We do what is fair for everyone and the planet so moms, dads and kids don’t have to worry.

• What are you most proud of from your work in your role?

Working with my global teammates to align WBA to a global minimum standard for sustainability. We created this standard as a team for all of WBA’s owned brand products globally. It provides us with a roadmap of where we want to go, and a focused, consistent way of measuring product sustainability success across all our owned brands. Now that we have the standard in place, the real work begins! We have lots of ambition and support from across the company, and are now building out the processes to do the work.

• What are you most excited about in your work today?

The direction of travel of this work. There is a hunger and eagerness within our consumer base and the Walgreens and WBA teams to reduce plastics and further rethink our product and packaging to be more sustainable. That passion and drive will only accelerate and fuel our work forward.

• When I’m not working, I can be found … downhill skiing. I try to go 1-2 times a year. Winter is my favorite season.