Meet this year’s Outstanding Alumni honorees
Since 1982, the College of Pharmacy has honored alumni who have distinguished themselves through personal and professional achievements, made significant contributions to pharmacy and been loyal supporters of the college.
“These honorees represent the very best of our college’s tradition of excellence,” says Dean Stephen J. Cutler.
Alumni who are chosen for these honors come from all corners of the profession of pharmacy including independent community and retail pharmacy, hospital clinicians and administrators, the pharmacy industry and academia.
“What sets these recipients apart is not just their professional accomplishments, but their unwavering commitment to lifting others,” says Cutler. “They have created pathways for the next generation of pharmacy professionals through their mentorship and philanthropy. We are grateful for their dedication to our college’s mission.”
What sets these recipients apart is not just their professional accomplishments, but their unwavering commitment to lifting others.
Stephen J. Cutler, Ph.D. Dean, College of Pharmacy
Outstanding Alumna
At just 15 years old, working as a clerk in her hometown’s independent pharmacy in Walhalla, South Carolina, Maribeth Kowalski found her calling.
“I was able to see the relationship between the pharmacist and all of the individuals who came into the pharmacy,” recalls Kowalski, College of Pharmacy’s 2025 Outstanding Alumna of the Year. “I determined very quickly that was my career path.”
After being accepted to USC and later the College of Pharmacy, Kowalski’s journey took her through various sectors of pharmacy, ultimately landing in the biopharmaceutical industry, where she has worked for more than 24 years.
“The University of South Carolina provided me with so many foundations that prepared me not only as a student for success, but as a professional for success,” says Kowalski, who credits her well-rounded college experience—combining South Carolina Honors College curriculum with pharmacy education and extracurricular involvement—for building the confidence that propelled her career.
Following graduation, Kowalski completed a pharmacy residency at a Florida cancer hospital, working in oncology and pain management. Her career path later led her through clinical pharmacy, hospital settings and, eventually, to the pharmaceutical industry as a medical science liaison.
“There is so much that one can do in the field of pharmacy,” Kowalski emphasizes. “Sometimes individuals have a preconceived idea of what a pharmacist is, and it’s usually what they’re used to seeing behind a counter. The education you get through the College of Pharmacy provides you with that basis that is a launchpad to whatever interests you.”
Kowalski credits faculty mentorship with opening her eyes to possibilities beyond traditional pharmacy roles. During her education, she completed an internship at Bristol-Myers Squibb that showcased various industry opportunities, including the medical science liaison role she would later pursue.
Today, Kowalski works in the allergy and immunology space with a biotech company developing food allergy treatments—continuing to demonstrate the versatility of pharmacy education.
Throughout her career, Kowalski has maintained close ties with her alma mater. She and her husband, also a USC graduate, established endowed scholarships at both the College of Pharmacy and the Darla Moore School of Business. She also supports Give4Garnet and the White Coat Fund.
“I was incredibly fortunate to receive scholarships that helped me to attend the University of South Carolina and not leave school with massive debt burden,” she explains. “I made the commitment very early on that when I was in a position to give back in some capacity, that was a priority for me.”
Kowalski encourages fellow alumni to stay connected, emphasizing that involvement can take many forms beyond financial support—from guest speaking to mentoring students to serving as a preceptor at a rotation site.
“Be an ambassador for the College of Pharmacy, stay involved, and recognize that your involvement is going to change over time,” she says. “But never lose the connection.”
Outstanding Young Alumna
What began as a love for organic chemistry in high school has blossomed into a far-reaching career for Kayce Shealy, Pharmacy’s 2025 Outstanding Young Alumna of the Year.
“I was drawn to the chemistry side of things,” recalls Shealy, a 2009 graduate of the College of Pharmacy. “I really enjoyed helping people use medicines, and I was curious how medicines worked in the body, why we might use one drug over something else.”
Growing up in Newberry, South Carolina, Shealy’s journey to pharmacy began in an unexpected place—a local physician’s office where she initially worked, thinking medicine might be her path. It wasn’t until college that she discovered her true calling while completing intern hours at a community pharmacy.
“My internship in a pharmacy actually showed me just how much positive impact the pharmacist can have helping patients navigate through the health care system, especially in a small town,” says Shealy. “Helping physicians and nurse practitioners use medicines better — that is what instilled my passion.”
After earning her Pharm.D., Shealy completed a community practice residency with the University of Georgia, where she helped establish a residency program at Barney’s Pharmacy in Augusta. That experience helped launch her into academia, where she spent nearly 15 years at Presbyterian College School of Pharmacy as a founding faculty member.
“Since pharmacy school, one of my main professional goals was helping to grow pharmacy practice,” explains Shealy. “I found the opportunity to teach as helping me meet that professional goal by developing the future of what practice could be.”
Her academic career allowed her to shape the curriculum and mentor future pharmacists. Work she describes as “amazing to see those light bulbs start to turn on” as students developed their pharmaceutical knowledge.
Throughout her career, Shealy has been deeply involved in professional organizations, serving as board president for SCPhA. She recently received the APhA 2025 Distinguished Achievement Award in Practice.
In January 2025, Shealy embarked on a new chapter as administrator for the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy, where she oversees operations, fielding questions about pharmacy practice, attending legislative sessions, and helping with investigations and facility inspections.
Despite her impressive accomplishments, Shealy remains humble about her recognition. “I do not feel that I’m deserving of this award. I can think of so many other people that I went to school with—people just do amazing things—and I’m just so humbled.”
For current pharmacy students, Shealy offers straightforward advice.
“A very wise man once told me that if you aren’t present, you can’t be a participant,” she shares. “The people who are present are the ones who get to help make the decisions, who help really determine what all of us get to do. Embrace uncertainty and use your education to explore different practice settings, because if the patient wins, we win.”
Outstanding Friend of the College
Jody Chastain, president and CEO of The Ritedose Corporation, has been named Pharmacy’s 2025 Outstanding Friend of the College. The recognition celebrates Ritedose’s significant contributions to pharmacy education at the University of South Carolina.
Ritedose specializes in sterile Blow-Fill-Seal production of unit dose solutions for ophthalmic and respiratory markets and supports the college through the Ritedose Corporation Graduate Student Scholarship Fund. This graduate-level scholarship provides financial support to pharmacy students and creates opportunities for internships and potential employment at the Columbia-based company.
“Part of our core missions and values is to honor the patient,” Chastain explains. “At Ritedose, the patients are our ‘why.’ The patients are why we maintain such exacting manufacturing standards. When we think about partnering with the College of Pharmacy, we know that they’re there to honor the patient.”
The scholarship program has created meaningful connections between Ritedose and the university. At a recent scholarship dinner, Chastain met a graduate student and young mother conducting HIV research. “To engage with a student and see genuine authenticity and appreciation of how much it impacted them financially and eased some burdens... it validated that we’re really putting our money where it needs to be.”
Born in Liberty, South Carolina, Chastain graduated from Limestone College with a degree in business administration and management. He spent a decade at Fuji Photo Film in technical packaging engineering and supply chain roles, where he absorbed the Japanese quality management system that would later inform his approach at Ritedose.
“Life sciences really spoke to me,” Chastain explains. “I have always loved manufacturing and supply chain and finding efficiencies, but to be able to create something and produce something that has meaningful impact was something I really wanted to pursue.”
Joining what was then Holopack International in 2005 as a materials manager, Chastain applied his business background to transform operations, eventually becoming CEO in 2018. This year marks Ritedose’s 30th anniversary in Columbia. Starting with just 11 employees and 25,000 square feet to produce 40 million doses annually, Ritedose now employs nearly 600 people across 500,000 square feet with capacity to produce 2.8 billion doses annually.
Though typically reticent to receive awards, Chastain is genuinely moved by the recognition but credits his team.
“I am only as successful as the 600 employees who I work alongside,” he says. “Be the best at what you do, whether you’re sanitizing cleanrooms, or whether you’re the CEO, because everything that we do is impacting the patients we serve.”
And for students preparing for pharmacy careers, Chastain’s advice is simple. “Do what you love. That’s what drives me every single day.”