Advocate for disabled to speak at AU

Anderson University will host an evening with former Walgreens executive Randy Lewis, an advocate in the disability hiring movement. Lewis will be speaking Friday, April 7, at 7 p.m. at the York Performance Hall and Galleries on the Anderson University campus.  The event is free and open to the public.

Lewis has dedicated his career to business while actively maintaining his passion for service. Before retiring in 2013, he served as the senior vice president of Walgreens’ logistics division. Under his supervision, the chain grew from 1,500 to 8,000 stores with the most advanced logistics network in its industry.

Lewis also strongly believes that people with disabilities can do more if given the opportunity. He pioneered a disability employment model in Walgreens’ distribution centers that resulted in 10 percent of its workforce consisting of people with disabilities. This initiative continues to be rolled out in Walgreens stores across America. Walgreens is now considered a model for other employers around the world when it comes to hiring people with disabilities.

Maintaining an active speaking schedule, Lewis lends his time and experience to the disability hiring movement. Over the past year, he developed the NOGWOG Disability Initiative, an effective, low-cost and sustainable disability-hiring model for employers. It is a private/public partnership between employers, community providers, and government to provide employers with the qualified candidates they need and people with disabilities the opportunities they seek.

Lewis will share how steward leadership can both improve performance and benefit the community. He will also recount the story of what led him to create the Walgreens model that has been referred to as the “gold standard of disability hiring” and how he was able to garner the support to make it successful.

Anderson University is bringing Lewis to campus as part of its Truth, Faith, and Service Lecture Series, which is part of the university’s centennial celebration. All events in the series are free and open to the public.