CINCINNATI — Laura Raney’s career at Kroger Co. spans more than 30 years, starting in 1991 as an assistant pharmacy manager in Knoxville, Tenn. She currently is a national health and wellness director for Kroger Health.

At present Raney is on special assignment as the national director leading a major Kroger Health initiative, Project Passion, which she described as providing a springboard for the retailer’s pharmacists to explore their passion for the profession, serving patients, leading high-performing teams and fostering a pharmacy culture that embodies the Kroger Health vision and mission. The project, she said in a recent interview, is a holistic approach to supporting Kroger Health’s pharmacists and pharmacy teams that goes well beyond training to address matters such as associate well-being, recognition, connection, leadership development, communication and ways of working and learning.

Laura Raney

“Our objective is to support pharmacists who are clinically strong and great with patients, lead awesome teams, run strong pharmacy operations and live out the Kroger purpose and Kroger Health vision and mission every day,” she explained. “I’m responsible for working with others to create content and experiences that support this approach through activities like on-site meetings, pharmacy team gatherings, leadership development, huddles and opportunities for pharmacy managers to be selected to attend industry events.”

The initial Project Passion ses-sions launched in 2022 and continued through August 2023 across 19 divisions covering the entire country. Raney pointed out with pride that the program continues to evolve and offer ongoing opportunities that positively impact more than 6,000 pharmacists, and 2,037 pharmacies and pharmacy teams.

Raney’s career began in the pharmacy but has since introduced her to broader aspects of health care. In 2002 she was appointed senior account manager of Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., the retailer’s pharmacy benefits manager. Six years later she was named manager of pharmacy government relations, followed by nearly five years as manager of pharmacy regulatory relations, leading third-party contracting and regulatory compliance. In late 2013, she was named division health leader for Kroger’s Nashville Division, where she led health and wellness initiatives. She was promoted to national health and wellness director in 2018.

Over the course of her career, Raney has learned a number of valuable lessons, including:

• Take care of your team and give them opportunities to learn and grow. Challenge them in healthy ways.
• Don’t be afraid to take a job that is less than one’s dream job, as long as it offers the chance to learn something new.
• Admit it when you’re wrong, apologize and work to make it right.
• Take on varied roles to build and expand your knowledge and experience.