Richard Stephens, Costco

Richard Stephens earned his pharmacy degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University and began his career as a pharmacist at Eckerd Drug in Dallas–Fort Worth.

He joined Costco in 2001 as a DFW pharmacy manager. As the region expanded, he was promoted to regional pharmacy supervisor before moving to Southern California as AGMM/AVP for the Los Angeles Division. In 2010, he relocated to Costco’s U.S. home office to take the role of vice president of pharmacy operations.

In 2021, Stephens was promoted to senior vice president of pharmacy. In this position, he oversees the operations of more than 615 retail pharmacies, as well as multiple mail order, specialty and central fill pharmacies across the United States. He also oversees the purchasing of prescription and over-the-counter products, and leads the home office pharmacy department.

“My primary focus at Costco is to deliver high-quality, accessible and patient-centered pharmacy care that earns the long-term trust of our members. This means putting the patient at the center of everything we do and providing our pharmacists and pharmacy teams with the support they need to build that trust.

“By striving to make prescriptions more affordable and convenient, we create opportunities for our pharmacy teams to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the patients we serve.”