The Pepperdine Graziadio Business School spring 2025 commencement ceremony, will take place at Alumni Park on the Pepperdine Malibu campus on Saturday, April
26, 2025, at 10:30 AM. The event will bring together graduating students, faculty,
family, and friends to celebrate academic achievement and honor distinguished leadership.
This year, the Graziadio School will recognize John Figueroa (MBA ’97) with an honorary
doctorate for his outstanding contributions to the healthcare industry and society.
Figueroa is a visionary leader with 35 years of experience in healthcare, specializing
in pharmacy services, hospital supply chain logistics, and the broader healthcare
ecosystem. He currently serves as senior advisor to the secretary of Veterans Affairs,
bringing strategic insight to one of the nation’s most critical healthcare institutions.
Figueroa was the founder, CEO, and executive chair of CarepathRx, a company dedicated
to innovative pharmacy solutions for hospital health systems, focusing on specialty,
infusion, and home-based pharmaceutical care. Under his leadership, CarepathRx successfully
completed major transactions with Anthem Healthcare and Cigna.
Previously, he served as CEO and board member of Genoa Healthcare, the nation’s largest
behavioral health pharmacy and telepsychiatry provider. During his tenure, he led
the company’s expansion and transformed behavioral health pharmacy on a national level
while dramatically improving the quality of care for severely mentally ill patients.
His leadership resulted in the sale of Genoa to UnitedHealth Group.
Figueroa also served as chair and CEO of Apria Healthcare, where he oversaw operations
in home infusion and respiratory therapy. He played a pivotal role in selling the
home infusion business to CVS Caremark and the respiratory business to Owens & Minor.
Additionally, he was the CEO and board member of Omnicare, a Fortune 400 healthcare
services company, where he achieved record earnings growth and led major initiatives
in long-term care.
Earlier in his career, he held multiple leadership roles at McKesson Corporation,
ultimately serving as president of its US Pharmaceutical Group, the largest pharmaceutical
distribution business in the world.
Figueroa was a commissioned officer, a ranger, and a member of the 3rd Infantry Division and the 12th Special Forces Group. His military service includes command and operations in the
United States, Europe, and Central America.
A dedicated supporter of higher education, he is a Distinguished Visiting Faculty
member, a Graziadio Board member, benefactor of the Graziadio Business School endowed
chair in the business of healthcare, and founder of the Graziadio Future of Healthcare
Symposium. He is the recipient of the Pepperdine Distinguished Alumnus Award and the
Graziadio Inspired Leadership Award and was named an Outstanding Alumni in Healthcare
in 2020. He is also a guest lecturer at the Wharton School and the Stanford Graduate
School of Business.
Figueroa graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a
distinguished military graduate. He earned his MBA from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business
School in 1997.
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