Get to know your 2024–2025 APhA–ASP National Executive Committee: Stephen Presti, speaker of the house

Stephen Presti is a final-year PharmD candidate at The University of Iowa College of Pharmacy and the 2024–2025 APhA–ASP speaker of the house.

Hello, student pharmacists! My name is Stephen Presti, and I’m thrilled to serve as your APhA–ASP speaker of the house. When I began pharmacy school, I chose to join APhA because I wanted to be a part of the nation’s largest pharmacy association that welcomes all pharmacy professionals. I was and still am exploring the many paths available to me within pharmacy, so it was important for me to join an association that will represent me no matter where my career takes me. Additionally, as I became more involved with policy and advocacy, my appreciation for APhA grew because of how it serves as the largest collective voice of the profession.

My leadership within the association began at the chapter level, where I served for 1 year as my chapter’s international vice president. At the 2022 Midyear Regional Meeting, I discovered my interest in policy, leading me to serve as the chapter’s policy vice president the subsequent year. I also had the unique opportunity to be appointed as the student representative on the 2023–2024 APhA Policy Review Committee. Most recently, I served as the APhA–ASP Region 5 regional delegate, which gave me the pleasure of helping to write the policies presented at APhA’s 2024 Annual Meeting & Exposition.

There are many activities and events that I’m looking forward to this coming year. I’m excited to connect with student pharmacists across the country and support chapters’ policy and advocacy initiatives. It’s very important to me that I’m an accessible and helpful resource for chapter leaders. I also plan to provide opportunities to engage in national level initiatives. As we are entering an election year, I want to help chapters organize voter registration drives so that we can get more student pharmacists participating in elections. I also want to increase students’ familiarity with APhA’s legislative priorities.

Outside of pharmacy school, I have plenty of hobbies that keep me occupied. I play piano, exercise, and do home improvement projects. I also enjoy spending time with friends, family, and my two cats, Sunny and Krispie.

Five questions for Stephen

1. What show are you currently binging?

I’m currently rewatching the Daniel Craig 007 movies.

2. What bucket-list item do you want to check off before you graduate?

I want to hike in the Grand Canyon!

3. Who is the most interesting Disney character and why?

I think Genie from Aladdin is the most interesting Disney character. He has a big personality and immense power, but he is confined to the lamp.

4. Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now and why?

I would teleport to Australia for a quick vacation without the long flight.

5. If you could invite any four famous people to a dinner party, who would they be?

Mark Zuckerberg, Shane Gillis, Jocko Willink, and Lewis Hamilton.