Lavanza “Cheryl” Butler has retired from the California Board of Pharmacy, where she has been a member since 2013.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve Californians on the Board of Pharmacy,” said Lavanza “Cheryl” Butler. “My parents instilled in me Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream and the call to service at a young age and I’ve tried to honor that notion in my career as both a pharmacist and a union representative. I’ve had to work, teach, learn, advocate, negotiate, and fight for our workers, who are truly essential, for over 40 years, and through this position on the Board of Pharmacy, I was able to fight for all Californians and ensure they remain healthy when they pick up their prescriptions at their community pharmacy. I want to thank Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom for appointing me to this position and giving me the opportunity to serve the great state of California.”
Butler has been a pharmacist, vice president and union representative at United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, Local 770 since 2002. She was a head pharmacist for Rite Aid Pharmacy from 1980 to 2002. Butler is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Professional Pharmacist Division Executive Board, California Pharmacists Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Butler was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown to the California Board of Pharmacy in 2013 and reappointed to the Board by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2017.
“Cheryl is a superwoman – she’s been on the frontlines fighting for the dignity of all working people for decades,” said John Grant, president, UFCW Local 770. “After facing racism in her career, she’s worked tirelessly to protect workers and all Californians through her position on the Board of Pharmacy, determined that every patient who goes to a pharmacist be treated with dignity and respect and receive the care they deserve. Congratulations to Cheryl on her retirement!”
