According to former Skaggs School Director of Student Services Beverly Brunson, her career was a happy accident, spanning nearly three decades, changing thousands of lives, and redefining how we see the face of pharmacy.
It all started in Oahu, Hawaii.
Beverly was born in Oahu and spent the first nine years of her life there.
“My early life was very influenced by Hawaii — the easy life, warm weather, and great food. My mother was from Japan and the lifestyle was suitable for her,” Beverly said. “Since there was a Japanese community in Hawaii, this helped her to adjust and lessen her homesickness for Japan.”
From Hawaii to Colorado
Life would ultimately bring Beverly to Colorado, where she would start her college education at the University of Colorado (CU) at Boulder. Although she was more than 3,000 miles from Hawaii, she quickly found connection on the CU campus.
“There was a contingent of students from Hawaii who automatically gravitated toward each other,
she said. “Being on such a large campus, I found a community among those students from the islands. We hung out together and even hosted a luau with a whole roasted Kalua pig and all the sides as a fundraiser for the Asian American group on campus.”
After graduating from CU Boulder, Beverly attended CU Denver, where she would earn a Master's of Public Administration, and begin working at a law firm in the early 90’s. While there, a friend told her about a position at CU Denver in the admissions office, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Making an Impact
In February 1994, Beverly started at CU Pharmacy as Director of Admissions. Brunson knew right away that she wanted to have an impact on the student experience, and diversity was important to her personally.
“It (her commitment to diversity) sort of started as an undergraduate. When I was at CU Denver, I did my first work-study job in the Asian Educational Opportunity Office,” she said. “From then on, it was part of what I wanted to do.”
“When I interviewed for the position at CU, I found out about the programs here, specifically the Summer Enrichment Program, which provided a kind of “boot camp” for students interested in pharmacy school. It solidified why I wanted to work here.”
“Some of the most rewarding experiences with students were with the ones who did struggle,” she says. “Watching them and supporting them to succeed and eventually graduate, was one of the most gratifying experiences of my job.”
Also driving her mission was the work of CU Pharmacy’s namesake, L.S. “Sam” Skaggs. In 1992, the nation watched in shock as the Los Angeles area erupted in riots after the violent beating of Rodney King. The Skaggs family, owners of hundreds of pharmacies which were eventually acquired by Albertsons/Safeway, had some of their stores affected by the riots. Rather than be angry, Mr. Skaggs decided that what communities of color needed were opportunities for jobs, education, and advancement. He used his substantial wealth and philanthropy to put his idea into action. Beverly administered some of the School’s first scholarships.
Dr. Louis Diamond was dean of the School of Pharmacy during this time and remembers the pivotal role that Beverly played.
“As it turned out, Mr. Skaggs provided funding so we could offer full tuition scholarships to students. It was really an opportunity for people to get a pharmacy education. Beverly was integral to the entire program,” said Diamond.
Helping Others Find Their Place
Alumna Sandra Leal, PharmD, ’99, MPH, FAPhA, CDCES, remembers both the Skaggs’ mission and the energy that Beverly brought to new initiatives. Leal, a first-generation student, grew up in Arizona and depended on pharmacists in Mexico for medical care. Leal credits the program that Beverly managed with helping her to integrate into a new life in Colorado.
“I remember going as a group to Estes Park for a field trip, and Beverly was driving this big van into the mountains. We were loaded with a group of summer students and it was my introduction to Beverly and to CU,” Leal said. “Beverly was so important in helping me find my place on a big campus.”
In fact, Leal says, she had called Beverly's office so many times with questions that when she finally arrived on campus in person, the admissions office knew who she was by the sound of her voice. They greeted her with open arms. While at CU, Leal was awarded a prestigious scholarship from The Skaggs Family Foundation.
Leal has devoted most of her career to helping underserved, low-income patients access quality health care from pharmacists. Today, she is one of the first women of color to be named President of the American Pharmacists Association, a position she assumed in Spring 2021. According to Leal, a new scholarship at CU would allow more students like herself to make a difference in the world of pharmacy and accessible healthcare.
Beverly says her underlying goal has been to change the idea of a pharmacist from someone behind a counter in a lab coat. She wanted people to think of a pharmacist as someone who was accessible and they could talk to, someone who spoke their language, looked like them, and understood their culture.
Leaving a Legacy
During her tenure at the School of Pharmacy, Beverly found that one of her most rewarding experiences was serving on the committee that awards annual scholarships to students. As 2020 drew to a close and Beverly started considering retirement, she found herself witnessing some of the same racial unrest she had first observed back when she started at the School in the 90's.
“The summer of the Black Lives Matter movement reminded me a little of when I started,” she said, referring to the Los Angeles riots. “Watching the racial tensions, seeing people treated differently. It is in many ways similar.”
It was one of the reasons Beverly thought a new scholarship would be the best way to leave a legacy at CU Pharmacy – to continue to provide students an opportunity to further their education and create change in the world of pharmacy.
“If these students have one less thing to pay back, one less thing to worry about affording while they are putting themselves through school, it will make a world of difference in their futures.”
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