The intersection of public policy and professional responsibility.

Thank you for the opportunity to be with you today. I am honored to deliver the lecture named for someone I met 21 years ago at a gathering of the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP). I was the executive resident for the American Pharmacists Association, and I was pretty sure I would never again have the chance to sit in the same room as the brain trust of the profession gathered that day. That assumption proved wrong. I would have many opportunities to sit at the perimeter of the JCPP table and was fortunate to witness how a certain ASHP staff member deftly supported his principles, observed the discussion, and guided the discussion to an optimal outcome. It was my first exposure to the value of association staff in such a high-powered setting. I spent many meetings watching Bill and learning from him, and I am truly honored to present the William A. Zellmer Lecture. How apropos to join ASHP during Policy Week, when members of our