Members of the 2024-2025 Preceptor Advisory Board

C'Rel McAllister Whatley, PharmD

I am an experienced pharmacist deeply committed to community service, starting my career as a pharmacy technician at the University of Oregon Student Health Center in 2001. After graduating from Oregon State University College of Pharmacy in 2009, I dedicated the last 20 years to Walgreens/WBA, progressing through various leadership roles.

Currently, I serve as the Healthcare Supervisor for Oregon, where I prioritize the recruitment and development of pharmacy and healthcare talent, ensuring a strong pipeline of future leaders. My adaptable leadership style fosters trust and engagement within teams while leveraging my clinical and regulatory knowledge to enhance patient outcomes. Additionally, I focus on cultivating partnerships to improve service delivery and maintain operational excellence within pharmacy initiatives.

Previously, as District Manager for Portland West, I ensured exceptional customer service and collaborated with store and pharmacy managers to strengthen local healthcare partnerships. In my role as Store Manager, I emphasized patient safety and compliance while devising strategies to boost customer traffic and profitability.

Throughout my career, I have held significant positions, including Pharmacy Manager at two Walgreens locations, where I successfully established community partnerships for immunization outreach and enhanced pharmacy efficiency. I also served as the Frontier Lead for Leadership Development, supporting field teams in change management and improving operational accountability.

I am particularly dedicated to patient education and addressing health disparities in communities of color. Outside of my professional commitments, I volunteer as a Track and Field jumps coach, where I enjoy mentoring young athletes and sharing my passion for sports.

Emily Shephard, PharmD

Emily is the Pharmacy Clinical Coordinator for Infectious Diseases at Legacy Health. She enjoys precepting students to share her passion for antibiotics and to see students learn and grow as they apply their knowledge from the classroom to treating patients in the hospital. Emily’s mentors throughout experiential education and residencies have inspired her to strive to be an excellent preceptor, and she is passionate about paying it forward through creating opportunities for students to pursue their interests on rotation, engaging students in research, and guiding experiential education as a member of the Pacific University School of Pharmacy Preceptor Advisory Board.   

Laura Carpenter, PharmD, MHA

I am the Supervisor of Pharmacy Services and the Pharmacist In Charge for Providence St. Peter Hospital inpatient pharmacy, in Olympia, WA. I serve as the Residency Program Director for PGY1 programs, and the student program coordinator for our local Providence sites. I feel that experiential education is a crucial piece of the learning process for students, as they prepare to become pharmacists. I am honored to be involved in students learning how to apply what they've learned in the classroom to the practice setting. I am so pleased every year to see the growth students make from the time they start their first rotation to when they finish their final rotation. My goal in being a member of the Preceptor Advisory Board is to continue to improve experiential opportunities for students and create confident, competent pharmacists.

Ucheoma Nwizu, PharmD, BCACP, M.Ed.

Ucheoma Nwizu received her BPharm degree from the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, and Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Denver, Colorado. She completed a PGY1 residency at the Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, Oregon, and a PGY2 Ambulatory Care Residency at CareOregon, Portland, Oregon Dr. Nwizu’s clinical practice area is in primary care at Neighborhood Health Center, Milwaukie, Oregon where she currently serves as the clinical pharmacy manager. 

In her spare time, she loves to hike, travel, and write short stories.

Sean Ottum, PharmD

Since 2005, I have been a clinical pharmacist covering ICU, Med/Surg, Surgery, and Anticoag-Clinic settings at Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center. I also am a preceptor and share the Site Coordinator role for our PGY1 program.   It is rewarding for me to collaborate with the College and help fine tune the goals and expectations outlined for students transitioning from the classrooms to the 'frontlines' of Healthcare.  I never get tired of seeing learners' motivation and confidence grow when they apply their knowledge and truly appreciate the Pharmacy Team's crucial role in patients' lives.

Lincoln Alexander, PharmD

Albertsons Companies is my work home where I serve in multiple roles. I am the Portland Division’s Community-Based PGY-1 Residency Program Director, Student Experiential Coordinator for our 125 company pharmacies in Oregon and Southwest Washington, and a staff pharmacist in Southeast Portland. Additionally, I am the Portland Division Summer Market Intern Trainer for our structured paid summer internship program and am a past president (2021-22) of the Oregon State Pharmacy Association.

I find joy in networking with students and residents and find satisfaction in seeing them grow and gain confidence as their educational career progresses. Please add me on LinkedIn. I look forward to connecting with you!

Amy Kirkbride, RPh.

I am a manager in Clinical Pharmacy Services for Kaiser Permanente Health Plan of the Northwest in Portland, OR. My primary role is to oversee our regional anticoagulation service, a multidisciplinary clinic serving members in Oregon and Washington. I also coordinate pharmacy student experiences at our organization with our affiliated university partners. I consider it a privilege to be able to engage with the next generation of pharmacists to model high quality patient care & professional engagement and develop pharmacy leaders. Experiential education is the bridge from classroom learning to real life applications. Learning to work in a variety of settings with diverse partners is key to a well-rounded future employee who can adapt to the ever changing landscape we face in healthcare. It’s exciting to see students gain experience and confidence when engaging patients in dialogues about their health decisions.

Nate Nerenberg, PharmD, BCPS

Nate Nerenberg, PharmD, BCPS, is a clinical staff pharmacist at Columbia Memorial Hospital, located in the coastal community of Astoria, Oregon. He received him pharmacy education from Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University, and is a 2012 alumnus of their pharmacy program. He enjoys precepting students and has special interests in emergency medicine and critical care pharmacotherapy. He currently resides in Astoria with his wife and four children. In his free time he enjoys serving in his local church, traveling with family, and playing various musical instruments.