Randy Lewis

Randy Lewis is a businessman, disability employment advocate, and bestselling author known for his work in transforming corporate disability inclusion practices. Before retiring as senior vice president, Lewis led Walgreens' logistics division for 16 years, expanding the chain from 1,500 to 8,000 stores and developing a leading logistics network in the retail pharmacy industry. Prior to Walgreens, Lewis spent 17 years as a management consultant, starting in the Consulting Division of Arthur Andersen and later becoming a partner at Ernst & Young. His professional focus on disability employment was influenced by personal experiences that shaped his approach to inclusive hiring.

Lewis spearheaded Walgreens' disability employment initiative, which included the development of a distribution center in Anderson, South Carolina. He established a disability employment model in Walgreens' distribution centers, resulting in 10 percent of the workforce consisting of people with disabilities—over 1,000 individuals—who worked alongside non-disabled colleagues, met the same performance standards, and received equal pay. The Anderson facility became the first large-scale deployment of people with disabilities in a mission-critical corporate site, with 40 percent of its workforce identifying as disabled. This model demonstrated that employees with disabilities matched their peers in productivity, safety, attendance, and retention, as documented in a study conducted with Anderson University.

Lewis shared the Walgreens model with more than 100 companies from North America and Europe, including Best Buy, TJ Maxx, and UPS, who visited the facility to learn about disability inclusion in the workplace. His work has been recognized by the White House and described by the National Governors Association as the gold standard of disability employment. Lewis has testified before the Senate and spoken at the United Nations on disability inclusion. His efforts at Walgreens have received several honors, including the Catalyst Award and the Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Hire People with Disabilities. Lewis has also served on the boards of organizations such as Special Olympics, Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, and the Disability Equality Index Advisory Board.

Inspired by his son Austin, Lewis authored the memoir "No Greatness Without Goodness: How a Father's Love Changed a Company and Sparked a Movement." The book was recognized by Fast Company as one of its "10 New Books You Need To Read This Year." Temple Grandin described the book as essential reading for business professionals. After retiring from Walgreens, Lewis founded the NOGWOG Disability Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding disability hiring among Fortune 500 companies, funded by speaker fees and royalties from his book. Lewis continues to be recognized as an author, disability employment advocate, founder of the NOGWOG Disability Initiative, and TEDx speaker, engaging business leaders, human resources professionals, and advocates for workplace inclusion.