June 06, 2023
DONOVAN PEPPER
CHAIR, CIVIC FEDERATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Number of years with the Federation: 16
Committees: Executive Committee, Criminal Justice, Healthcare, Legislative, Local Government, Membership, Pension, Property Tax, Research and State Budget
Day job: Senior Director of Government Relations and Civic Engagement, Walgreens
Donovan Pepper is the Senior Director of Government Relations and Civic Engagement for Walgreens. He has been with Walgreens for 18 years. Prior to this tenure, he has handled government relations for the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Restaurant Association, SBC/Ameritech and Amtrak. Currently, he oversees local and state government affairs for Walgreens in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, the City of Chicago, New York City and the District of Columbia. In addition, he supervises and manages the corporations’ relationships with national municipal organizations including the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), the National League of Cities, Community Leaders of America, the Democratic Mayors Alliance and Democratic Municipal Officials. He is also responsible for civic engagement and community relations for Walgreens. He has served as the past Chairman of the New York Metropolitan Retail Association, Co-Chair of the Business Council of the USCM and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and is a current board member of the Magnificent Mile Association, Lake County Partners and the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership and HFS Chicago Scholars. Also, he is currently the chairman of the Oak Park Citizens Police Oversight Committee.
What made you want to join the Civic Federation?
Having been very engaged in the business and civic community in Chicago and Illinois over the course of my professional career, being engaged with the Civic Federation was a natural complement to the work I do at Walgreens: ensuring that Walgreens, as a large employer and founded in Chicago, is involved in making certain that state and local government fiscal policies are sound and that taxpayer funds are being spent appropriately.
What do you enjoy most about being a part of the Civic Federation?
I enjoy meeting and working with so many people from such a diverse cross section of businesses, corporations and non-profits and hearing directly from them about how government impacts them, and learning why they are engaged in the Civic Federation and our work. Also, seeing the results of our non-partisan research being cited by the media and utilized by elected officials in their official capacities is rewarding.
What's your favorite Chicago hidden gem?
Since I am a golfer (a pretty bad one, at that!) I would have to say that the Chicago and Cook County golf courses are true gems! They are great to get out and do a quick nine holes without traveling so far out! Columbus, Marovitz & Jackson Park and Meadowlark and Indian Boundaries are my favorite city and county courses, respectively.
What's a project you're working on right now?
As many people learned through the recent pandemic, pharmacies played a key role in ensuring that people were tested and vaccinated against COVID-19. Most of this was permitted by emergency federal orders and rules. As the federal public health emergency orders are expiring, ensuring that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are able to continue this outreach, I am working with various states to ensure that states codify this ability for continued and expanded public health protection.
Who's in your favorite selfie?
Many people know that I have a penchant for taking selfies with many prominent people. While I would have to say the selfie that I took with President Joe Biden at the White House was pretty cool, I would say that my selfie with the King and Queen of the Netherlands is my favorite!