KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 5, 2026) - Charles Daniel "Danny" Cottrell has spent more than four decades building a career defined by pharmacy leadership, political advocacy, and hometown generosity - a body of work now recognized with the Dargavel Medal. The McKesson Corporation sponsors the annual award that honors an individual whose contributions on behalf of independent pharmacy embody the spirit of leadership and accomplishment personified by John W. Dargavel, who was executive secretary of the National Association of Retail Druggists, now the National Community Pharmacists Association, from 1933-1961. The NCPA Foundation was established in 1953 to honor Dargavel. Cottrell received the award as part of NCPA's Annual Convention, being held Oct. 3-6 in Kansas City, Mo.

Cottrell began working at Medical Center Pharmacy in Brewton, Ala., as a teenager and never left the profession. He earned his pharmacy degree from Auburn University in 1979 and returned to Medical Center Pharmacy, taking over ownership in 1984. Today he is sole owner of Medical Center Pharmacy and Flomaton Medical Center Pharmacy, and a partner in 18 additional pharmacies across Alabama and Florida.

Cottrell is widely credited as the architect of Alabama's Medicaid Provider Tax, a plan he first sketched out in a hallway conversation at an Alabama Pharmacy Association Mid-Winter Conference in the early 1990s. Still in effect today, the tax generates millions of dollars in funding for the state each year and helped secure fair dispensing fees for pharmacies. Over the decades, Cottrell has remained a consistent advocate for pharmacy with successive Alabama Medicaid commissioners and has played a significant role in supporting pharmacy-friendly candidates at every level of government.

Cottrell joined APA in 1985 and quickly moved into leadership, serving as president in 1993 and continuing his service on the APA PAC Board today. He has also supported the National Community Pharmacists Association through 13 years on its Legislative Committee and 11 years on its PAC Committee and has served as president and board member of Associated Pharmacies for 15 years. His public service has extended to the Alabama Medicaid Advisory Committee, the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Pharmacy Advisory Committee, the Alabama Worker's Compensation Advisory Committee, and the Alabama Long-Term Care Task Force.

His decades of leadership have earned him numerous honors, including the 1992 Wayne Staggs Distinguished Service Award, the 1996 Bowl of Hygeia, the 2004 King Kourtesy Award, the inaugural 2001 Lester White Good Government Award, the 2005 Brewton Citizen of the Year, and the 2009 NCPA Willard B. Simmons Independent Pharmacist of the Year.

In his hometown of Brewton, Cottrell is known for his generosity as much as his professional achievements. He has served on the Brewton City School Board, the Brewton Development Authority, the United Bank Board of Directors, and the Brewton Kiwanis Club, and has been a deacon at First Baptist Church for 36 years. He founded the Brewton Elementary and Me (BEAM) program, which has rewarded good student conduct for 27 years.

Cottrell's civic-mindedness drew national attention in 2009, when he launched a $16,000 "stimulus program" during the economic downturn: he gave employees distinctive $2 bills, with the requirement that they spend the money locally and donate 15 percent to charity or someone in need. The initiative - later dubbed the "Country Boy Stimulus Package" - was featured on NBC Nightly News and repeated in later years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through decades of service to his patients, employees, community, and profession, Cottrell has left a lasting mark on pharmacy in Alabama.

"Danny Cottrell is an exceptional leader and steward of the pharmacy profession, and I'm delighted to see him receive the Dargavel Award," said Sharon Sherrer, president, NCPA Foundation Board of Trustees. "Over more than four decades, Danny has built a career defined by service - from shaping policy that has supported Alabama pharmacies for years to handing out $2 bills and encouraging employees to spend them locally and give back to someone in need. Whether in Montgomery or Brewton, Danny brings the same generosity and follow-through to everything he does. I've had the privilege of knowing Danny for many years, and this recognition is richly deserved. He represents the very best of community pharmacy, and we are fortunate to have him as a colleague and friend."

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The NCPA Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1953 to honor the previous incarnation of NCPA, the National Association of Retail Druggists (NARD) Executive Secretary John W. Dargavel. Contributions to the foundation are tax-deductible as charitable donations to the extent permitted under federal tax law. The NCPA Foundation's mission is to improve community-based health care by advancing the sustainability, growth, and public understanding of independent community pharmacists - the most accessible health care providers. For more information, go to www.ncpafoundation.org.