Rosalind Brewer, CEO of Walgreens, has stepped down from the top spot at one of the nation’s largest retail pharmacy chains less than three years into the position. Brewer is also resigning as a company board member.

According to a Walgreens statement released Friday morning, as of August 31, Walgreens Boots Alliance [WBA] has named Ginger Graham the company’s interim CEO. Graham is WBA’s current Lead Independent Director. Brewer will stay on until a permanent CEO is named.

Stefano Pessina, Executive Chairman, WBA, said in a company statement, “On behalf of the entire board, I would like to thank Roz for her contributions to WBA. Roz navigated the company through the global pandemic, overseeing the critical rollout of vaccines in Walgreens pharmacies and to high-risk populations across the country. She furthered our consumer-facing capabilities while supporting the culture of community and team-member engagement in difficult times. We appreciate her hard work and commitment to the company during this period of unprecedented change.”

As one of two Black female CEOs to run a Fortune 500 company, Brewer spoke about her personal experiences of racial profiling during a keynote speech for CEW’s debut DE&I Forum in October 2021, and discussed why diversity in business—and in business leadership—is so critical. “I’m still looking forward to the day that my two children don’t have to face that but if I’m still getting mistaken, I worry for the generations behind me,” she said.

Brewer was named CEO of WBA in March 2021, just as COVID-19 vaccines were becoming available to the American people, leading a team to create a vaccine scheduling system, a safe operating model for store workers, and a plan to drive vaccine equity. During her tenure, the company also achieved considerable cost savings through its transformational cost management program.

Prior to Walgreens, Brewer served as Chief Operating Officer and Group President at Starbucks from October 2017 to January 2021. Before Starbucks, she served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Sam’s Club, from February 2012 to February 2017. She held numerous executive positions at Walmart beginning in 2006.

In a statement, Brewer said, “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to lead Walgreens Boots Alliance and to work alongside such talented and dedicated colleagues. I am proud of what we accomplished together. We’ve improved the lives of our employees, expanded healthcare services for our customers and enhanced our ability to deliver on our purpose of ‘more joyful lives through better health.’ Over the past several years, we have recruited a world-class team to WBA, including the first-ever Chief Customer Officer and the first-ever President of U.S. Healthcare, and invested deeply in the improvement of the Company’s overall culture. I am confident that WBA is on track to be a leading consumer-centric healthcare company, serving thousands of communities across the country, especially those that need access to healthcare the most. I look forward to watching the company continue its transformation to deliver localized healthcare.”

Graham is a 30-year healthcare veteran and has served on the WBA Board of Directors since 2010. In October 2022 she was named the WBA Board Lead Independent Director. From 2003 to 2007 she was President and CEO of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company. Prior to that, she was Group Chairman, Office of the President for Guidant Corporation, a global leader in cardiology medical technology.

The company expects full-year 2023 adjusted EPS to be at or near the low end of its previously stated range. The Company will discuss 2024 guidance at its next regularly scheduled quarterly earnings call.