Finding your voice, inspiring others, and being a leader
Heidi Ho-muniz has been with Walgreens for nearly twenty years and currently leads a team of 2,500 employees across 94 locations in Colorado and Utah including eight community-based specialty pharmacies as a director, pharmacy and retail operations at Walgreens.
Heidi grew up in a culturally diverse household of Chinese, Hawaiian, Dutch and Danish descent. Growing up in Hawaii was an experience filled with many backgrounds, cultures, and great food. Her family recognizes Chinese New Year, the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year, on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. On her Hawaiian side, she practiced and competed in hula competitions growing up.
She never thought of leaving Hawaii until she received a rodeo scholarship to Colorado State University - Pueblo and decided to reside in Colorado after college. In Littleton, CO she began the first five years of her Walgreens career as a store manager, then was provided an opportunity to open the Walgreens market in her home state of Hawaii.
“When Walgreens opened the market, there was a culture shift from mainland operations to non-mainland operations. The team went through training for cultural awareness to ensure Walgreens isn’t being insensitive.”
Heidi Ho-muniz, director, pharmacy and retail operations
As an Asian American at Walgreens, Heidi feels supported with her cultural background and can be her whole authentic self at work. Every day, Heidi lives the “Aloha Spirit” through her team and work. The Aloha Spirit is the coordination of mind and heart, and brings each person closer to the self, thinking and emoting good feelings to others. In Heidi’s work, she extends the “Aloha” essence of building relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. As an active member with Walgreens Boots Alliance business resource group, AsianConnect, Heidi shares the Hawaiian culture through the community of team members proudly celebrating diversity across the Asian community locally and globally.
Heidi empowers her team using her cultural upbringing to treat team members with the same care and respect. She is proud to work for Walgreens as an Asian American woman advocating diversity and inclusion for all.