Contributors

avatar for Aaron BloomAaron Bloom (1)

Aaron Bloom, an experienced healthcare attorney, serves as the CEO, overseeing the mission and growth of DocMJ and Medwell Health and Wellness Centers since 2016. Aaron’s passion for improving patients’ lives comes from his experience in healthcare. For more than 20 years, Aaron has owned, operated, and represented traditional healthcare organizations. This experience created a passion for finding improved ways to relieve suffering. His goal as CEO is to work daily to provide relief to all patients who seek better health and wellness through the medicinal benefits of medical cannabis and evidence-based alternative medicines.

Adam CrabtreeAdam Crabtree (1)

Adam Crabtree is the founder and CEO of NCS Analytics.

Andrew Freedman

Andrew Freedman is the former director of marijuana coordination for the state of Colorado and a principal at the consulting firm, Freedman & Koski Inc.

 

Crystal Good

Crystal Good is a sixth-generation Mountaineer, artist, advocate and entrepreneur in Charleston.

Adrian GiovencoAdrian Giovenco (1)

Adrian Giovenco is a passionate engineer with over a decade of experience designing, selling and commissioning HVAC and process systems throughout North America. Recognizing a knowledge gap around fully understanding plant transpiration rates and how they impact controlled environments, he founded InSpire to focus on Advanced Transpiration Solutions. www.InSpire.ag

Agustin RodriguezAgustin Rodriguez (1)

With over two decades of experience in-house and in private practice, Agustin Rodriquez provides cross-functional, multidisciplinary counsel to advertising, marketing and consumer goods and services companies. He brings years of experience managing in-house legal teams for a Fortune 200 international consumer packaged goods company, handling complex litigation, marketing, advertising, tobacco, cannabis and alcohol regulations and restrictions, international supply chain risk management, internal investigations and corporate compliance, transactions and governance.

Alan HansonAlan Hanson (1)

Alan is the recognized cannabis lawyer and banking expert at Gleam Law. His practice focuses on developing cannabis and hemp banking programs for banks and credit unions. Prior to entering private practice as a cannabis attorney and banking expert, he spent 17 years as the General Counsel and Compliance Officer for Maps Credit Union. At Maps, he created and managed the first fully compliant marijuana banking program in Oregon. This program remains the largest, most successful, marijuana banking program in the state. Additionally, it is used by the state credit union regulators as the example of how to properly operate a marijuana related business banking program. Alan has extensive knowledge on banking compliance requirements along with the operational challenges to serve marijuana related businesses.

Alex BooneAlex Boone (1)

Alex Boone is  Managing Director of Botani. With 20+ years of experience at SWM International, Alex has led sales, marketing and product development teams for North American and international markets. In 2018, Alex was a part of the company’s entrance into the cannabis and hemp markets. Alex received his Bachelor of Arts in Management from Gettysburg College.To learn more, visit Botani.com.

Alex LeonowiczAlex Leonowicz (1)

Leonowicz is the leader of Howard & Howard’s Cannabis Industry Group. He provides legal counsel for dozens of cannabis businesses in many areas, including entity formation, state and local licensing strategy and application, regulatory compliance, and M&A services. He can be reached at [email protected] and 248-880-9436.

Alex RushAlex Rush (1)

Alex Rush is an Account Director and Senior Cannabis Strategist for Rosen Group, a full service
public relations agency with over three decades of experience building awareness for clients.
Rosen Group has a specialty in the cannabis sector, working with vertically integrated
companies, products, consultants, law firms, among other businesses and organizations.

Alexa DivettAlexa Divett (20)

Alexa Divett is the founder of Alexa Divett LLC, a business coaching and consulting company helping cannabis business owners achieve success through the implementation of sound business practices and time-tested marketing techniques.

As a successful entrepreneur, longtime marijuana advocate and medical grower, Alexa Divett understands the unique needs of the cannabis industry.

Alexa Divett is also the co-founder of Maya Media Collective, a Portland Oregon based creative firm that specializes in the cannabis industry.

Recently Alexa published Marijuana Millions: The Foundation For Success, which The Weedblog called the best marijuana branding book to date.

Alexa’s products and presentations on marketing and branding cannabis businesses have made her an in-demand and innovative expert in the cannabis business world.

Alexa’s goal is to help entrepreneurs achieve marijuana millions while uplifting the cannabis industry. To learn more about her visit www.alexadivett.com.

Alexander McCaffreyAlexander McCaffrey (2)

Alexander McCaffrey is a Consulting Manager at Grassi & Co. He provides consulting services on a variety of internal control and operational efficiency issues. Alex has a combined 15 years of experience in both public accounting and private industry. Alex is also proficient with the use of information technology, business intelligence and process automation as a tool for increasing efficiency and reducing costs.

As a practicing CPA with two regional firms in the Tampa Bay area, Alex gained significant experience in a wide array of industries, including manufacturing and distribution, PEOs, healthcare services, fraud prevention and detection, professional service companies, franchises, employee benefit plans and not for profit organizations. Most recently, Alex has served in high-level financial position in private industry with direct-report responsibilities to the CEOs of companies in the automotive manufacturing and biotechnology industries.

Alex earned his Master’s in Accountancy degree from the University of South Florida.

Alexandra CurleyAlexandra Curley (3)

Alexandra Curley brings her decades of experience in market and consumer insights from both the cannabis industry and fast-moving consumer goods to High Yield. As Senior Consultant, Curley’s expertise in research and strategy shape the development and delivery of High Yield’s solutions. to stakeholders seeking actionable insights on the dynamic cannabis industry.

Alexandra’s market research experience was gained in Euromonitor and Mintel, two leading international providers of consumer insights and market data. She has acted as a consultant to numerous clients across varied industries, helping to shape growth plans and outpace competitors. Alexandra can be reached at [email protected].

 

 

Alison TorbittAlison Torbitt (1)

Alison B. Torbitt is a partner in law firm Nixon Peabody’s Environmental and Land Use team and co-leads the firm’s Food, Beverage and Agribusiness team. She focuses on environmental transactional due diligence and compliance and sustainability, counseling a large range of manufacturers, developers and financing parties to find solutions and mitigate and allocate risk associated with all aspects of environmental laws.

Allen St. PierreAllen St. Pierre (22)

Allen St. Pierre is the vice president of communications for Freedom Leaf, a partner in the investment firm Sensible Alternative Investments and a NORML board member. In 1997, St. Pierre founded the NORML Foundation and was executive director for both NORML and NORML Foundation from 2006-2016.

Alyson JaenAlyson Jaen (1)

As the head cannabis practice attorney for Fortis Law Partners, Alyson Jaen specializes in cannabis law, licensing and regulatory compliance as well as general corporate and business law. Alyson advises clients on cannabis licensing and regulatory compliance matters, including representation before the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, the Denver Department of Excise and Licenses, and other local regulatory agencies. Alyson is committed to compliance and is an expert in many different aspects of the legal cannabis market. Prior to joining Fortis, Jaen worked at a Denver law firm where she provided legal counsel for operating businesses, and advised public and private companies regarding federal enforcement risks in legal cannabis markets. She previously assisted in more than $1 billion of transactions for the cannabis industry, including performing due diligence with new acquisitions.

Amanda OstrowitzAmanda Ostrowitz (1)

Amanda Ostrowitz is Chief Strategy Officer for Fyllo, a cannabis tech company that helps businesses grow bigger and faster with complete trust and confidence in compliance. At Fyllo, Ostrowitz helps drive global growth strategies for the company’s growing customer base, and has a deep understanding of the ever-changing regulatory environment surrounding cannabis laws. Ostrowitz is an attorney by trade, and an entrepreneur who developed CannaRegs, the industry’s most comprehensive database of federal, state, and local cannabis regulations.

Amber MayoAmber Mayo (3)

Amber Mayo is a founder and partner at WYD, a marketing accelerator for trailblazers looking for rapid growth; new categories, early-stage startups and established brands ready to take it to the next level. She has been at the forefront of digital, local and innovative marketing for the last 15 years. Best known for the “Ellen Selfie” at the 2013 Oscars, Amber has run campaigns and integrations from $200 to $1 billion for corporations and agency clients.

Amy AndrleAmy Andrle (1)

Amy Andrle is one half of L’Eagle Services, working with her husband John, an all-natural and sustainable recreational dispensary and cultivation facility specializing in clean cannabis based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 2010, L’Eagle has positioned itself as a premier establishment that prides itself on offering the cleanest product while also investing the time to educate consumers-both novices and connoisseurs-on the intricacies of the cannabis plant and its derivatives. L’Eagle is the first cannabis dispensary to earn recognition as a Certified Green Business from the City and County of Denver Department of Environmental Health.

Prior to working in the cannabis industry, Andrle, who holds a graduate degree in nonprofit management, was an executive at a cultural art organization, where she gained an appreciation of cooperative compliance and collaboration.

Today, in addition to being a mother and running day-to-day operations for L’Eagle, Andrle actively participates in outreach by contributing her time serving on the City of Denver’s Cannabis Sustainability Work Group, and as a founding board member of the Cannabis Certification Council. She also provides consulting services for legal marijuana companies looking to improve sustainability in their operations.

Amy BharjAmy BHARJ (1)

Amy K. Bharj is a Senior Counsel in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the Chicago office of Epstein Becker Green. She advises clients on employment issues and internal policies, including cannabis law, terminations, separation agreements, employee handbooks, non-compete agreements, risk management, workforce reductions, litigation strategy, governmental investigations, and recent developments in employment law.

 

Amy DonohueAmy Donohue (1)

Amy is a co-founder of High Growth Communications, bringing her social media expertise to the firm’s clients.  After ten years as a social media consultant, Amy discovered the emerging need for professional social media in the cannabis industry.  So, she and a (former) business partner launched Hybrid Social, the first all-cannabis marketing and social media agency in Arizona.  Amy also co-founded Cannafriends, an Arizona cannabis networking group, and she has been a member of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association in Arizona for over three years. She is especially knowledgeable about the various compliance rules and regulations cannabis firms using social media must deal with.  She has both written for and been interviewed by multiple cannabis publications.  Before devoting her career to social media she was a high school teacher, and then a stand-up comedian.  Amy can be reached at [email protected]

Amy PoinsettAmy Poinsett (1)

Seven years ago, Amy Poinsett co-founded MJ Freeway Business Solutions with a desire to see burgeoning marijuana businesses expand and thrive with smart business solutions in place. To fill a need for cannabis seed-to-sale software solutions, Poinsett and her co-founder launched MJ Freeway in 2010, the first company to bring seed-to-sale software to the market. Since then, featured twice in the INC 5000 fastest-growing companies list, woman-owned MJ Freeway has grown to serve thousands of clients in 5 countries, and processed more than $5 billion in sales via retail, manufacturing and cultivation management software platforms, as well as consulting services and cannabis licensee application support.
As Chief Executive Officer, Poinsett, a former web developer, has swiftly earned a reputation as a passionate pioneer committed to creating the best software platforms for the medical and adult-use marijuana industry. The University of Denver alumnus is also a sought-after speaker on medical marijuana best practices for streamlining operations, managing financials, boosting revenues, and enhancing customer loyalty. Poinsett’s focus on strategic planning and customer satisfaction consistently has earned MJ Freeway an above-industry average customer retention rate and large profit margins.

A dive master and fine arts painter, Poinsett applies fearless leadership and intelligent design across her personal and professional pursuits. Poinsett stands out as a new-breed CEO skilled in strategy as well as team building. With a track record of successful entrepreneurship, she founded, directed, and held COO and CEO positions for various high-earning tech start-ups in the point of sale and e-commerce spaces.

Prior to founding MJ Freeway Business Solutions, Poinsett successfully directed technology development teams in software application design and research analysis within the financial services, luxury tourism, and medical technology fields. Years of being a pioneer in the tech industry fueled Poinsett’s passion to see other women flourish in science and technology. To that end, Poinsett serves in a leadership role in the Arcview Investor Network, as a mentor in Canopy Boulder – an incubation organization for cannabis startups – and as a volunteer with local and national women and girls in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) organizations.

Poinsett is recognized nationally as an industry expert and has been a frequent guest speaker at many industry events. She has been interviewed and quoted by many local and national media outlets including CNN Money, Fortune, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Forbes. Poinsett was featured in Cannabis Now’s Eight Cannabis Entrepreneurs to Watch.

Andrea SteelAndrea Steel (1)

Andrea Steel is a Director at Coats Rose and she is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Cannabis Business Law group. Under her direction, the Cannabis Business Law group provides legal services to individuals and companies starting or expanding their legal cannabis businesses in Texas. Andrea’s cannabis business clients come from across the supply chain spectrum from cultivators to retailers, where she advises on regulatory compliance, contract negotiation, hemp/medical marijuana licensing, cannabis-related business issues, product labeling/marketing, policy-making participation, real estate issues and more. She also speaks at events across the state providing insight into the recently approved and proposed laws, rules and regulations and other cannabis business matters. She is also experienced with assisting clients navigate through the various state agency processes, including assistance with funding applications, appeals, and compliance issues. Her practice includes negotiating and closing real estate transactions, including construction, bridge and/or permanent financing, as well as state and local grant and other funding initiatives. Incorporating various economic development incentives, including tax exemptions, is another area in which her creativity and experience allows her to excel. Andrea has spent more than a decade serving as a legal advocate for her clients. Andrea may be contacted at [email protected], (713) 653-7334, https://www.coatsrose.com/attorneys/andrea-steel/.

 

Andrea StrainAndrea Strain (1)

Andrea Strain is a skilled attorney with over ten years of experience in a diverse range of practice areas, including cannabis, civil, criminal, contracts, employment, family, immigration, landlord tenant, transportation, and workers’ compensation. Andrea has represented individuals in New York and Connecticut, in both the State and Federal level.  Andrea’s vast experience allows her to bring a new perspective when assist her clients navigate various legal issues.

 

Andrew KayeAndrew Kaye (1)

Andrew Kaye is Chief Commercial Officer of Sweet Leaf Madison Capital. He can be reached at [email protected].

Andrew KritzerAndrew Kritzer (9)

Andrew Kritzer is an advertising and marketing executive with extensive experience in product and corporate marketing, communications, and branding. With 10 years of Madison Avenue experience, he worked on advertising campaigns for Canon, Ford, Redbook, Champ’s, The Athlete’s Foot, and Perkin Elmer. His 20 years on the client side, as a marketer, includes working on strategic marketing, branding, advertising, public relations, trade shows, digital and social media, internet initiatives, and new product launches for Canon, Samsung, Hayward, and Sharp. Andrew is an avid speaker in the sports marketing area and has also lectured at such institutions as Syracuse University, NYU, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Montclair State University on marketing and advertising. Over the last two year he worked at the Association of National Advertisers, running client side committees on Advertising Financial Management, Agency Relations, Production Management, and Research and Measurement, in addition to bringing members high quality training on current trends and best practices. Currently, Andrew works for AKMC, a marketing consultancy that focuses on helping small and medium sized businesses. If you have questions about the above article, feel free to email Andrew at [email protected].

Andrew RobinsonAndrew Robinson (1)

Andrew Robinson is a principal in the Real Estate Law And Transactions group. He focuses on land use cases as well as areas of administrative and construction law.
Robinson has experience representing clients facing homeowner association, landlord-tenant or construction disputes. He has assisted clients in processing subdivision and condominium development as well as in planning and zoning matters. Additionally, clients turn to Robinson for complex real estate transactions, commercial leasing and general litigation. Contact Robinson at [email protected] or call 301-575-0321.

Andrew ShoreAndrew Shore (2)

Andrew Shore is a founding partner of Jochum Shore & Trossevin. Previously, he was a Partner in the Washington, DC office of Mayer Brown LLP. As the Chief of Staff for the House Republican Conference, Mr. Shore was one of the senior advisors to the Congressional Leadership, a position that earned him accolades on the Hill and has led to regular quotes and appearances in the media since moving to the private sector.

He has parlayed his experience as the Policy and Coalitions Director at the House Republican Conference into having a hand in several major private sector coalitions. Mr. Shore built and leads the Owners’ Rights Initiative which is a coalition of Internet resale platforms, libraries, retailers and others protecting your ability to resell or give away the goods you own. He was one of the main advisors to the Digital Fourth Coalition seeking to ensure personal privacy for electronic communications against unwarranted government intrusion. He was the chief legislative strategist for NetCoalition in the campaign to defeat the so-called SOPA and PIPA Internet regulation bills. There he helped a small group of tech companies wage a political campaign against the massively funded movie, music and luxury goods manufacturers.

Mr. Shore does not shy away from high profile clients. He represented the Antigua Online Gaming Association in their landmark dispute against the United States to open the door to cross-border internet gambling. He currently represents the New Federalism Fund in their efforts to protect state cannabis laws and fix the outdated banking and tax laws impeding the industry. They were among the first Republicans in the cannabis advocacy space.

He has traveled and lectured in Serbia on behalf of the International Republican Institute assisting political operatives and elected officials in the development of communications and grassroots tools.

Mr. Shore spends an extensive amount of time with innovators working on behalf of companies like Snapchat, Google and eBay. His passion project is the journey to fund a prize competition to build an artificial kidney. Working with the American Society of Nephrology, he raised awareness of the total lack of early stage treatment for people with kidney disease and the $35 billion dollars spent in Medicare for people in renal failure. Every day brings them closer to the launch of the competition that will radically alter the healthcare landscape.

He is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas. He is a member of the District of Columbia, Supreme Court and Court of International Trade Bars’. For three years he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the National Zoo. He was recognized as a top Congressional staffer by Roll Call and The Hill. During a brief hiatus from politics, he launched the tech startup HillZoo.com.

A native of Glencoe, Illinois, and an honorary Texan, he and his wife, Cindi have two children and currently reside in Arlington, Virginia.

avatar for Andrew WellsAndrew Wells (1)

Andrew Wells is a strategic leader with over 15 years of multifaceted experience in the cannabis, consumer goods, and robotics industries, currently serving as the Chief of Staff at Sorting Robotics. His career is marked by significant roles in high-stakes patent litigation, financial management, and operational strategy. Andrew’s expertise is further augmented by his completion of ‘Succeeding as a Strategic CFO’ Executive program at The Harvard Business School, equipping him with advanced skills in financial strategy and leadership. At Sorting Robotics, a leading provider of industrial automation technology for the cannabis sector, he drives the company’s strategic initiatives and fosters a culture of excellence and innovation. Andrew’s strategic viewpoint is instrumental in guiding the company through the complexities of startup growth and market leadership.

Andrew WitkinAndrew Witkin (1)

Andrew Witkin is the founder and CEO of StickerYou, a global, e-commerce leader in custom-printed, die-cut products that empowers consumers and businesses to create high-quality materials for personal expression, marketing, and packaging.

Andy JosephAndy Joseph (7)

Andy Joseph is President of Apeks Supercritical, a manufacturer of CO2 subcritical and supercritical extraction equipment in Johnstown, OH. Joseph began building extraction machines more than sixteen years ago in his pole barn as a side business. In 2012, he left his positon as Director of Welding and Testing Labs for Edison Welding Institute (EWI) to dedicate full time to Apeks Supercritical. Today, the company has 500+ equipment installations in more than 20 states.

The inventor of five patents, including Valveless Expansion Technology, Joseph and his company were recognized as one of the “Top 100 Most Brilliant Companies” by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2014. In 2016, the company is a winner of the Edison Award and Joseph was a regional winner and national finalist in the EY (Earnest and Young) Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his outstanding leadership, ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit.

Joseph earned his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in welding engineering from the Ohio State University.

A two-time Navy Achievement Medal recipient, he served aboard the USS San Francisco as an enlisted nuclear propulsion mechanic.

A native Ohioan, he and his wife and five children live in Johnstown, not far from the company’s 17,000 square-foot facility.

avatar for Andy PotichaAndy Poticha (1)

Andy Poticha is the CEO of Cannabis Facility Construction, a national industry leader in cannabis facility design and construction.

Andy WilliamsAndy Williams (1)

Andy Williams is the President and CEO of Medicine Man in Colorado. He is veteran of the US Army, and served three years as a Cavalry Scout in the 3rd Infantry Division. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, CO. Andy has worked in a wide range of manufacturing industries as an industrial engineer, and in leadership positions. He is a lifelong entrepreneur. In 2009 the Ogden letter was published stating the Department of Justice would not utilize their resources to prosecute those individuals following state marijuana laws. That was the call to a new opportunity in the marijuana industry for Andy and his brother, Pete Williams. In December of 2009 they launched Medicine Man with the concept of being the Costco of marijuana. Six years later Medicine Man is now a $17 million a year corporation and has branched out to assist start up marijuana companies and grow facilities across the country with their consulting company, Medicine Man Technologies. They are known as industry leaders throughout the United States.

Angela PrestonAngela Preston (1)

Angela Preston is Senior Vice President and Counsel for Corporate Ethics and Compliance at Sterling, a leading provider of background and identity services. Find her on LinkedIn. For more information, visit Sterling or call 1 800 899 2272 with any questions you may have.

Angelo DePalmaAngelo DePalma (1)
Ann GrimaldiAnn Grimaldi (1)

Ann Grimaldi is Principal of Grimaldi Law Offices in San Francisco, California. Ms. Grimaldi provides compliance ­advice and litigation defense for businesses of all sizes facing diverse chemical and product regulatory challenges, including those arising from California’s Proposition 65. A former partner at a large international firm with over 20 years practicing chemical and product law, she strategically helps her clients avoid costly business disruptions that arise out of alleged non-compliance with chemical regulations like Proposition 65. With supply chains becoming more complex and global, businesses need to manage not only their own compliance but also business risks and disruptions that may arise from the acts of vendors, customers and other third parties; Ms. Grimaldi guides clients through the complex maze of chemical and product laws and helps them manage their legal and business risks. Ms. Grimaldi’s client base more recently has extended to California cannabis businesses as Proposition 65 enforcement has begun to target this emerging industry, which itself faces unique challenges with newly implemented cannabis regulations.

Anne Marie EllisAnne Marie Ellis (1)

Anne Marie Ellis is a senior counsel at Buchalter whose practice focuses on product liability, commercial litigation, regulatory compliance and client counseling in high-exposure cases involving alleged defective products, toxic substances, motor vehicle collisions, large-scale wildland fires, e-commerce, and consumer class actions. [email protected]

 

Anthony MoshirniaAnthony Moshirnia (1)

Anthony Moshirnia in an attorney with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton, LLP, where he is member of the White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice Team and the Cannabis Industry Team.  He advises clients on state and federal law compliance issues, including anti-money laundering and anti-corruption.  He also defends individuals and entities under investigation by government agencies and in civil litigation.  He can be reached at [email protected].

Anthony ScottiAnthony Scotti (1)

Anthony Scotti is the Founding Partner of Colorado-based genetics brand Cherry. A native New Yorker, Anthony moved to Colorado with the dream of starting a cannabis company. As an entrepreneur with a background in sales and the health and fitness industry, Anthony experienced the benefits of the cannabis plant firsthand while training and recovering for competition. It wasn’t long before he connected with plant talker and geneticist Jason MacLean, now Cherry’s Lead Horticulturist, when the seeds took root to create the Cherry brand. Anthony started as a grower, working his way through the many different stages of cultivating and producing high quality cannabis products for wellness, recreation, beauty and pets. With the knowledge of the plant as his foundation, Anthony immersed himself in the intricacies of the cannabis business, community, and lifestyle to become the face of the Cherry brand. Anthony is passionate about growing Cherry and continues to focus on the high-quality product the company has built its reputation on in the Colorado market.

Anthony StevensAnthony Stevens (2)

As one of BioTrackTHC’s earliest employees, Anthony Stevens has over seven years of experience as a product and implementation expert for the BioTrackTHC cannabis seed-to-sale software and government tracking solutions. He has gained extensive experience as the VP of Product Management, developing and coordinating training plans to mobilize BioTrackTHC’s existing employee training and technical support base. In addition to training for legal requirements and commercial system functionality, Stevens has also developed and leads training on system-use, as well as regional compliance requirements, for government contracted state traceability systems. You can follow Stevens on Twitter at @AS_BioTrackTHC or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Arabo BeikiArabo Beiki (1)

Arabo Beiki is the Director of Operations at SIVA Enterprises, a national cannabis holding company that offers businesses across the supply chain to manufacture and distribute nationwide in accordance with state-by-state laws and regulations.  Arabo has over a decade of professional experience in several industries, including but not limited to, cannabis, retail, technology startups, professional sports, entertainment, and aerospace.  Arabo earned a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education and Applied Psychology from UC Santa Barbara as well as an MBA, concentrating in Leadership and Managing Organizational Change from the Graziadio Business School at Pepperdine University. He can be reached at 818-562-3362 or email at [email protected].  

 

Ariel ClarkAriel Clark (3)

Ariel Clark of is one of California’s best and most dedicated business attorneys advising clients in highly regulated, emerging markets. For over a decade, Ariel has been in the trenches of cannabis law and drug policy reform, helping enact industry-defining regulations while building a client list of leading operators, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, and healers. When the idea of cannabis business law was considered an oxymoron, she committed her practice exclusively to this emerging industry — foresight that was recognized by Rolling Stone, which named her one of 18 “Women Shaping The Culture of Tomorrow.” Ariel’s hard-work, intelligence, and tenacity have earned her a national reputation as one of the industry’s fiercest lawyers. Ariel’s well-recognized leadership is reflected in her inclusion on Cannabis Business Executive’s “75 Most Important Women in Cannabis”; mg Magazine’s “30 Most Powerful Cannabis Lawyers”; Cannabis Law Report’s “Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers”; and Entrepreneur’s “Top 100 Cannabis Leaders.” Ariel’s affiliations include the International Cannabis Bar Association, California Native American Cannabis Association, California and National Cannabis Industry Associations, and California Growers Association. She is vice chair of the Executive Committee and serves on the Social Equity Committees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Cannabis Law Section. Additionally, she serves co-general counsel to Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines; is a member of the Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants; and co-founded the Cannaboss Womxn’s Circle, an active community of professionals collectively advancing feminine leadership in the industry.

Arshad "Adam" LasiArshad "Adam" Lasi (3)

Arshad “Adam” Lasi is CEO of Nirvana Group, a vertically integrated family-owned cannabis company in Oklahoma. Their operations include a cultivation and extraction facility, a processing facility, house brands and the only cannabis cash & carry concept in Oklahoma. Nirvana Group also owns an expanding list of medical dispensaries throughout the state.

Arthur HoffmannArthur Hoffmann (1)

Arthur Hoffmann, Partner, Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations focuses on complex product liability litigation and the provision of product liability advice, both internationally and in the US. As part of his work in defending manufacturers of tobacco and vape products, he has extensive experience working with scientific and medical experts in a variety of disciplines. He can be reached at [email protected].

Chris Gismondi, is Of Counsel in the Litigation & Regulatory Group of DLA Piper LLP.  Chris regularly defends clients in high-stakes, complex commercial litigation and corporate governance disputes, routinely defending corporate clients against claims for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, violations of the securities laws, and product liability.  He handles cases before state and federal trial and appellate courts, arbitrators and mediators. Chris can be reached at [email protected].

Ata GonzalezAta Gonzalez (1)

Ata Gonzalez – founded G FarmaLabs, a producer of cannabis and manufacturer of a full line of cannabis infused products. Today, Mr. Gonzalez is in charge of advising G FarmaBrands on strategic planning and execution, national and global expansion, intellectual property management, trademarks, new territories, product innovation and its marketing efforts. Mr. Gonzalez has spent over 20 years as an entrepreneur and real estate investor. It was under his leadership the G FarmaLabs brand was birthed and would become America’s first full line of nationally branded cannabis infused products.

For the last six years he has driven a strong track record of results, execution excellence and improved efficiency while driving the brand forward in a very difficult and ever-changing regulatory landscape. Mr. Gonzalez’s goals today are to continue advising the Executive Team and continue cementing the G FarmaBrands as global leaders in cannabis infused product extractions and innovations.

Ausra DeluardAusra Deluard (1)

Ausra Deluard is a member of Dentons’ national Health Care practice group, resident in the Oakland office. Her current practice focus is on helping clients in the nascent cannabis industry achieve their business objectives by advising them on the sector’s rapidly evolving laws and regulations. Deluard’s experience in high-stakes antitrust litigation in the M&A context and in civil and criminal investigations was excellent preparation for counseling companies in avoiding the liability risks of operating in a highly regulated consumer industry.

Deluard continues to advise clients in a range of sectors on contentious and non-contentious antitrust matters relating to proposed acquisitions, gun-jumping, global pricing and distribution policies, competitor collaboration, licensing arrangements, interlocking directorates and pharmaceutical settlements. She has handled numerous “second request” merger investigations before the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission for clients in the cannabis, tobacco, health care and technology sectors, using cutting-edge technology to efficiently and cost-effectively manage HSR Act investigations and persuasive advocacy to resolve substantive competition law issues.

Austin StevensonAustin Stevenson (3)

Austin Stevenson, Vertosa Chief Innovation Officer: Austin plays an integral role in the business development of Vertosa, an innovative hemp and cannabis infusion technology company based in Oakland, California. He facilitates partnerships with leading brands to produce top quality cannabinoid-infused cold brew coffee, beer, wine, fresh juice, topicals and more. Prior to joining Vertosa, Austin leveraged his bio-tech experience building the regulatory Hemp/CBD testing program for Eurofins – a world leader in food, environment, and product testing services – where he worked with CVS and Walgreens to test and verify the quality of their retail CBD topicals. He is also a former management associate for Citi, Austin worked to fund minority and women-owned businesses. A St. Louis native, Austin was the first in his family to go college, completing his undergraduate degree at Columbia University and earning a Master of Science in Globalization and International Policy from the University of Bath.

 

Rebecca EdelsonBec Edelson (3)

Author Bec Edelson leads Sheppard Mullin’s trade secret practice and is a member of its Cannabis Industry Team.

Author Emilio Cazares is an associate in the firm’s patent prosecution and litigation practice group and is member of the Cannabis Industry Team.
Becky DeKeusterBecky DeKeuster (2)

Danielle Porter is the Human Resources Manager for the Wellness Connection of Maine, which operates four of Maine’s eight state-licensed medical cannabis dispensaries. Danielle has been working in the Human Resources field for over 10 years in various industries including Architecture, Biotechnology, and Banking. Danielle can be reached at [email protected],
Becky DeKeuster, M.Ed, is a co-founder and Director of Community & Education of the Wellness Connection of Maine. Becky has over a decade of experience in the medical cannabis industry on both the West and East Coasts. A former high school teacher and
administrator, she believes that education is key to expanding acceptance of cannabis, and reducing the stigma sometimes associated with its use. Becky can be reached at [email protected].

Ben BourqueBen Bourque (1)

Ben Bourque came to Green Meadows Farm from Denver, where he built his own organic cannabis business and brand, New Amsterdam Organics. An LSU-trained botany scientist, Ben has vast knowledge of horticulture and the latest greenhouse and extraction technologies. He leads Green Meadows’ commitment to producing the purest organic cannabis and cannabis products available. He can be reached at [email protected]

Ben CondonBen Condon (4)

Ben, a partner at BC Consulting and BC CPAs, is a proud native of the Pacific Northwest, born in Washington and grew up in Oregon. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from the University of Oregon. He has been an active CPA in the state of Oregon since 2008 and has extensive business tax experience focusing on corporate and flow-through entities.

He has a combined 9 years of Big 4 experience at Ernst & Young and Deloitte and has served clients ranging from large multistate, multinational Fortune 500 companies to startups and every size in between. His clients represent various industries including commercial and residential real estate, manufacturing, private equity funds, hedge funds, biotech, and high-tech.

Ben puts his broad ranging and unique skill set to work benefiting clients within the cannabis industry. When he isn’t serving his clients, Ben enjoys traveling (36 countries and counting), craft beer and coffee, snowboarding, music festivals, camping and hiking, and going to Ducks, Blazers and Timbers games. In addition to his CPA, he is also certified yoga teacher and scuba diver.

If you would like to have BC Consulting review your returns for possible tax savings, please reach out to Ben at 503-303-3730 or email [email protected].

Ben StevensBen Stevens (53)
Ben WrigleyBen Wrigley (2)

Ben has practiced law in Michigan since 1970. His specialties include real estate, construction law, business/corporate, wealth advisory, family law and litigation. He founded Wrigley & Hoffman in 1994 after many years with Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett.  Ben is particularly interested in the real estate, business law and tax aspects of marijuana legalization. He is a member of the Marijuana Law Section of the Michigan Bar Association and co-chairs the Zoning and Property Committee of that Section.

Wrigley, Hoffman & Hendricks, P.C. (www.wrigleyhoffman.com), a Grand Rapids law firm established in 1994, practices cannabis business law under the name CannalexLaw (www.cannalexlaw.com). The firm’s three members have over 100 combined years of business and real property law experience. We have joined these years of business law experience with deep knowledge of the marijuana legalization phenomenon, providing advice and counsel on the intersection of legalized marijuana and business practices. Benham R. Wrigley, Jr. and Robert A. Hendricks lead the firm’s CannalexLaw practice, calling on Thomas A. Hoffman’s litigation expertise as needed.

Benton BodamerBenton Bodamer (1)

Benton Bodamer has represented a wide range of public and private companies, as well as many of the leading international private equity sponsors.

He regularly advises clients on complex domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, minority investments, divestitures, and restructurings. Mr. Bodamer also routinely counsels privately held businesses (including sponsor portfolio companies) on general corporate matters, governance, corporate best practices, and commercial transactions.

Bill HewsonBill Hewson (4)

Bill Hewson founded and leads Hewson Group, a full service marketing firm based in Fairfield County, CT in operation since 2012. Hewson Group focuses on retail marketing and customer activation through the smart use of customer and marketing performance data.

Bill began his career in the New York City advertising community, including stints on the agency and client side of the marketing equation. After 10 years of traditional advertising agency and client experience, Bill took a mighty leap into the digital space in 1996, joining the agency (Modem Media) who literally created and ran the first ad banner online (1994; AT&T on hotwired.com)

After a 15 year run with the world’s largest agencies and clients, that included leading a team to win a Gold Lion at Cannes and to redesign the home page of the American Express website, Bill began Hewson Group. Hewson Group’s purpose is to focus on small businesses, with the insight that small marketers could take advantage of solutions that had once only been available to enterprise level clients. This insight led to work for companies like Villa Italian Kitchen (200+ Stores in US), Foxwoods Casino and Resort, and The Ainsworth Institute of Pain Management, a leading center for advanced pain solutions in NYC.

Since 2013, Bill and Hewson Group have had a variety of adventures in the cannabis space, including roles founding a startup cannabis loyalty program, acting as the Chief Strategy Officer of 2 different start ups in cannabis, and 2 years acting as director of Marketing & Strategy at Berkshire Roots, a fully licensed vertically integrate cannabis operator in Pittsfield, MA.

Hewson Group’s latest venture is to create and launch Kayamatic, a web and digital platform foundation and integration solutions provider for newly licensed cannabis operators. Learn more at kayamatic.com.

 

Bill HonakerBill Honaker (1)

William H. Honaker, “The IP Guy,” is a former USPTO Examiner, a partner with Dickinson Wright PLLC. He helps companies calculate and protect the value of their intellectual property. For more than 30 years, Bill has been helping businesses, ranging from Fortune 100 firms to individual entrepreneurs and businesses protect their brands, inventions and copyrights to build business. He evaluates patents, trademarks, and copyrights along with advising clients on the protection of inventions, trademarks, and copyrightable subject matter. Bill is also the author of the forthcoming book, Invisible Assets – How to Maximize the Hidden Value in Your Business. More on Bill at https://bit.ly/44mxb51 or www.IPguy.com. 

Bill ShevlinBill Shevlin (1)

Bill Shevlin is Co-CEO of 3 Bros Grow, a vertically-integrated cannabis company based in California. 

Blake DriverBlake Driver (1)

Blake is the Marketing Director at Root, a creative marketing agency that exclusively serves the Cannabis Industry. If you would like to learn more about Root please visit rootundertheinfluence.com or you can email Blake directly at [email protected].

Bob HendricksBob Hendricks (7)

Robert Hendricks is a business attorney in Grand Rapids, Michigan, licensed since 1984. In 2013 he and his partners began developing a marijuana business practice called CannalexLaw. Hendricks is a member and officer of the State Bar of Michigan’s Marijuana Law Section, and a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association and the National Cannabis Bar Association. He speaks on marijuana and business at various forums in Michigan. He blogs on marijuana business issues at www.cannalexlaw.com

Bob HobanBob Hoban (4)

Note: Hoban Law Group intern and Cooley Law Student Tim Saitta assisted with the research for this article.

Bob Hoban is an AV Preeminent rated attorney and seasoned full-service commercial practitioner. He is also Principal and Owner at Solana Business Solutions, which offers comprehensive consulting, management, regulatory, and product solutions services for the entire commercial cannabis industry – serving both THC, CBD and hemp business models.

In 2016, Hoban was selected as a member of the Boulder Colorado inaugural Marijuana Policy Advisory Committee and asked to serve on the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee. Former President of the Cannabis Business Alliance, Hoban was also a member of the Colorado Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division Rules Committee and is currently a member of the National Hemp Association, National Cannabis Industry Association and Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Hoban was involved as a drafter of Colorado’s marijuana regulatory legislation and has drafted over 30 bills for the Colorado General Assembly.

Hoban is a professor at the University of Denver in the Law and Society Program and regularly instructs regarding cannabis and hemp related legal and policy topics. He also teaches government regulations, public policy and research-based policy courses. In 2014, Hoban led a University-sanctioned research practicum concerning the efficacy of marijuana regulation; the first of its kind in the U.S. This course resulted in a publication entitled “Sprung from Night into the Sun: An Examination of Colorado’s Marijuana Regulatory Framework,” published in the December, 2015 edition of the Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law.

Bob MusinskiBob Musinski (1)

Bob has 20+ years’ experience in all phases of communications, including managing public relations, social media and content marketing engagements. At CBD Marketing in Chicago, he works with national and global clients aligning with the cannabis business space in manufacturing, financial services, education, edibles and ingredients. Prior to CBD Marketing, he worked at a public affairs PR firm and is also expert in government relations, working to communicate with local and state lawmakers on behalf of various businesses and institutions. Bob has also worked at large news organizations, is an award-winning journalist and a speaker at national conferences. Contact him at [email protected]

avatar for Brendan McKeeBrendan McKee (1)

Brendan McKee is the Co-Founder, CFO & COO of Silver Therapeutics, New England’s premier cannabis curator and multi-state operator. As an avid consumer and advocate of cannabis for over 20 years, Brendan entered the legal cannabis market in 2017 with a vertical medical license and transitioned to adult use sales in 2019. He opened and operated one of the first adult use dispensaries in Massachusetts and has since opened Silver Therapeutics dispensary locations across Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York.

Brendon SternBrendon Stern (2)

Brendon Stern is a second year law student at American University Washington College of Law. He is a member of his school’s Administrative Law Review, and he aims to pursue a career in providing legal counsel to cannabis business owners. Prior to starting law school, Brendon worked as a claims audit associate for Ankura Consulting Group, where he reviewed claims against asbestos trusts. He also received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Linguistics from Emory University, where he helped professors research speech and language perception.

Brett Gelfand and Cody ZieringBrett Gelfand and Cody Ziering (5)

Brett Gelfand and Cody Ziering are the founders and managing parters of CannaBIZ Collects LLC. Previously, Gelfand and Ziering together, helped build a Colorado cannabis wholesale operation from the ground up, including an indoor cultivation, edible kitchen, extract lab, and dispensary. During their tenure in Colorado, both executives recognized the burden cannabis companies were experiencing when releasing credit terms to other cannabis firms. Brett’s father, Attorney Ross Gelfand, joined the CBC team, and together the three started CannaBIZ Collects. Ross has over 30+ years of commercial collection experience and sold his collection agency and law practice in 2012. Brett and Cody convinced Ross to focus his attention on the growing credit and collection trend in the cannabis space.

Brett RoperBrett Roper (1)

Mr. Roper has an extensive background in business development, having successfully ‘shepherded’ several Form 10 and S1 filings, a recent NASDAQ up-listing effort, and co-founding Medicine Man Technologies in 2014 with the Williams Family of Colorado, a unique Cannabis business consultancy. Medicine Man Technologies just completed becoming a public company on the OTC Marketplace as a QB or fully reporting status company, soon to be traded under the symbol MDCL. He has served in a number of advisory capacities to other private, pre-public, and public companies including corporate development, industrial and commercial real estate development, strategic initiative refinement, business turnaround, service as an independent board member, and deployment of investor relation services. His diverse background has allowed him to become a “quiet advisor” to many companies as well as investors in the Cannabusiness space. Brett can be reached at [email protected] .

Brian MacIverBrian MacIver (38)

Brian MacIver is a freelance writer and editor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He also is Partner and Director of Strategic Communications for Guerrera: The Agency, a boutique communications and marketing agency serving small businesses, nonprofits and progressive groups. He can be reached at [email protected]

Brian MayfieldBrian Mayfield (1)

Brian Mayfield is the co-founder & chief strategist at MJstack, where he empowers cannabis owners & operators to see the “big picture” of their businesses and better understand how finding the right cannatech stack is crucial to their success in today’s application economy. Prior to founding MJstack, Brian was a SaaS account executive at Flowhub and an agile account owner at CA Technologies where he was responsible for helping Fortune 50 businesses identify the right software solutions for their unique business challenges.

 

Brian MitchellBrian Mitchell (1)

Brian Mitchell is co-founder and chief executive officer of Shryne Group Inc., a Los Angeles-based cannabis holding company with a fully vertically integrated asset and license portfolio covering the breadth of California, the largest legal cannabis market in the world.

He has been a seasoned entrepreneur and real estate investor since 2003, when he was still studying at UC Davis. His deep knowledge of cannabis real estate and licensing combined with his diverse experience and passion for bringing talent together position him as a leader within the Shryne Group family and in the burgeoning California cannabis industry at large.

Brooke ButlerBrooke Butler (1)

Brooke Butler is the VP of Partnerships at Simplifya, the leading regulatory and operational compliance software platform serving the cannabis industry. She is an energetic professional who has spent the last decade building her career across four continents before returning to the US to help grow Simplifya. Heading up the local offices as a Country Director for global research and publishing firm Oxford Business Group, Brooke gained vital experience introducing a brand and products to new markets and fostering commercial partnerships with the public and private sectors.

She was convinced it was the right time to move back to America after she saw how quickly the cannabis industry was growing and knew the expertise she had gained from working in some of the world’s most dynamic and regulated frontier economies could be used to help this emerging industry. Her greatest desire is to help ensure that any cannabis business setting out to operate in the legal market has a chance to thrive in this highly regulated industry. Some of Brooke’s favorite things: traveling, frontier and emerging economies, the San Antonio Spurs, Sous-vide cooking, finding new books and all things music (bonus points awarded to anyone who listens to Fela Kuti).

Bryan JohnsonBryan Johnson (2)

Bryan Johnson is a partner at Michelman & Robinson, LLP, a national law firm with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County (California), San Francisco, Chicago and New York City. He is a commercial and real estate litigator and business transactional attorney who represents small and medium-sized companies in a range of industries, including cannabis. Bryan can be contacted at [email protected] or (312) 638-5671.

avatar for Bryna DahlinBryna Dahlin (1)

Bryna Dahlin is a Partner and Chair of the Cannabis Industry Group at Benesch and previously co-founded the first-ever cannabis law firm in Illinois. For nearly a decade, she has advised companies in all sectors of the cannabis space, including growers, manufacturers, distributors, dispensaries, investors and ancillary businesses. Bryna also advises non-cannabis companies that are impacted by cannabis laws. Her clients are nationwide and range from new entrants in the space to publicly traded companies operating across dozens of states. Bryna can be reached at [email protected]

Carlos PereaCarlos Perea (1)

Carlos Perea is the CEO and Co-founder of Terra Vera, an agricultural technology company offering innovative solutions to replace conventional pesticides and increase product safety and consumer confidence within the agriculture industry. Carlos is a serial entrepreneur with a focus on the intersection of technology and social impact. Prior to founding Terra Vera, he formed MIOX Corporation, a technology company that treats water in a variety of applications and is distributed in over 30 countries. He is active as an advisor and board member with several early-stage companies and social enterprises, including the Young Presidents’ Organization for which he is an active board member.Carlos has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.

 

 

Carmen AndradeCarmen Andrade (3)

Carmen Andrade is a Principal at Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, P.C. concentrating her practice in the areas of commercial real estate and corporate transactions. She provides nationwide, transactional services to her clients in all aspects of commercial real estate as well as corporate and general business matters including those pertaining to and relevant to cannabis businesses.

 

Cassia FurmanCassia Furman (1)

Cassia Furman is a senior associate with the law firm of Vicente Sederberg LLC and provides clients with a wide range of real estate, transactional and regulatory assistance. Her current legal focus includes supporting the firm’s work with California local governments regulating under the MCRSA and representing private clients in the establishment, licensing and operation of their cannabis business ventures.

Prior to her work with Vicente Sederberg, Cassia worked with a noted public finance firm, overseeing the organization and general operations of dozens of special districts in connection with complex public infrastructure projects, including multi-million dollar issuances of debt.

Cassia also assisted in the representation of numerous Colorado municipalities, where her duties included the drafting and implementation of comprehensive medical marijuana ordinances.

Catherine JunCatherine Jun (1)

Catherine Jun is an senior associate in Sheppard Mullin’s Finance & Bankruptcy practice group and is based in the firm’s Chicago office. She can be reached at [email protected].

CBE StaffCBE Staff (2)
Celena MayoCelena Mayo (1)

Celena Mayo has focused exclusively in the employment and labor area throughout her legal career. Prior to joining Wilson Elser in 2004, she served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department, Labor & Employment Division. Celena, a Cuban-American bilingual in Spanish and English, also is a member of the firm’s Latin America practice and e-Discovery practice. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].

Celeste MirandaCeleste Miranda (63)

Dedicated to what she does and successful in her savvy business-minded ventures, Celeste Miranda is an entrepreneur, author, founder and CEO of Miranda Marketing Labs and The Cannabis Marketing Lab. Undertaking the critical challenges of marketing an emerging industry, Miranda opened a specialized division focused on providing businesses with innovative and affordable marketing strategies. Since then, The Cannabis Marketing Lab has become a highly regarded organization in Cannabis related ventures. Comprised of a 16 person team, Celeste’s staff has years of experience and expertise in a myriad of areas such as Social Media, Search Engine Optimization, Graphic & Web Design, Creative Content Production, Advertising, PR and much more. Celeste can be reached at [email protected].

Charlena BerryCharlena Berry (4)

Charlena Berry founded Cannabis Business Growth after spending more than a decade in Supply Chain and Retail Operations for Fortune 500 companies like Whirlpool and Office Depot/Office Max. A global cannabis business executive and the company’s principal consultant, Charlena forms strategic partnerships, guides entrepreneurs, and leads projects in all sectors of the cannabis industry, from cultivation and manufacturing to commercial retail and distribution. A witness to the impact of addiction and the illicit market, Charlena is a proud advocate for cannabis and its potential for healing and personal growth.

Chase HattawayChase Hattaway (1)

Chase Hattaway is a partner in the Orlando office of Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell. He counsels employers on compliance with state and federal law as part of his Employment and Labor practice, as well as defends employers in state and federal court against various claims of discrimination including retaliation, harassment, whistle-blower and wrongful termination. He can be reached at [email protected].

Chip PaulChip Paul (2)

Chip Paul is a dynamic and influential speaker with several areas of expertise. He is a theorist and world thought leader on a physiological system called the endocannabinoid system. From this expertise, Chip has developed a model of human function which is influenceable and within most people’s control to manipulate.

He holds the first issued US Patent on doing just that. Chip uses this information to empower and influence his audiences to proper health practices. He is also an expert in the field of cannabis advocacy and medical marijuana legislation. His background includes leading the medical marijuana movement in Oklahoma.

Chip’s passion for educating others about the benefits of medical cannabis and the endocannabinoid system has made him a sought-after speaker for conferences, industry events, and educational forums.

Key Highlights:

  • Led the medical marijuana movement in Oklahoma through an organization called Oklahomans for Health from 2014 until the law was passed.
  • Successfully petitioned the state of Oklahoma twice, resulting in the passing of SQ788, which is Oklahoma’s Medical Marijuana law.
  • Wrote the major principles in SQ788, outlining the regulations and guidelines for medical marijuana in Oklahoma.
  • Recognized as a world expert on the endocannabinoid system and its role in health and wellness.
  • Serves as an advisor and collaborator with the University of Mississippi on their cannabis master’s program, contributing to the development of curriculum and research initiatives.
  • Provides expert guidance and has written influential white papers circulated in the Oklahoma State Legislature to inform policymakers about the benefits and regulations of medical cannabis.
  • Named a top 100 influencer in the cannabis industry in 2016 by Cannabis Business Executive Magazine.
  • Awarded Tulsa Man of the Year in 2018 for his significant contributions to advancing medical marijuana legislation and education.
  • Advises and collaborates with various state agencies, including the OMMA, OBN, and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, on cannabis-related regulations and business needs.
  • A respected voice in the field, Chip has provided valuable insights and guidance to legislators on issues related to medical cannabis and SQ788.
  • Organized and led the first medical marijuana forum ever conducted by the Republican Party, fostering dialogue and understanding on the topic.
  • Frequently invited as a speaker and guest on local and national media platforms to share his expertise on medical marijuana, cannabis policy, and the endocannabinoid system.

Chip can be reached at [email protected].

 

Chris BoudreauChris Boudreau (4)

Chris Boudreau is a entrepreneur with over 15 years of corporate experience that includes senior management developing of a regional sales office for a national lender, executive management overseeing an entire bank loan portfolio, and operational management creating financial analysis models and reports for monitoring business performance. Chris co-founded and developed Calyx Brands, after several years of working in the cannabis space and recognizing the retail dispensary need for a compliant and well developed channel of intelligent marijuana products. Currently serves as Founder & CEO at Sunstone Distribution.

Chris DriessenChris Driessen (1)

Chris Driessen is the president of Organa Brands, the Colorado-based parent company of O.penVAPE, Bakked, District Edibles, Magic Buzz and Organa Labs products.
Organa Brands is home to the largest consumer cannabis brands in the United States, with ancillary and CBD products in eight European countries. As president, Driessen is responsible for all aspects of day-to-day operations, corporate strategy and overall performance of the organization.
Driessen’s background managing sales efforts for Starwood Hotels and Resorts allowed him to prepare Organa Brands as an international house of brands.
O.penVAPE’s revenue growth for the past several years is due in part to Driessen’s ability to lead and motivate his sales teams. With his sales leadership experience with Konica Minolta Business Solutions, he brings systematic practices and highly developed organization skills to Organa Brands. He is responsible for tripling the size of Organa Brands’ licensee network within the United States and expanding the company’s international presence into both Europe and the Caribbean.

Chris WoodsChris Woods (2)

Chris Woods is the CEO and founder of Terrapin Care Station, a consumer-focused cultivator, processor and provider of high-quality adult-use and  medical cannabis products in Colorado and Pennsylvania, respectively. The company also recently launched in Michigan where it operates a medical cannabis cultivation facility. Terrapin was recently awarded two medical cannabis retail licenses in Missouri, and the company applied for a medical marijuana retail license in New Jersey. The company started as a one-man operation led by Chris in 2009, growing into operations with over 300 employees. 

Today, Terrapin operates six grow operations, six dispensaries, and two labs. It has received numerous awards and accolades, including being named the “Innovative Business of the Year” in 2018 by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce. 

Since the beginning of legal marijuana sales, Terrapin has focused on positioning itself as an industry leader in the burgeoning cannabis marketplace. Chris recognizes the importance of providing high-quality, affordable products to the communities Terrapin has the privilege of serving. A new industry, especially one as sensitive as medical and recreational cannabis, requires a higher level of corporate responsibility in order to ensure a successful “experiment.” Terrapin has long placed a focus on the operational mechanics of the company in order to guarantee responsibility, safety, compliance and overall success. Chris also believes strongly in leaving a positive community footprint, which is why Terrapin has partnered with 19 nonprofits for over $600,000 in contributions.  

Chris is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, where he also ran competitive track. He earned a graduate degree in applied math at the University of Colorado Boulder. Before founding Terrapin, and while still in Grad School, Chris took the reins of his father’s real estate company, managing the construction of a 50-unit tract of low-income housing. Today, Chris lives in Boulder and continues to run recreationally as well as being an avid skier, dog lover, and downhill mountain bike and skydiving enthusiast.

 

Chris ZawackiChris Zawacki (1)

Chris Zawacki, co-founder and CEO, Green Meadows

Before taking a full-time role as Green Meadows’ CEO, Chris Zawacki was a Principal at Netology, delivering advanced managed technology services and support for businesses. Chris was also a Vice President at TEKConn and a founding partner of Greenhouse IT, growing and eventually selling the highly-successful business five years after launch.

Rob Patton, co-founder and CMO, Green Meadows

As co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer at Green Meadows, Rob leads all sales and marketing activities, dispensary efforts that generate in-store revenue, community engagement and wholesale activities. Prior to founding Green Meadows with his family, Rob held senior leadership positions at several digital and traditional marketing firms, most recently serving as the Vice President of Strategy for Data Axle, a leading data-centric

Christian CastiglioneChristian Castiglione (1)

A co-founder of EcoBuds, Christian Castiglione has spent over two decades as a corporate advisor, venture capital partner and risk management/fintech executive.    

Working with multiple Fortune 500 client companies, Christian developed and launched multiple leading-edge digital risk management and planning platforms that enabled financial firms to accelerate growth, increase  competitiveness, and systematize workflow processes for operational efficiency. Additionally, Christian’s expertise and innovative work in risk management and econometric modelling resulted in his authoring a patent for Financial Modeling. 

An alumnus of the College of the Holy Cross, Mr. Castiglione resides in the greater NYC area.

Christine LambChristine Lamb (3)

Christine (Chris) Lamb leads the employment practice at Fortis Law Partners where she focuses on counseling companies and executives on human resources and personnel issues and defending companies in employment lawsuits. Chris has a quarter century of experience representing a wide variety of companies ranging from start-up businesses to Fortune 100 companies. Chris has represented clients in matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the United States Department of Labor, Colorado Wage & Hour Division, United States Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), and the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment (CDLE).  She also provides advice and counseling on personnel policies and employee manuals, employment contracts, executive compensation, non-compete and trade secret agreements, and harassment investigations. For more information, contact [email protected].

Christopher LehmannChristopher Lehmann (1)

Chris Lehmann is managing director for the San Francisco office of Landor. He has been with Landor for 22 years, most of which were in design leadership roles in the San Francisco office. He was both executive creative director and general manager for Landor Chicago from 2011 to 2015.

Chris has a broad range of branding and design experience across many consumer and corporate industries. His clients have included Barclays, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Byline Bank, Devon Energy, Hilton Worldwide, Kraft, NCAA, Pernod Ricard, and The Trust for Public Land.

In addition to a graphic design education at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco (where he later taught for five years), Chris graduated from CSU Sacramento with a BA in English. He is a sought-after industry commentator, and his work has been published in Communication Arts, Graphis, and Print.

Chuck SmithChuck Smith (2)

Chuck Smith is the Chief Operating Officer and acting Chief Financial Officer for Dixie Brands, Inc. and is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of company operations, production, sales, finance and long-term strategic planning. As one of two original founders of the Dixie Elixirs and Edibles Company, along with Tripp Keber, Chuck has architected many of Dixie’s critical operational developments, helping the company grow from a “garage operation” to a 30,000 square foot state-of-the-art, vertically integrated manufacturing facility that is a first-of-its-kind for the marijuana industry. Prior to turning marijuana dreams into realities, Chuck was President of Bella Terra Realty Holdings where he oversaw all aspects of the Bella Terra Resort Development Company. Prior to forming Bella Terra in order to focus exclusively on the RV Resort industry, Mr. Smith was President of Sagebrush Realty Development and was responsible for developing, selling and managing residential condominium projects valued at over $85 million in revenue.

Chuck has over twenty five (25) years of experience in a variety of industries. He has a strong financial background, holding the position of Chief Financial Officer for a mid-sized retail apparel chain, has built and managed sales and marketing teams for private and publicly traded technology companies, and has successfully founded two companies, including one in the alcohol beverage industry.

Chuck has a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Maryland and an MBA from the Owen Graduate School at Vanderbilt University. Mr. Smith is married and lives in Fairhope, Alabama and Denver, Colorado. He actively participates in a wide variety of philanthropic organizations and is an avid golfer.

Chuck TaylorChuck Taylor (3)

Chuck Taylor is director of operations with Lemont, Illinois-based Englewood Construction, a national commercial construction firm with expertise partnering with cannabis firms on dispensary and cultivation facility projects in multiple states. Englewood’s extensive portfolio spans ground-up new construction and renovation projects in a variety of commercial real estate sectors including retail, restaurant, hospitality/entertainment, industrial, office, entertainment and senior living. The firm also provides facilities management services.  Chuck can be reached at [email protected].

Claudia PostClaudia Post (5)
Claudia Post is an entrepreneur, pioneer groundbreaker, speaker, generous introducer, and power connector. Having recognized cannabis as the next frontier 13 years ago, Claudia founded MOST Consulting Group which is a one-stop shop for cannabis businesses. She provides marketing, advertising, design, and strategy for the cannabis industry. Right here in Philadelphia, 20 years ago Claudia founded Diamond Transportation Group, a same-day, time-critical delivery service. She found it at her dining room table with four people. She opened up twelve warehouses up and down the East Coast and provided trucking, pick-pack-ship, chain of custody, logistics, supply chain, and various other services to her clients. She grew to 12 locations from her humble beginnings and became a multi-million dollar company. She has a local, regional, and national presence. She is noted to be a subject matter expert in transportation and logistics. With her expertise in transportation, most recently she founded Scarlet Express, a state-approved, closed-loop delivery service that provides discreet, secure, and expert cannabis supply chain management in every state.
Clint SharplesClint Sharples (1)

Clint Sharples is the CEO of Heritage Cannabis, where he leads the corporate development and implementation of the strategic direction of the brand in Canada and internationally. A seasoned business development expert in multiple industries, he is also the CEO of Modu-Loc Fence Rentals, a Canada’s Best Managed Company, and the Chairman of Strategic Aviation and Sky Café. Based in Toronto, Clint has over 20 years of senior leadership experience, manages $80 million in annual revenues and oversees 1,200 employees across his businesses. 

 

Cole MorganCole Morgan (9)

Mr. Morgan practices real estate and corporate transactional law, including negotiating and drafting agreements, conducting due diligence, and advising on legal and compliance issues. He represents a wide range of companies, from start-up businesses in need of formation and negotiation of initial transactions, to mature companies that require complex reorganizations.

Mr. Morgan has assisted numerous clients in the cannabis industry of all license types, including vertically integrated companies, with their commercial real estate and corporate needs. His experience includes property acquisition, leasing, joint venture agreements, corporate reorganization, structuring investments, and many other transactional matters.

He has assisted in negotiating some of the largest cannabis-related leases and property acquisitions in California, including all leases filling a multi-building industrial project of over 200,000 square feet in Desert Hot Springs, lease of an industrial building of over 100,000 square feet in Long Beach, and purchase and sale of an 85,000 square foot distribution and manufacturing facility in West Sacramento.

Recently, Mr. Morgan successfully closed the sale of a cannabis retail license and related leasehold interest located in Santa Ana, California, on behalf of the selling parties. The purchaser, Planet 13 Holdings, Inc., is a leading vertically integrated publicly traded cannabis company.

Mr. Morgan has been selected to the 2020 Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list. In addition to his professional achievements, Mr. Morgan is involved with StandUp for Kids, a nationally recognized non-profit charity that finds homes for homeless youth across the country and educates them on entrepreneurship and business formation. Mr. Morgan serves as a mentor and regularly lends his legal perspective at StandUp for Kids events throughout the year.

Mr. Morgan is the co-founder of the Newport Coast CBD Invitational, a golf tournament at Pelican Hill benefitting the Infinite Hero Foundation, an organization committed to helping our veterans using innovative technologies.

Prior to joining Stuart Kane, Mr. Morgan practiced corporate and commercial real estate law with Madden, Jones, Cole & Johnson.

He can be contacted through his email: [email protected]

Coleman HemphillColeman Hemphill (1)

Coleman Hemphill is the President of the Texas Hemp Industry Association and is a Development Executive at Ionization Labs, creators of Cann-ID a powerful Hemp and Marijuana potency testing solution. For additional information on Ionization Labs and Cann-ID please visit www.ionizationlabs.com.

Colton GriffinColton Griffin (6)

Colton Griffin is CEO of Flourish Software, a technology provider of enterprise supply chain and inventory management software built for cannabis, CBD and hemp operations. He may be reached at [email protected].

Corey BarnetteCorey Barnette (1)

Corey Barnette is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of District Growers, LLC, a full service grower and producer of cannabis, cannabis concentrates and cannabis-infused products. Through Mr. Barnette’s leadership, the company is known as one of the most capable cannabis growing and production operations in the industry and one of the only ethnic minority-owned and operated vertically integrated medical cannabis operations in the United States.

Having operated dispensaries and cultivation operations since 2008, Mr. Barnette has extensive experience designing, securing, operating and expanding cannabis cultivation and production operations. Between 2008 and 2010, he served as the Director of the non-profit San Diego Medical Collective that featured four separate patient-operated cultivation facilities. In 2010, he founded and served as the Director of Chi Holistic Collective in San Diego that also featured a cultivation facility. He transitioned his role as Executive Director of the San Diego-based operations with each entity ranked within the 10 largest out of over 200 dispensaries, each undergoing substantial growth, and combined serving over a combined 14,000 patient members.

After his transition, he returned home to the Washington DC area to found District Growers. Upon successfully founding District Growers, he also purchased ownership of Metropolitan Wellness Center, a dispensary in Washington DC, which currently boast more than 30 percent of the patients in Washington, DC – despite being one of five.

Prior to focusing on the medical cannabis industry, Mr. Barnette owned and operated businesses in a number of different industries across several states, including but not limited to automotive manufacturing, pharmaceutical testing, sports and entertainment, and transportation industries. For example, Mr. Barnette owned and operated Primary Physicians Research, a clinical trials service provider of drug testing services to large pharmaceutical companies. From 2001 to 2004, he served as a Vice President of the Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, an emerging market venture capital firm investing in start-up and early-stage businesses in 28 different emerging market countries. From 1997 to 2000, he served as an investment banker with NationsBanc Montgomery Securities.

Mr. Barnette received an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in 1997 and a BS of Mechanical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University in 1992.

Corey Barnette has shown a particular commitment to bettering the communities around the businesses he operates. He has endowed two scholarships in the names of both his wife and his deceased grandfather. In 2012, he led the founding of Shepherd Star Achievers, a parent-run aftercare program at Shepherd Elementary. From 2010- 2011, he served on the Shepherd Elementary School PTA Executive Board. In 2009, he served on the Board of Directors of Little Genius, a math and science program for young boys. Through his fraternity, he has been an active contributor to the Kappa Scholarship Endowment Fund. Each year since 2004, He donates over $1000 per year to providing turkeys to those in need during Thanksgiving. Finally, he is a proud husband to his wife and father to his ten year-old and twelve year-old daughters.

Corey HollisterCorey Hollister (1)

Mr. Hollister co-founded American Cannabis Company Inc in 2013. The company has become a leader in the cannabis space helping clients establish operations throughout the US and Canada. The company is a full service solution provider delivering both consulting services and proprietary products. The company manufactures So-hum Living Soil, The Satchel, The Grow Cube, and supplies 3rd party products. Mr. Hollister brings 15 years of corporate sales, marketing and management experience to American Cannabis Consulting. He was also a co-owner of a Boulder, CO based Medical Marijuana Center. Prior to moving to Colorado, Mr. Hollister lived in Boston, MA where he spent 10 years managing advertising projects for major brands such as Puma, DHL, Stride Rite, Thompson Learning and others.

Cory WaggonerCory Waggoner (1)

Cory Waggoner, CEO & Founder Higher Yields Consulting, leads the team of expert consultants at Higher Yields Consulting while also serving clients directly in his unique areas of expertise, including international regulations, domestic legislation development, and strategy and innovation for operators in states with varying application processes, regulations, and markets.

Waggoner entered the cannabis industry as an operator in 2008 helping develop commercial cultivation sites in Northern California. He moved to Colorado to partner with several retail facilities, cultivators, and manufacturing labs in 2010.

Recognizing the need for experience-based regulations and professional services to support cannabis operations, Waggoner worked with distressed retail stores and cultivation sites from 2013 to 2015 to implement sustainable processes and quality-predictable procedures. Throughout his time rescuing cannabis businesses under strain, Waggoner developed dynamic SOPs and strategies that dramatically increased profit margins in an ever-changing industry.

His experience fixing and – when owners desired to – flipping cannabis businesses inspired Waggoner to make his services available to cannabis businesses around the country by founding Higher Yields Cannabis Consulting.

Courtney ElderCourtney Elder (1)

Courtney Elder is the co-owner of a media agency, Author-Eyes, in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys writing about cannabis industry news, and when she’s not behind a keyboard, loves spending time with her husband and two sons. Courtney can be contacted at [email protected].

Courtney HunterCourtney Hunter (1)

Courtney A. Hunter is an attorney at Bass, Berry & Sims PLC in its Nashville, Tennessee office. She represents clients in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation, including product liability and toxic tort claims as well as large-scale business disputes involving fraud, breach of contract, trade secrets and restrictive covenants. Courtney can be reached at [email protected].

Cullen RaichartCullen Raichart (1)

Cullen Raichart is the founder and CEO of GreenBroz, Inc., with more than 12 years experience as an entrepreneur and inventor in the cannabis industry. A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, Cullen is considered a distinguished inventor whose drive has earned him a reputation as a pioneer in automation in the emerging agricultural cannabis industry.

 

Cynthia CabreraCynthia Cabrera (1)

Cynthia Cabrera is chief strategy officer for Hometown Hero CBD, a veteran-supporting cannabusiness of hemp-derived THC and cannabidiol-based products. She was just elected to the board of the directors of the Hemp Industries Association.

Cynthia CastilloCynthia Castillo (1)

Cynthia Castillo is a senior associate in Farella Braun + Martel’s San Francisco office, where she represents cannabis industry companies with business disputes, including TCPA litigation.

Dan AnglinDan Anglin (1)

Dan Anglin is president and CEO of Americanna, an edibles company that was the first gummy products to meet strict Colorado for compliance. He is a Marine Corps veteran and chairman of the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.

Dan BlissDan Bliss (2)

Bliss focuses his practice on all phases of intellectual property litigation. Bliss is a business attorney with extensive background and expertise in all phases of intellectual property law, including patents and copyrights. He has worked with dozens domestic and multi-national companies in obtaining, managing, evaluating and licensing intellectual property. Bliss can be reached at [email protected] 248-723-0389.  

Dan DrollerDan Droller (1)

Dan Droller serves as the vice president, Soleil Technologies for urban-gro, a leading cultivation technologies company delivering best-in-class systems, solutions, and technologies to large-scale cannabis cultivators throughout North America. In this role, he leads business development for a broad portfolio of solutions bringing automation, wireless sensor technology, and cloud management to the art of growing cannabis. With decades of experience in both business and solution development, he has previously held business development positions with social network Massroots and Chartboost, the leading mobile game business engine. Mr. Droller holds a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard University in Neurobiology and a Master of Business Administration from Yale School of Management. He has held additional senior roles at Deloitte Consulting, Credo Mobile and Music for America.

Dan KriznicDan Kriznic (1)

Dan Kriznic, chairman, CEO, founder and director of Invictus MD, a company that was created in June 2014 with a vision to create a Canadian licensed producer of cannabis able to meet significant legal demands. He has been responsible for incubating companies in a variety of industries, including cannabis, education, real estate, and senior care facilities. Through his strategic direction and execution, these companies have grown to over a billion in enterprise value.

Prior to this, he was a senior manager at Deloitte where he served in leadership roles in its Assurance and Advisory group, advising public and privately held companies for a period of 10 years.

Dan Nunez CohenDan Nunez Cohen (1)

Daniel Nuñez Cohen is an associate in K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C. office. Dan advises and advocates for clients at the intersection of federal legislative and regulatory policy and compliance, focusing on financial services issues affecting depository institutions, trust companies, money services businesses including digital asset exchanges, wallet providers, and token issuers; and the cannabis industry. He can be reached at [email protected].

Dan RodaDan Roda (2)

Educated at Tulane University and Villanova Law School, Dan Roda entered the professional world as a corporate attorney. He first experimented with the cannabis industry in 2017, helping clients draft and file dispensary license applications in Arkansas. During this process, Dan was exposed to the cannabis banking problem, which led him and three partners to found Abaca, a financial technology company providing banking, payment and lending solutions to the cannabis and hemp industries.

Dan represented Abaca in the prestigious CanopyBoulder accelerator program in fall of 2018 and is a founding board member of the Emerging Markets Coalition. Dan serves on the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Hemp Committee and is also the vice president of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association.   www.goabaca.com

Dana ShochedDana Shoched (1)

Dana E. Shoched is the president and chief executive officer of O2VAPE, a leading vaping product manufacturer for consumers and wholesalers. Creators of the patented Flip Ultra pen, O2VAPE is committed to providing leading-edge technology for recreational and medicinal cannabis consumers and patients. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Shoched founded O2VAPE out of her garage in 2012 and has guided the company to phenomenal growth, and now serving customers in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Prior to creating O2VAPE, Shoched held numerous roles in the pharmaceutical industry, healthcare and sales in the private sector. Shoched is widely recognized as a pioneer for woman-owned businesses in the cannabis industry. She can be reached at [email protected].

Daniel CheethamDaniel Cheetham (1)

Improving company performance and culture through engaging, inspiring and connecting people to work they love is the reason I get up every day, especially when that company is making a positive impact on the world. Originally from Seattle, I moved to Arizona to pursue a Bachelor’s in Design Studies and a Master’s of Science in Design from Arizona State University (Go Devils!). I learned very quickly that through the appropriate qualitative research methods, not only can remarkable insights be gained about our physical environment, but also into the ‘why’ behind organizations and the motivations of people. Over the past 6+ years, I’ve been lucky enough to work with various companies across multiple industries, including agency and in-house recruiting teams for both boutique and Fortune 500 sized companies. I take pride in providing value though building honest, authentic relationships and digging in deep to understand and address the needs of a business. I couldn’t be more proud to work with this outstanding Y Scouts team and contribute to the continued success of our clients.

daniel tranendaniel tranen (1)

Daniel Tranen is a partner with the law firm of Wilson Elser and heads the Saint Louis, Missouri and Edwardsville, Illinois offices.  He has been practicing law for more than 20 years, primarily in the defense of life sciences companies.  He is a member of the Wilson Elser Canna – law practice group and is responsible for the Missouri practice.

avatar for Darren GleemanDarren Gleeman (2)

Darren Gleeman is the Managing Partner of MBO Ventures, the cannabis industry’s premier ESOP investment bank. The firm provides ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) expertise and will also invest its capital alongside company owners and/or management teams. In 2023, Darren received a patent pending for his ESOP methodology used in completing the cannabis industry’s first ESOP, alleviating tax implications of 280E for a plant-touching multi-state operator, Theory Wellness. Darren was also awarded the Green Market Report 2024 Top Financial Advisor Award.

Darren’s beginning at Wharton Business School brought him to understand the value of quantitative modeling and the scientific method. From there, he founded a hedge fund that took the human element out of trading. He transitioned the company into one of the first high frequency trading platforms in the world, trading over 1% of all US Equities every day.

Darren went on to become the Founder of e-Coupons, Managing Partner of both GMD Trading, and GB Trading. In addition to being highly sought after for his ESOP knowledge and financial acumen, he is a prolific angel investor with early investments in companies such as Screaming Media (NASDAQ:SCRM), Blackboard (NASDAQ:BBBB), Social Radar, and his latest investments in Class.com and Accelerant Manufacturing.

Darren WeissDarren Weiss (6)

A frequent author and speaker on legal issues affecting the legalized cannabis industry, Darren H. Weiss is a cannabis industry thought leader and a seasoned business counselor. A passionate and experienced legal advocate, Mr. Weiss’s practice focuses primarily on cannabis and corporate law, including formation and organization of cannabis companies; corporate financing; drafting and negotiating investment documents, licensing agreements, and vendor contracts; and providing business advice and counsel on competitive licensing applications and cannabusiness design and strategy. Mr. Weiss has been counsel to both investors and cannabis businesses and has helped close multi-million dollar transactions and provided counsel in the creation of multi-state brands and products.

Mr. Weiss, a co-founder of his law firm’s Cannabis Practice Group, built his practice representing clients in the financial services, medical care, manufacturing, and professional services industries, and has spent years working with businesses to maintain, preserve, and protect their most valuable assets. Mr. Weiss received his Bachelor’s Degree magna cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis and his Juris Doctorate cum laude from George Mason University School of Law. During law school Mr. Weiss served as Executive Editor on the George Mason Law Review, participated in Moot Court and Trial Advocacy, and had the opportunity to intern on both trial and appellate courts. Prior to law school, Mr. Weiss worked at a business intelligence software company where he consulted on enterprise wide performance management initiatives for public- and private-sector clients and taught workshops on software and business integration.

Dave McManusDave McManus (13)

Dave McManus leads the Cannabis Business Practice for AAFCPAs, a Massachusetts-based accounting and consulting firm. He provides highly coveted tax, entity structure, and business advisory solutions based on over three decades of experience advising manufacturers & distributors, real estate developers, high tech, bio tech, renewable energy, and cannabis businesses nationally.

Dave has been deeply immersed in understanding the complex financial and operational nuances of the cannabis industry since 2012. He advises multi-state operators, recreational and medical retailers, cultivators, product manufacturers, and investors. He works with clients nationally on risks, opportunities, and tax implications related to market entry, accounting methods, capital structure, debt financing, R&D, M&A, and goodwill impairment. He has led industry training sessions on interpreting and implementing new federal and state marijuana statutes, including compliance with 280E. He maintains a strong national network of cannabis industry investors, attorneys, bankers, employee compensation and benefits providers, realtors, risk managers, and insurance agents, and he leverages these resources as appropriate to help clients achieve success. Please contact me at Please contact me at 774.512.4014 or [email protected] if you have questions.

 

David BidermanDavid Biderman (1)

David Biderman  is a partner in Perkins Coie’s San Francisco and Los Angeles offices who focuses his practice on mass tort litigation and consumer class actions. He heads the firm’s Consumer Products & Services Litigation group and has represented a wide variety of companies in state and federal courts in California for nearly 40 years. He can be reached at [email protected].

David DinnenbergDavid Dinnenberg (1)

David Dinenberg is the Founder and CEO of KIND Financial, a financial technology company providing software solutions to ensure businesses within the cannabis industry transact safely, securely, and in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Since launching the company in 2012, David has secured KIND’s reputation as the leading experts on the complicated financial issues unique to the emerging legal cannabis industry.

Prior to KIND, David spent 8 years as the COO and a Partner at Grasso Holdings, a full-service real estate development company, where he ran day-to-day operations for the 45 person organization managing an asset portfolio valued in excess of $400 million.

David was recognized as one of the top 20 people to watch in the Philadelphia area by Philadelphia Magazine. He is the co-founder of the Philadelphia Retail Advisory Board and served on several prominent Boards in the region where he spent the majority of his professional career. He is an expert speaker on all facets of the real estate industry and was named President and Member of the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Chapter of the Jewish National Fund, making him the youngest President of any Jewish foundation in the country.

David is an active mentor to Greenhouse Ventures, a business accelerator program specific for ancillary startups in the cannabis industry. He has also been asked to be part of speaking panels at cannabis related conferences including NCIA’s Cannabis Business Summit & Expo, Native American Marijuana & Hemp Conference, Marijuana Business Conference & Expo, and several others.

David has been featured in several prominent magazines and newspaper articles, such as The New York Times, LA Times, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, Philadelphia Magazine, The Deal, and LA Business Journal, to name a few. He has also appeared on CNBC numerous times as a contributor and trusted resource for developments within the cannabis industry.

David is a seasoned entrepreneur with a track record of successful start-up ventures in the restaurant and entertainment industry including a production company working with a Grammy Award winning singer.
David is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and currently resides with his family in the Los Angeles area.

David EllersteinDavid Ellerstein (1)

Over his almost 30-year career, David Ellerstein has developed an impressive track record of taking an idea and turning it into a successful reality. As CEO at Jane, David is leading the charge to provide marijuana retailers with tools to compete in the most complex legal and regulatory environment in the history of retail.

Prior to joining Jane, David was a partner at 3Cinteractive, a leading mobile software company, where he was responsible for the successful deployment of the Text Collect™ product. Earlier in his career, David founded FairCall Corporation, managing its growth from pure concept to a high of over $30 million in annual revenue before its sale.

David also served as president of Integrated Communications Corporation (ICC) which specialized in niche communications services to the hospitality and pay phone industry, ICC managed telecom for over 3,000 hotels and over 500,000 pay phones, which made them MCI’s largest marketing agent with over $45 million in annual sales.

David can be reached at [email protected].

David HodesDavid Hodes (67)

David Hodes is based in the greater Washington DC metropolitan area. He is the former editor of seven different business magazines, and has contributed feature articles to several business/lifestyle publications and national cannabis magazines. Hodes is also a former field producer for CBS News, NBC, NFL Network, ESPN and other media outlets; worked as a news promotions producer for two network affiliates; and was the morning news editor for a third network affiliate.

He is member of the National Press Club, and deputy booking agent for the National Press Club Headliners Committee.

David TraylorDavid Traylor (1)
David Traylor is Senior Managing Director at Golden Eagle Partners, based in Denver, CO. He  founded GEP in 2012 to advise life science companies, and has focused on the cannabis sector since 2014.
Before investment banking, Mr. Traylor spent 15 years in diverse operational roles in biotechnology
companies.
avatar for Deb TharpDeb Tharp (1)

Deb Tharp is head of legal and policy research at NuggMD, the largest telehealth platform for cannabis.

Delia DeschaineDelia Deschaine (1)

About the co-authors

DELIA A. DESCHAINE is a Member of Epstein Becker Green’s Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. Named to the Washington DC Rising Stars list (2018-2020) in the areas of Food & Drugs and Cannabis Law, Ms. Deschaine understands the most significant U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) legal and compliance risks that her clients face and knows how to address them. Her advice is informed by a background in defending clients in government enforcement actions and challenging unlawful government conduct.

MEGAN ROBERTSON is an Associate in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the Washington, DC, office of Epstein Becker Green. She focuses her practice on health care compliance, fraud and abuse issues, health regulatory due diligence, and medical device product marketing.

Ms. Robertson received her J.D., with honors and with a concentration in Health Law, from The George Washington University Law School. While attending law school, she was the Executive Editor of the Federal Circuit Bar Journal and worked as a Certified Student Attorney at the school’s Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic. She also served as a legal policy intern at the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks, where she researched coverage of autism therapies in Federal Employee Health Benefit plans and helped draft comments on the proposed rule for the Medicaid managed care regulations.

In 2014, Ms. Robertson graduated, magna cum laude, from Clemson University in South Carolina with a degree in Genetics.

 

Dena JalbertDena Jalbert (5)

Dena Jalbert is founder and CEO of Align Business Advisory Services, a mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and business advisory firm based in Winter Park, Fla. Align was founded in 2010 with a mission to break the mold of the traditional advisory firm, and is built on the core principles of service, diversity, innovation and value creation. Align leverages its deep industry and business knowledge to provide innovative solutions and align its clients’ business results with their objectives to create value. The company offers management consulting, business strategy, finance and M&A services to holistically serve the middle market.

Denise Lee YohnDenise Lee Yohn (1)

Denise Lee Yohn is the go-to expert on brand leadership for national media outlets, an in-demand speaker and consultant, and an influential writer. Denise is the author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles that Separate the Best from the Rest and the new book FUSION: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies. Click the link below to buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Fusion-Integrating-Culture-Greatest-Companies/dp/1473676983/ref=workplace+culture+leadership

Dennis O'NeillDennis O'Neill (1)

Dennis O’Neill is President of BIOMEDICAN, a biotech startup designing patented low-cost methods of growing high-value compounds at scale with proprietary yeasts. In over 30 years as an Investment Banker, he helped start two of the largest regional investment banks in Chicago, has been involved in over 70 public companies and raised over $2 billion in capital for early-stage companies.

Derek DavisDerek Davis (1)

Derek Davis is formally trained in tax accounting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) and Deloitte Tax LLP with over half a decade of professional taxation experience. As a Certified Public Accountant he has helped clients throughout the United States and is licensed in the State of California.

Derek first became intrigued in the Cannabis tax space in 2010 when cannabis was previously on the ballot for legalization. What intrigued him was the tax code 280E which disallowed individuals to deduct ordinary and necessary business expenses to operate their canna-business. Unfortunately, California wasn’t ready for full legalization so he put his interests on the back-burner.

The growth of this industry has shown led by the amount of revenue Colorado was able to generate in 2015 re-sparked his interest in the industry and he decided to pursue this space by starting California Cannabis CPA in 2016.

Drerk can be reached at [email protected].

avatar for Derek RossDerek Ross (4)

Derek Ross is the CEO and founder of Nova Farms, the largest, privately owned, vertically integrated cannabis operator in the Northeast. He is also the founder of the Aged-Out Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young adults who have aged out of the foster and group home care systems to build promising futures and pathways to success.

Derek SmithDerek Smith (1)

Derek Smith is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Resource Innovation Institute (RII), a national non-profit whose mission is to promote and quantify energy, carbon and water conservation in the cannabis industry. Prior to RII, Mr. Smith ran Clean Energy Works, a residential energy efficiency program that blended utility, public and private dollars to deliver whole-building retrofits while generating carbon emission reductions along with equitable economic development outcomes. Clean Energy Works was hailed as one of the most successful US Dept. of Energy funded stimulus programs in the country. Mr. Smith has also led energy programs with the City of Portland Bureau of Planning & Sustainability, served on the management team of a Zero VOC start-up paint company and developed an award-winning corporate sustainability program for a national retailer.

Dipak HemrajDipak Hemraj (1)
Dipak Hemraj, Chief Research Officer (CRO) & Content Editor, Leafwell, has been in the cannabis industry for 15 years. He is a published author, product maker, and has been involved in various medical cannabis research projects. Dipak believes that cannabis is a pharmacy in a plant containing hundreds of therapeutically useful compounds that could be useful for a huge number of health problems. He is hoping to figure out how the various cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids work together and which conditions they work for, in order to give patients the best advice they can get on what cannabis preparations will work best for them.
Don NauglerDon Naugler (1)

Don Naugler is Director of Technology for VJ Scientific. With nearly 30 years of experience designing, building and supporting capital equipment for the electronics and semiconductor industries, Naugler has focused the last decade working with various novel x-ray platforms.

Naugler, who holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Massachusetts and an MBA from New Hampshire College, has been involved in capital equipment since 1990.

In 2003, he joined VJ Group, a leading global provider of high tech X-ray solutions for some of the largest companies in medical, pharmaceutical, food, defense, electronics manufacturing and more. For 16 years, he was a leader in the VJ Electronix division, as General Manager and then Director of Technology. In 2015, Naugler developed an industry leading XQuik x-ray component counter which earned a New Product Introduction (NPI) Award.

Naugler is part of the founding team behind JV Group’s first cannabis division, VJ Scientific, launched in 2022.

Naugler’s approach to developing new technology is to engage directly with target customer and industry professionals to determine their unique needs, and then build new solutions to address those specific needs.

As Director of Technology of VJ Scientific, Naugler and his team have developed the most effective processing solutions to safely clean cannabis by remediating microbiological growth on cannabis flower using proprietary X-ray technology.

Doug BrownDoug Brown (78)

Douglas Brown spent more than two decades in newspaper and magazine newsrooms around the country, covering everything from the White House and Capitol Hill to technology policy to crime in New Mexico. Now, he runs Contact High Communications, a leading cannabis public relations firm based in Boulder, CO. He can be reached at www.contacthighco.com

Doug FischerDoug Fischer (1)

Douglas Fischer is Chief Legal Officer of the National Association of Cannabis Businesses (NACB), the industry’s first self-regulatory organization in the United States. He can be reached at [email protected]

Doug PoretzDoug Poretz (12)
Doug Poretz is a writer and independent public relations consultant, based in the Washington, DC area.  He attempted retirement after a 50-year career of starting, building and selling public relations and communications firms, including one that grew to more than 100 people and was for a time the largest independent PR firm in the region. But retirement didn’t work for him, and he initiated an effort to create a national agency for the cannabis business. He decided that such an opportunity wouldn’t be viable for his plan unless and until taxes and other issues were fundamentally changed.  Although he left the cannabis industry as a business opportunity, he stayed intrigued by the industry, and when he discovered the Zenabis story he wanted to know more. His interest resulted in this article.
avatar for Dr. Carl CraigDr. Carl Craig (1)

Dr. Carl Craig is CEO of both Agricor and Botanacor Laboratories.  Agricor Laboratories is Colorado’s leading state-certified marijuana testing laboratory.  Botanacor Laboratories is the widely recognized North American leader in accredited testing of hemp biomass and hemp-derived CBD products.

Dr. Dorothy ColagiovanniDr. Dorothy Colagiovanni (7)

Dorothy Colagiovanni, Ph.D.
Vice President, Product Development, Next Frontier Biosciences
Dr. Colagiovanni is responsible for the management of Next Frontier Biosciences’ research and development activities as well as supporting the international commercialization of the company’s products. She has over two decades of pharmaceutical development experience from start ups to established biotech companies. Dot has a broad range of development experience, from early drug discovery to commercial launch. She completed her Ph.D. at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Molecular Toxicology and a postdoctoral fellowship at Amgen Boulder.

avatar for Dr. Jordan TishlerDr. Jordan Tishler (1)

Dr. Jordan Tishler, Head of inhaleMD, is a cannabis specialist, accomplished author, teacher, nationally sought-after speaker, and tireless patient advocate. As President of the Association of Cannabis Specialists, he has been instrumental in the implementation and improvement of medical cannabis regulation in many states including Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Texas, and Hawaii.

Dr. Jordan ZagerDr. Jordan Zager (1)

Dr. Jordan Zager is an expert in natural product biosynthesis and chemical analysis of cannabis resin compounds. Dr. Zager earned his PhD from Washington State University, where his research set the stage for studying the regulatory events governing gene expression in cannabis and their effect on the biosynthesis of trichome-bound cannabinoids and terpenoids. Early in his career, Jordan set his sights on aggressively applying modern scientific methods to the cannabis industry and to bring cultivators the tools to become exceptional. Dr. Zager can be reached at [email protected].

Moe AfanehDr. Moe Afaneh (2)

Dr. Moe Afaneh, COO of BioTrack THC, is a trained pharmacist and executive with 15 years of business experience. He’s an expert in developing and implementing the operations of multiple departments within complex organizations while maximizing revenue. In his role with BioTrackTHC, Dr. Afaneh’s background as a pharmacist is an exceptional benefit in understanding the rapidly evolving cannabis marketplace. He is particularly adept at creating cross-industry alliances that bolster BioTrackTHC’s business operations and customers’ opportunities for success. Dr. Afaneh has his Doctor of Pharmacy and Bachelor of Science degrees from Nova Southeastern University.

Dr. Richard KaufmanDr. Richard Kaufman (1)

Dr. Kaufman is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer of NanoSphere Health Sciences and the inventor of the patented NanoSphere Delivery System™ technology used in the company’s products, research and development. He is the previous co-director of the Center for Biogerontology Life Extension Medical Clinic. Dr. Kaufman is also Director of the FirstFitness Scientific and Medical Advisory Board. He is a distinguished scientist, highly respected researcher and product developer. He has particular expertise in weight management, anti-aging, nutraceuticals, fitness, wellness and delivery system nano-biotechnology. His patents on BioMagnetic Resonating Technology and in other healthcare related areas have distinguished him as a leader in the medical discovery world, including inventing the proprietary NanoSphere Health formulas. His Ph.D. in BioNutritional Chemistry from the University of Brussels has led him to a track record of excellence in superior product formulation, the authorship of best-selling books in the field, including The Age Reduction System (1986) on anti-aging-and helping people lead happier, healthier lives.

Ean SeebEan Seeb (1)

Ean Seeb was co-owner and manager of Denver Relief, one of Colorado’s most successful medical cannabis operations. He was a two-time chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association and continues to hold leadership positions with charitable organizations focused on a range of social causes, from civil rights to sustainable volunteer farming. Seeb has been actively involved with nonprofit groups for more than two decades. His years of humanitarian experience led Seeb to conceptualize and develop a cannabis-centric service organization called the Denver Relief GREEN TEAM in 2009.
Seeb helped lead the GREEN TEAM to form partnerships with other service organizations in Colorado, and the group now provides free labor for volunteer farms and gardens, free food for estranged youth, and free hygiene products for homeless community members.

Prior to founding Denver Relief, Seeb spent years working as a real estate broker, providing him with valuable insight for managing leases, contract negotiations and identifying prime retail locations. Seeb is politically active on local and state levels, and has testified at a number of city council and regulatory work group meetings in recent years.

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Emmett Reistroffer was born in Rochester, Minnesota, grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and studied history and political science at the University of South Dakota. Reistroffer’s professional roots and passion run deep in cannabis activism, stemming from his first call to action at 19 years old when he volunteered to help multiple sclerosis patients testify at the South Dakota State Capital. From there, Reistroffer quickly worked his way up into a position of leadership for the local movement by speaking to the press, raising money, and inspiring volunteers. Facing some of the nation’s harshest drug laws, Reistroffer was able to form a non-profit organization, South Dakota Compassion, and partner with the former chairman of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to organize a coalition of patients and advocates in support of medical marijuana.

In addition to spearheading an effort to put medical cannabis on the ballot in his home state, Reistroffer ran for city council as one of the youngest candidates ever to make an attempt.
Aside from being an outspoken activist in his home state, Reistroffer has assisted legalization campaigns in Oregon, Montana, Washington, DC, and Nevada, and also played an important role in the historic passage of Colorado’s Amendment 64. With a broad range of non-profit advocacy and political experience, Reistroffer formed his own consulting company in 2011 to help organizations, candidates and issue-based campaigns. Reistroffer’s company has served members of both major political parties and provided third parties and independents a needed boost to compete in key states.

Edward GausEdward Gaus (1)

Edd Gaus’ practice includes a wide range of topics, including product liability, pharmaceuticals, automotive and data security and privacy. During his time at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, Edd has served on several successful trial teams and represented a diverse set of clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies, tenants and California inmates alleging Eighth Amendment violations.

Eli EliasEli Elias (1)

As Director of Robotics & Engineering at The Capsule Group, Eli Elias is an expert in the design and manufacturing of software controlled smart encapsulation systems. He also has expertise in creating accurate dosage formulas for both liquid and powder based capsules. Elias frequently speaks across North America on proper encapsulation methods and the future of formulation and dosage control. He is currently building his next series of high-output Smart Capsule filling and banding machines, RoboLQ XL and RoboBand.

Eliyahu ScheimanEliyahu Scheiman (2)

Scheiman concentrates in business litigation, insurance coverage, insurance regulations and compliance, management-side employment counseling and litigation defense, emerging issues associated with state-legalization of cannabis, cannabis licensing, cannabis compliance, and appellate work and defense of private and public entities in tort actions.  He co-chairs Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C.’s cannabis law practice, and is a member of Porzio Compliance Services, which leverages complementary resources from the law firm and its other subsidiaries, Porzio Governmental Affairs and Porzio Life Sciences, to provide regulatory, legal and business services to cannabis clients.  Porzio Compliance Services also regularly performs information and data compliance services.  Scheiman is also a member of the International National Cannabis Bar Association, where he chairs the Legislative Advisement Committee.

He is a principal in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Scheiman can be reached at [email protected].

Emily GantEmily Gant (2)

Emily Gant is a principal in the Hospitality, Travel & Tourism practice at Foster Garvey in Seattle, Wash. She is also Chair of the firm’s Cannabis practice, where she advises licensed producers, processors and retailers, along with those hoping to join the industry. Emily helps clients structure their business entities, contracts and strategic partnerships to ensure compliance with Washington’s complex regulatory scheme. She can be reached at [email protected].

Emily LeonginiEmily Leongini (1)

Emily Leongini is an associate in Arent Fox’s Washington, DC office. As a member of the firm’s FDA Practice, Emily focuses her practice on a wide array of regulated products, including laws governing prescription, generic, and over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, foods, alcoholic beverages, and cannabis.

Eric GiandeloneEric Giandelone (13)

Eric Giandelone is the co-founder of High Yield Insights. High Yield Insights is a consumer-insights firm dedicated to the cannabis market, fostering constructive, fact-based discussions that lead to well-grounded strategic decisions. With deep roots in multiple consumer-facing industries, High Yield Insights brings decades of expertise to this dynamic, quickly evolving market.

Eric can be reached directly at [email protected].

avatar for Eric PostowEric Postow (14)

Eric Postow currently serves as a Managing Partner at Holon Law Partners, where he also assumes the role of Chief Strategy Officer. Prior to founding Holon Law Partners, Eric played a pivotal role in establishing and co-chairing a national cannabis practice group at Parlatore Law Group. During his tenure there, he garnered a reputation as a perceptive business attorney and a flexible strategist.

Eric’s extensive expertise has positioned him as a recognized national authority in furnishing strategic legal guidance to cannabis and hemp businesses throughout the United States. With a focus on serving as general counsel to regulated industries, Eric adeptly addresses the intricate and diverse legal needs of his clients.

His legal licensure extends to Virginia, enabling Eric to provide legal representation to clients in federal courts across the nation. In addition to his legal pursuits, Eric leverages his platform to engage in nationwide advocacy efforts. He leads pivotal industry conversations through his podcast, “Above the Haze,” shedding light on significant subjects within the field.

Notably, Eric is an active member of prominent organizations, including the NAACP, the International Cannabis Bar Association, NORML, and the Virginia State Bar. Residing in Northern Virginia with his wife Brittany, and their children Max, Zevi, and Sela, Eric remains deeply engaged in both his professional and personal spheres.

For inquiries, Eric can be contacted at [email protected] or 703.214.2003.

Eric SchlisselEric Schlissel (1)

Eric Schlissel is the CEO/CTO of Cure8, one of the world’s leading cannabis IT services providers. His company helps dispensaries, distributors, manufacturers, and cultivators throughout the US and Canada to plan, install, secure, manage, and scale their IT.

He has been a featured panelist at many cannabis industry events, including those put on by the NCIA and CCIA. He’s also a respected IT thought leader outside of the cannabis industry, being quoted in publications such as Wired, the Los Angeles Times, InfoWorld, and Information Week. Outside of work, Eric can be found gardening with his two small children, trying to perfect the feat of growing a thriving basil plant and ripened tomatoes at the same time. He is currently developing in the fine art of bourbon tasting, enjoys travel, and is a foodie-wannabe.

Erik JanusErik Janus (1)

Erik R. Janus is the co-founder and Director of Business Operations for West Virginia’s only 501(c)(3) non-profit, Compassion West Virginia. He also currently runs a cannabis consulting company out of his home in Shepherdstown after a successful 25-year career at the interface of science and law.

Erik KnutsonErik Knutson (2)

Erik Knutson is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Keef Brands and Director of SeroVita Holding Corp. Knutson has a decade of experience operating a wide variety of enterprises within the legal cannabis markets. He co-founded Keef Brands in 2010 in Boulder, CO, as one of the first companies to infuse soda with cannabis. The company has since expanded and is a pioneering developer, producer, and distributor of award-winning cannabis-infused beverages, edibles, oils, and more available at over 800 retail locations across the U.S., including California, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan and Nevada, as well as in Puerto Rico and Jamaica. In addition, Knutson holds several leadership positions in the industry, serving as Co-Founder and President of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH), founding board member of the Cannabis Trade Federation (CTF) and co-founder of the Denver Packaging Company (DPAC).

avatar for Erik OttErik Ott (10)

Erik Ott is the founder of Ott Growth Advisors, a boutique investment bank specializing in Corporate Development and M&A. Ott also serves on the Board of Directors of BGP Acquisitions Corp, a $115m cannabis SPAC trading on the NEO exchange. Prior to founding Ott Growth Advisors, Ott was a founding partner at KO Acquisitions, Inc. and investment bank specializing in M&A in the State of California.

 

 

Erin BassErin Bass (1)

Erin Bass is a Partner in Dentons’ Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice with first-chair jury trial experience. She focuses her practice on labor and employment litigation and complex commercial litigation.

Erin has successfully defended employers against wage-hour class actions, and individual claims of discrimination, wrongful termination, and whistleblower retaliation.

She also counsels employers on risk management and litigation avoidance. Erin has developed and implemented training programs for management on best practices and compliance, and has designed policies and procedures to guide supervisors and HR professionals on lawfully and efficiently managing their workforce.

Erin also represents Fortune 500 corporations and government entities in complex disputes involving allegations of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, extortion, antitrust, breach of contract, and insurance bad faith.

Erin Carlstron and Valerie PerdueErin Carlstron and Valerie Perdue (3)

Erin Carlstrom is senior counsel with the law firm Dickenson Peatman and Fogarty (DP&F), and leads the firm’s cannabis group. Carlstrom’s practice includes state and local compliance, corporate formation and compliance, land use, and government relations. She has specific expertise in land use entitlements and navigating the various regulatory agencies, and has been responsible for major project developments across California. Carlstrom represents cannabis producers, farmers, manufacturers, labs, distributors and dispensaries, as well as investment groups interacting with all sectors, in matters ranging from collective formation and transition, operations management, land use and state and local compliance. She has spoken at a variety of conferences on topics ranging from impacts from local ordinances, to the interplay between cannabis and other agricultural industries, and coalition building for effective government relations. Carlstrom served on the Santa Rosa City Council, including a term as vice mayor, and twice chaired the cannabis subcommittee. Erin’s work helped position Santa Rosa as one of the state’s most progressive cannabis communities, forming predictable and business-friendly paths to operation………….Valerie Perdue joined DP&F in 2017 as an associate in the Labor and Employment group. Her practice covers a wide variety of labor and employment matters including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour law. She is experienced in litigation and has handled matters before administrative agencies including the EEOC, DFEH, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement, and the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.

Evelyn LaChapelleEvelyn LaChapelle (1)

Oakland, CA native Evelyn LaChapelle, Community Engagement Manager, Vertosa, is an experienced events coordinator and community liaison, who utilizes her professional position within the legal cannabis industry to advocate for restorative justice. She is an active member of the Last Prisoner Project, dedicated to redressing the past and continuing harms caused by the war on cannabis through clemency and reentry programs.

Evelyn has overcome her personal experience with the War on Drugs and found success in the legal cannabis industry through her work at infusion technology company Vertosa, where she manages all public and industry events and spearheads Vertosa’s partnership with the Last Prisoner Project as well as hosting “The Heart of Cannabis” on IGTV.

Through community engagement, Evelyn works to create a more transparent and accessible industry that encourages minorities to penetrate all aspects of the business, including in the labs and the executive offices. She has also made it her goal to create a real second chance for men and women being released from prison through her work with both Vertosa and the Last Prisoner Project.

Fabian LimonFabian Limon (1)

Fabian Limon is an attorney in the Cannabis Law practice group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. He focuses his practice on legal and business issues impacting cannabis-related businesses. From entity formation and compliance to facility design and zoning, Mr. Limon advises cannabis companies whether they are a legacy operator trying to enter the legal market or a multi-state cannabis operator trying to expand. He also represents cannabis businesses and individuals at every level of the cannabis supply chain. In addition, Mr. Limon serves as general counsel to cannabis business owners on day-to-day regulatory advice.

 

Fiona MaFiona Ma (11)

About Fiona Ma, CPA, State Board of Equalization

Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Emeritus Fiona Ma was elected to the State Board of Equalization (SBOE) on November 5, 2014 and represents close to 10 million people in 23 counties from the Oregon border to Santa Barbara County. The 5,000 person tax agency affects every taxpayer in California and has broad regulatory and adjudicatory powers and is the only elected tax board in America.

Ms. Ma was elected to represent the 12th Assembly District from November 2006 to November 2012 (after serving the maximum three terms). She was the #112 woman to ever be elected to the California Legislature and the first Asian woman to ever serve as Speaker pro Tempore since 1850 (first Legislature). Ms. Ma first became interested in politics as a small business owner advocating on behalf of other small businesses. She was an elected delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business under President Bill Clinton and later was elected a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 2002-2006.

In the Assembly, Ms. Ma authored groundbreaking legislation to protect consumers, prevent the spread of Hepatitis B, and increase access to quality healthcare. As a joint author of Proposition 1-A (Nov 2008), she was the legislature’s leading advocate to bring high-speed trains to California. Additionally, Ms. Ma has been and continues to be a leader in promoting trade and fostering relationships between California and Asia.

Ms. Ma received her B.S. from the Rochester Institute of Technology (NY), her M.S. in Taxation from Golden Gate University (SF), and an MBA from Pepperdine University. She has been licensed in California as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) since 1992. Fiona can be reached at [email protected].

Garrett LeonGarrett Leon (2)

Garrett Leon is head of cultivation and co-founder of Garden First LLC, founded in March 2017 alongside Andreas Hero and Darren Cloud. He studied horticulture and soil science at Colorado State University while pursuing independent research into cannabis until such a time he was able to work in the industry. After apprenticing at Native Roots in Colorado, Leon spent a year as the manager of cultivation and warehouse operations for Tweedleaf prior to his exodus to found Garden First. Garden First LLC is based out of Corvallis, OR.

Gary CohenGary Cohen (1)

Gary Cohen, CEO of Cova Software leads Cova’s charge into the legal cannabis space by guiding the vision, strategic development, ‘go to market’ plans and culture. in addition to the above article, Cova has created a POS cash management technology solution and insights regarding “How to Manage Cash at a Cannabis Retail Store“.

Before joining Cova, Gary  was a principal in over a dozen tech start-ups in the mobile communications industry ranging from small VC funded companies to Fortune 100 firms, including Onavo, which was later acquired by Facebook. In those companies he led sales, marketing, business analytics and market expansions. He has also held a multitude of leadership roles with Verizon and AT&T.

Gary holds a degree in finance with a master’s in marketing from the University of Colorado

Geoff HooverGeoff Hoover (1)

Geoff Hoover is the CEO of Thrive Cannabis, a vertically-integrated cultivator and processor of premium craft cannabis and cannabis concentrates based in Simcoe, Ontario.

 

Grant GilezanGrant Gilezan (5)

Grant P. Gilezan, Leader of Dykema’s Environmental Law Practice Group, focuses on regulatory, transactional, contracting, policy and litigation matters involving private and public sector clients.

Greg GametGreg Gamet (7)

Greg Gamet is a leading cannabis entrepreneur, consultant and educator. He has co-founded or managed a variety of cannabis-based businesses, including a cultivation facility, medical and recreational dispensaries, a packaging subsidiary, a consulting company, a canna-focused real estate company, and a software development group focused on helping cannabis businesses stay compliant. Currently, Gamet is the Chief Cannabis Officer for Gold Flora, a vertically integrated cannabis company located in California. Greg can be reached at [email protected].

Greg JonesGreg Jones (3)

Greg Jones has 15+ years’ experience navigating regulated business operations including in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Jones has dedicated his career to cannabis operations and consulting over the past 3 years.

His past experiences include optimizing organizational structures and upholding productivity standards, develop multi-site production strategies aligned with business and organizational goals, as well as executing audit procedures to assure compliance, corrective action, and process improvement.

Jones is currently using his GMP operations, supply chain management, capacity planning, and change management skills to build his cannabis specific advisory agency, P3 Futures Group.

Brittany Dion has several years of experience in a variety of capacities within the cannabis space. She began as an Advisory Board Member for Texas NORML and, upon relocating to Denver, Dion formally joined the cannabis industry as an Inventory and Compliance Manager for a vertically integrated dispensary. She is currently a researcher and editor for P3 Futures Group.

Jones and Dion can be reached at:

Greg Jones
P3 Futures Group
[email protected]
720-891-9902

Brittany Dion
P3Futures Group
[email protected]

Greg KaufmanGreg Kaufman (1)

Greg Kaufman is Co-Team Leader of Eversheds Sutherland’s Cannabis Industry Team and an experienced securities and commodities litigator. As Co-Lead of the interdisciplinary team, Greg helps clients in the cannabis industry, or those doing business with the cannabis industry, navigate the evolving regulatory and business landscape in order to grow their businesses. His clients include hemp cultivators and processors, CPG companies, vertically integrated medical and recreational cannabis companies and liquidity providers to the industry. He is also a co-author of “The State of Cannabis Law: A Fifty State Compendium” published by a leader in law and business publications.

 

avatar for Hannah KingHannah King (3)

Hannah E. King is a partner in Dentons’ Cannabis Law Practice Group. She advises clients across the country in the hemp and cannabis space on complicated licensing and regulatory matters and complex commercial and financial transactions. She may be reached at [email protected]

avatar for Harold SmithHarold Smith (1)

Harold C. Smith is founder and CEO of Cannametrix, LLC and has commercial interests in providing biological potency testing to the industry. An example of an industrial method currently in play has been described by CannaMetrix. LLC.  He can be reached at [email protected].

Helen LallyHelen Lally (1)

Helen Lally has 30+ years of experience in the field of commercial surety. Helen currently serves as a consultant to various surety companies.

Henry BaskervilleHenry Baskerville (4)

Henry Baskerville is Managing Partner at Fortis Law Partners. He is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal defense, government contracts, construction law, and marijuana law.  Henry has received an AV Preeminent Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest possible rating, for both legal ability and ethical standards. Henry has represented numerous individual and corporate clients in a wide variety of disputes, including breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, fraudulent transfers, alter ego, trade secrets, restrictive covenants, False Claims Act claims (qui tam cases), breach of contract, labor and employment disputes, securities, and bankruptcy and receivership proceedings. He has tried cases in courtrooms across the country and has handled appeals to the Fourth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals. Henry frequently represents parties in disputes over ownership of closely held companies. For more information, contact [email protected].

Hezekiah AllenHezekiah Allen (1)

Born at home and raised of the grid in Southern Humboldt County, Hezekiah is a lifelong cannabis farmer recently turned advocate. Allen is committed to representing the heritage and craft of the many independent businesses that lead California’s cannabis industry.

avatar for Hilary BrickenHilary Bricken (124)

Hilary Bricken is a partner with the law firm Husch Blackwell, where she advises clients in the cannabis, healthcare, and life sciences spaces on transactions, regulatory compliance, governance matters, and other corporate needs. Hilary may be reached at [email protected].

Ian StewartIan Stewart (24)

Ian is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Wilson Elser. He is co-founder and chair of the Wilson Elser Cannabis Law practice and uses his 20 years of legal experience to help clients navigate the legalities around cannabis and hemp. Ian works with licensed cannabis operators to comply with their obligations under the law and to develop risk management best practices. He also regularly consults with insurance companies to assist with cannabis-related underwriting practices and the development of new policy forms.

He is currently Chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Finance and Insurance Committee, as well as Vice-Chair of the California Cannabis Industry Association’s Insurance Committee. Ian received his B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, and his JD from St. Louis University. He has been with Wilson Elser for the past 18 years.

J. ChandlerJ. Chandler (1)

J. Chandler, Vice President of Cultivation Technologies, urban-gro

Serving as the Vice President of Cultivation Technologies, Chandler has a passion for assisting growers in efficiently producing high-quality horticultural crops. He has been managing and consulting for large-scale organic vegetable farms and greenhouses, as well as Cannabis production facilities since his graduation from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Science in Production Horticulture in 2003. Chandler has a wide breadth of knowledge of integrated pest management, fertility and automation in large-scale operations. After three years as Director of Cultivation for a highly awarded Denver dispensary, he successfully launched Cannabis IPM Solutions in 2014. In 2015, urban-gro brought him on board to do the same for their customers.

Chandler is a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) by the California CCA Board. The CCA certification program was established in 1992 by the American Society of Agronomy to provide a benchmark for practicing agronomy professionals in the United States and Canada. Chandler is also certified in Maryland’s Nutrient Management Pro gram, which trains and certifies qualified applicants to provide crop producers with nutrient management plans that maximize crop yields while minimizing nutrient losses to the environment.

J. Christopher SelmanJ. Christopher Selman (1)
avatar for Jacob J. GolanJacob J. Golan (1)

Jacob J. Golan, Ph.D. is an associate at the law firm of Knobbe Martens, where he counsels clients in the biotechnology, agrotechnology, and medical device and therapeutics fields in obtaining IP protection.

 

Jacques SantucciJacques Santucci (14)

Jacques Santucci, President of Opus Consulting (formerly Nucleus-One Consulting), a leading business performance management providing specialized management and growth strategies, assisting clients nationwide navigate the complex and evolving challenges of license acquisition, starting and operating a cannabis business, founded on the premise of sharing their experience and proven best practices, to define cannabis success at the intersection of finance, operations and strategy.

He is co-founder of Wellness Connection of Maine, the state’s largest group of medical marijuana dispensaries as well as Stage Cannabis. A cannabis entrepreneur for over 10 years, Jacques has played roles as founder, operator and advisor for several different cannabis companies throughout the United States, as well as founder of Stage Cannabis, a music-themed retail store and of Strimo, a business platform software for the cannabis industry.

Jacques can be reached at [email protected] or 207-619-1899

James Bailey, Thomas Larsen and Samuel MartinJames Bailey, Thomas Larsen and Samuel Martin (2)

James R. Bailey is Professor and Stacy and Jonathan Hochberg Fellow of Leadership Development at the George Washington University School of Business, and a Fellow in the Centre for Management Development, London Business School. He has been the recipient of many teaching distinctions, including three GWSB Outstanding Educator Awards. In 2006 he was named one of the world’s top ten executive educators by the International Council for Executive Leadership Development. He has published over 50 academic papers and case studies, and is the author of five books, including the award-winning, best-selling Organizational and Managerial Wisdom and the forthcoming Lessons on Leadership. He has designed and delivered hundreds of executive programs for firms like Nestle, UBS, Conoco-Phillips, and Goldman Sachs, as well as several major law firms and US Congressmen. Dr. Bailey is a frequent keynote speaker who has appeared on broadcast programs for the BBC, NPR, and Fox News Channel, and whose work has been cited in such outlets as the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, and Business 2.0. He is a frequent contributor to The Hill, Washington Post, Washington Business Journal, and Harvard Business Review. He is the past Editor-in-Chief of the Academy of Management Learning and Education. Professor Bailey has served as a dean, department chair, and program director during his 20 year academic career, and has been a visiting professor at London Business School, University of Michigan, and the Institute of Management Development (Switzerland). His practitioner-oriented essays appear on the website Lessons on Leadership (lessonsonleadership.org).

Thomas Larsen and Samuel Martin are business associates and freelance writers .

James OhJames Oh (1)

James J. Oh is a Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the Chicago office of Epstein Becker Green. He litigates wage and hour collective and class actions, defends company ERISA plans from inconsistent state law regulation and defends management in high-profile, high-exposure discrimination and wrongful termination actions. He also counsels companies on employment law compliance, including advising and training on issues such as compliance with recreational and medical marijuana laws. He can be reached at [email protected].

James WhitcombJames Whitcomb (1)

James Whitcomb is the Founder and CEO of Frontier Risk. Prior to Frontier Risk, he was the CEO of Parallel, one of the world’s largest private cannabis multi-state operators, where he was also a team member at inception. Prior to entering the cannabis space, James was an M&A and Restructuring investment banker with Perella Weinberg Partners and a turnaround consultant for Dory Ventures, a Connecticut-based CPG investor. He can be reached at [email protected] or (203) 984-0560.

Jared KesselmanJared Kesselman (2)

Jared Kesselman is a Los Angeles native who has earned his living professionally in the cannabis industry since 2000. In 2021, he wrote the critically acclaimed book “The Business of Cannabis: A Blueprint to a High Income.” He has been on the front lines as a sales rep visiting ten or more dispensaries each day pitching products. As a director of sales and distribution, he devised and implemented successful sales and marketing strategies while partnering with cultivations, manufacturing facilities, and distribution outfits. He’s built cannabis brands from the ground up as well as the distribution systems and networks needed for success. Jared has consulted for many brands to help with product development, pricing, sales, distribution, marketing, retail support, and sourcing raw materials. He has sold thousands of pounds of flower and kilos of cannabis extracts while closing countless branded, white label, and bulk deals. Jared truly enjoys talking shop and his passion is helping companies build and grow their cannabis businesses and brands. He can be reached at [email protected].

Jason DyckJason Dyck (1)

Dr. Jason Dyck is the Chief Science Officer and a Board Member of Australis Capital Inc. Dr. Dyck is a distinguished research scientist in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta and currently directs the University of Alberta Cardiovascular Research Centre and co-directs the pan-Alberta program known as Alberta HEART. He is the Canada Research Chair in Molecular Medicine, having published over 230 peer-reviewed research papers in this area. 

 

Jason ErkesJason Erkes (1)

Jason Erkes is the Founder of Crisis Strategy Group, a strategic communications company focused on preparing and managing public-facing crisis situations. After a decade as an Emmy-Award winning journalist and as a respected entrepreneur, Jason now advises and counsels corporate leaders, politicians and cannabis industry professionals on how to create crisis ready cultures for their companies. Erkes has advised several local and national politicians and lead an award-winning effort to manage a national crisis for a newly appointed US Senator. In recent years, Erkes helped guide entrepreneurs entering the medicinal marijuana industry and the legalized cannabis industries as well as leading the effort of a celebrity chef driven edible line. He understands the challenges this highly scrutinized industry faces and brings years of expertise to help guide companies in this emerging industry.

avatar for Jason KleinJason Klein (1)

Jason Klein, President, Inanna Manufacturing, has brokered more than $70 million in commercial cannabis real estate transactions & $40 million+ in sales of commercial cannabis retail, cultivation & manufacturing licenses. He has developed a deep network within the industry and is a trusted source among its key players. Jason’s experience makes him uniquely qualified to guide Inanna clients through the state’s cannabis market.

Jason KleinJason Klein (2)

Jason Klein is a business law attorney at Offit Kurman with a focus on licensing and compliance in tightly regulated markets on the east coast. Jason started working in the industry in 2011 and his practice focuses exclusively on serving direct and ancillary cannabis business clients. As one of the first attorneys east of the Mississippi to work with cannabis business clients, Jason has a track record of successfully navigating competitive licensing environments and assisting his clients to stay compliant and profitable in the face of challenging regulatory atmospheres.  He is a founding board member of the National Cannabis Bar Association and a frequent speaker at local and national cannabis industry conferences.

Mr. Klein hosts a monthly Cannabis webinar with a different guest speaker each month.  Topics range from “Cannabis Police and Practice in the Trump Era,” to medical cannabis for pain and the opioid epidemic (“Can Medical Cannabis for Pain Really Help with the Opioid-Dependency Epidemic?”) to cannabis insurance preparation (“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure Commercial Insurance Preparation”).
Mr. Klein holds a bachelor’s degree in physics (2002), master’s degree in public administration (2009), and J.D. (cum laude – 2009), all from Indiana University – Bloomington.  He is licensed to practice in the District of Columbia and Michigan.

Jason NapodanoJason Napodano (1)

I have been a professional equity research analyst and investor in biopharma stocks for the past two decades. I am a former bench scientist turned financial analysts. My company, BioNap, Inc., is an investor awareness and biopharma market research firm dedicated to helping both biopharma companies and investors make better decisions when it comes to investment in the healthcare industry.

I have significant experience in financial modeling and product competitive analysis. I previously worked for Zacks Investment Research covering the small and mid-cap biotechnology and specialty pharmaceutical industry between 2003 and 2015. Before Zacks, I spent three years on the buy-side with Eastover Capital in Charlotte, NC where I focused on large-cap equities, specializing in healthcare, energy, and technology.
Before joining Eastover, I worked as a research scientist for TechLab, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing diagnostic kits and vaccines for infectious diseases. I also spent a year working in a lab at the Fralin Biotechnology Center in Blacksburg, VA. I have a B.S. in Biochemistry from Virginia Tech and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Securities Analysis from Wake Forest University. I am a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Jason WalkerJason Walker (1)

Jason Walker is co-Founder at Thrive HR Consulting, a Silicon Valley, Austin, TX and Denver-CO, based HR advisory firm that seeks to augment HR needs for organizations, providing fractional HR services for leading, managing, or providing guidance in all facets of HR.

Jason is a senior Human Resources Leader with over fifteen years of experience running all phases of a successful human resources operation. His specialties include selecting and retaining top talent, building high-performance teams, and consistently meeting and exceeding external customer’s expectations. Jason has exceptional interpersonal ability to communicate powerfully to all levels of the organization and position and feature HR as an integral part of a successful and profitable company. He also has experience in re-engineering workforces, planning for growth, and contraction throughout the last couple of decades, the dot com bust, the second economic downturn the 2008 Great Recession and is currently assisting companies with Covid-19 efforts. 

Prior to co-founding Thrive HR Consulting, Jason worked as Chief People Officer at P97 Networks. Before P97, Jason was VP HR, Global Talent Acquisition, HR Operations and Real Estate at BMC Software for nearly a decade.

Prior to BMC, Jason was a Senior Director, Human Resources and Global Talent Acquisition at Polycom and before Polycom, Jason held several key roles at Cisco Systems.

Jason holds a BA in Political Science from San Jose State University. He holds a Masters in Human Resource Development from the University of San Francisco as well as an Executive Management Certification from The University of Texas at Austin. 

Jay CzarkowskiJay Czarkowski (2)

Jay Czarkowski is an influential cannabis entrepreneur, investor, and advocate. A well-connected and respected industry insider, Jay and his team have helped build cannabis businesses in 31 states and internationally. As Founding Partner at Canna Advisors, Jay forges new avenues in the legal cannabis market with informed agility and strategic sophistication.

A foremost authority on real estate development and cultivation design, Jay has held a commercial general contractor license since 2002. Working on multiple cannabis design projects throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, Jay focuses on highly automated, sustainable facilities with a niche in the greenhouse sector.

Known for applying proven business tactics to unchartered territory, Jay has created a diverse vendor network at Canna Advisors with high-profile partners and serves on the board of multiple cannabis businesses.

With a decade of regulatory experience as a consultant and award-winning operator, Jay has paved the way for innovative startups and technologies. He is dedicated to building the industry through successful and inclusive state programs, pairing grassroots advocacy with a global vision. In constant pursuit of new business horizons, Jay looks forward to shaping cannabis policy and growing the market internationally.

Jay is a Founding Member of the NCIA, a sustaining member of SSDP, and a Lifetime Member of the Arcview Investment Group. In 2016, he received the Arcview Group’s Outstanding Member award for his career service to the industry.

Jay KotzkerJay Kotzker (2)

Jay Kotzker is  a Partner at Parlatore Law Group where he focuses on intellectual property and cannabis business law. Licensed in Colorado and New York, Jay counsels clients in the cultivation, manufacturing and retail sectors around the country on licensing, operational compliance, business development, brand development and protection, as well as exit strategies.His time spent as general counsel to two multi-state cannabis operators has helped him to develop a strong working knowledge of the nuanced legal issues affecting the cannabis industry, from plant touching matters, to employment issues, dispute resolution, marketing, advertising, and regulatory compliance.  Jay is currently providing counsel to cannabis entrepreneurs in established and emerging markets.

He is a member of BIPOCANN, the Cannabis Section of the Colorado Bar Association, and the Colorado and New York State Bar. Jay lives with his wife and three children in Denver, Colorado.

Jay can be reached at [email protected] or 303.529.0112

Jay LevineJay Levine (1)

Jay Levine is a principal at NXL Architects, an architecture firm that specializes in the planning and design of advanced, highly technical controlled environments for researchers and talent within the science, technology and advanced manufacturing industries. www.nxl.ca

Jay PurcellJay Purcell (4)

Jay Purcell is a senior corporate and securities law associate with Clark Neubert LLP, a California cannabis law firm that runs corporate deals and compliance projects for clients across the state. From offices in Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Santa Monica, we represent investors and rapidly expanding cultivators, manufacturers, dispensaries and distributors from Eureka to Riverside. www.greenfrontier.com

avatar for Jean Smith-GonnellJean Smith-Gonnell (1)

Jean Smith-Gonnell is a partner at Troutman Pepper. Jean has dedicated her entire career to the cannabis sector, helping growers, dispensaries, investors, receivers, and other stakeholders achieve their business goals and prepare for unexpected issues.

Jean-Paul JassyJean-Paul Jassy (1)

Jean-Paul (JP) Jassy litigates with an emphasis on disputes in the media, internet, First Amendment and entertainment arenas. He also routinely represents all types of businesses in multi-million dollar breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, copyright, trademark, idea submission and profit participation cases. Jassy’s clients include internet giants, television networks, metropolitan newspapers, motion picture studios, nonprofits dedicated to free press and free expression, top-flight production companies and award-winning reporters. He has taught full-length courses on First Amendment and media law at prestigious law schools, and repeatedly been named by his peers to The Best Lawyers in America® in the First Amendment field. He has successfully litigated cases in the United States Supreme Court and the California Supreme Court. His work has been covered in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Washington Post, among other media outlets. Jassy also routinely advises production companies and publishers in ways to avoid and mitigate liability. Jassy can be reached at 310-870-7048 or [email protected]

Jeff CorrallJeff Corrall (1)

Jeff Corrall is head of strategic partnerships with March Networks, a leading provider of intelligent video solutions. In this role, he is responsible for identifying and managing new technology partnerships and overseeing third-party integrations. Most recently, Jeff led initiatives that resulted in partnerships with KIND Financial, a seed-to-sale cannabis tracking and compliance solution provider; and Zebra Technologies, a global leader in fixed RFID systems. With more than 15 years of experience in the physical security industry, he has previously served in roles including product and OEM management, and internal sales engineering. Following postings in Milan, Italy and Seoul, Korea, Jeff is currently based in Ottawa, Canada.

Jeff DingleJeff Dingle (5)

Jeff Dingle is a career security professional specializing in high risk/high threat operations. His experience includes senior management positions with the federal government, casinos and FORTUNE 15 companies. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

Jeff GrahamJeff Graham (1)

Jeffrey Graham, CEO, Sitka Hash House, is a California based attorney and business professional with 30 years of experience in finance and corporate affairs. Since assuming the role of CEO at Sitka Hash House, he led the company’s recapitalization to facilitate expansion of the brand to statewide distribution in California.  Throughout his career, he has achieved positive results in various sectors including education, entertainment, and real estate.  Also an avid student of American literature and constitutional law, Jeff has taught at a university in Europe and middle and high schools in Southern California.

Jeffrey HarrisJeffrey Harris (1)

Jeffrey Harris is the founder and chairman of one of the largest loyalty marketing firms in the nation, Inte Q, providing loyalty marketing and data driven marketing solutions for big box retailers and financial services companies. Prior to founding Inte Q, Harris held various executive positions for S&H Citadel, Inc. a national incentive marketing services firm headquartered outside of Chicago. In 2011, Harris saw an opportunity to provide this same solution for small businesses and by using his expertise in the industry, created springbig. Harris just completed a 20 year run as a member of Vistage, an organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of CEOs, since 1998. Harris is also heavily involved in charities and currently serves on the board of various local non-profit organizations in Boca Raton, Florida.

Jeffrey JohnsonJeffrey Johnson (3)

Jeffrey Johnson is a Partner and member of Pryor Cashman’s Intellectual Property, Corporate and Technology Groups and leads the firm’s Cannabis practice.

 

Jeffrey O'BrienJeffrey O'Brien (1)

Jeffrey O’Brien is a Minneapolis-based partner with the law firm Husch Blackwell where he focuses his practice on corporate transactions. He is a member of the firm’s Cannabis practice team.

Jennifer FisherJennifer Fisher (1)

Jennifer Briggs Fisher, Partner at Duane Morris focuses her practice on representing businesses and corporate executives in highly-regulated industries, including cannabis and hemp. She also serves as a team lead for the Duane Morris Cannabis industry group. Fisher can be reached at [email protected].

Jennifer VisintineJennifer Visintine (1)

Jennifer Visintine is an intellectual property attorney at Thompson Coburn LLP who helps clients build and protect their brands and other valuable intellectual property. She can be reached at (314) 552-6580 or [email protected].

Jeremy DiehlJeremy Diehl (1)

Jeremy Diehl is co-founder and CTO at Green Mill Supercritical, a Pittsburgh-based manufacturer of CO₂ extractors that are fully controlled through software and achieve the industry’s highest levels of precision, versatility, and efficiency.

Jeremy SextonJeremy Sexton (1)

Jeremy Sexton is the Director of Engineering at Apeks Supercritical. He designs all the electrical components and develops the programming for the systems. Jeremy leads Apeks Supercritical’s R&D department and oversees new equipment design. Along with much experience in industrial automation, maintenance, installation and repair, Jeremy has broad-based manufacturing experience — everything from GMP (Good Manufacturing Process) work in an FDA-regulated facility to melt shop and substation electrical work in a steel mill. He has served in engineering roles for Honda of America, EWI (manufacturing technologies) and Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.

Jerry KingJerry King (30)

Jerry King is one of the most published cartoonists in the world, selling cartoons to businesses worldwide. His client list includes Disney, Playboy magazine and American Greetings. Jerry can be reached at [email protected].

Jessica BillingsleyJessica Billingsley (2)

When the first marijuana businesses opened in Colorado, Jessica Billingsley co-founded MJ Freeway Business Solutions to fill a fast growing need to track and manage inventory. As Chief Operating Officer, Billingsley and her partner made the timely decision to design a tech firm specifically for the cannabis industry. MJ Freeway Business Solutions provides a business software platform for point of sale, inventory tracking, manufacturing, cultivation management, and more. MJ Freeway also provides cannabis small-business consulting services and application license support. Since its inception, the women-owned firm has been recognized in numerous major media outlets and was listed in the prestigious INC 5000 in 2015. In addition, Billingsley has been named to Fortune Magazine’s list of Top 10 Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs.

An avid Ashtanga yoga practitioner, Billingsley applies the skills of balance, discipline, and centeredness to her approach as COO. Her deep management skills and strategic vision consistently result in cohesive teams and large profit margins. MJ Freeway’s industry-leading customer service and high revenue returns has earned Billingsley an outstanding reputation in two highly competitive fields – medical marijuana and software development. Billingsley’s respected reputation also won her a board member seat several years running on the National Cannabis Industry Association.

Prior to forming MJ Freeway, Billingsley cut her teeth building and managing technology operations with an emphasis on executive management, corporate culture, finance, and strategic relations. She has been a successful founder, owner, director, COO, and CEO of companies with revenues exceeding eleven million ($11M).

Jill EllsworthJill Ellsworth (1)

Fueled by her passion for innovation and dedication to health, Jill has made a career of creating solutions for better living. Prior to launching Willow Industries in 2015, Jill founded Vibrant Earth Juices (VEJ), a Santa Barbara-based cold-pressed organic juice company. Named Female Entrepreneur of the Year in Emerging Business in 2013, Jill became passionate about pasteurization techniques, employing High Pressure Processing (HPP) to prevent microbial growth and increase the shelf-life and freshness for her juice line. Later, Jill parlayed VEJ into a beverage distribution company, helping place various juice products in yoga studios, gyms, Whole Foods, Natural Grocers and other healthy eating establishments.

Jill, who serves on the Cannabis Health and Safety Advisory Committee for the City of Denver, is a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist. She holds an MS in Nutrition, Dietetics, & Food Science, a BA in Communications and a BS in Nutrition from California State University, Northridge. She proudly notes that she has four chickens, three dogs, a husband and one little girl.

Jim KohlJim Kohl (1)

Jim Kohl has extensive experience in commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation. In addition, he represents clients in the creation, acquisition and disposition of entities and real estate. Kohl can be reached at [email protected] or 702-307-0840.

Jim RichardsJim Richards (1)

Jim Richards is the principal and founder of RegTech Consulting LLC, providing strategic advice on all aspects of financial crimes risk management. He is also a Senior Advisor to Verafin Inc., the leading provider of fraud detection and BSA/AML collaboration software for financial institutions in North America.

Most recently (2005-2018), Richards served as the BSA Officer and Director of Global Financial Crimes Risk Management for Wells Fargo & Co. As BSA officer, he was responsible for governance, training, and program oversight for BSA, anti-money laundering (AML), and sanctions for Wells Fargo’s global operations. As Director of Global Financial Crimes Risk Management, he was responsible for execution of BSA, AML, counter-terrorist financing (CTF), external fraud, global sanctions, financial crimes analytics, and high-risk customer due diligence.

Prior to his role with Wells Fargo, Richards was the AML operations executive at Bank of America. There, he was responsible for the operational aspects of Bank of America’s global AML and CTF monitoring, surveillance, investigations, and related SAR reporting.

Prior to his 20-year career in banking, Richards was a prosecutor in Massachusetts, a barrister in Ontario, Canada, and a Special Constable with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He is the author of “Transnational Criminal Organizations, Cybercrime, and Money Laundering.”

Richards has a Bachelor of Commerce (B.Comm.) degree and Juris Doctorate from the University of British Columbia. He lives and works in the Bay Area and can be reached at [email protected].

Joan IrvineJoan Irvine (3)

Joan Irvine brings over two decades of technology, policy development, government relations, and advocacy for online child protection in ‘high-risk’ industries to the cannabis industry. She successfully spearheaded an international award-winning parental filtering label and has worked with First Amendment, Internet Security, and Privacy attorneys, international law enforcement and ICANN to establish online child protection policies.

Joanna ZeigerJoanna Zeiger (2)

Joanna Zeiger, MS, PhD, raced as a professional triathlete from 1998-2010. She placed 4th in the triathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and won the 2008 Ironman 70.3 World Championships in world record time. She is a seven-time Olympic trials qualifier in 3 sports – marathon (3), triathlon (3) and swimming (1) Joanna still pursues her passion for sports as a top Masters runner.

When she is not training for running events, Dr. Zeiger works as a cannabis epidemiologist. She is the Founder & CEO of Canna Research Group. CRG is a consortium of researchers whose goal is to understand the role of cannabis in chronic pain management by engaging in outcomes research that is relevant to the cannabis industry, medical professionals, and patients.

Joanna’s education took her to Brown University (BA), Northwestern University (MS), and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (PhD). Joanna’s book The Champion Mindset: An Athlete’s Guide to Mental Toughness (St. Martin’s Press) was published in February, 2017.

Joe BaileyJoe Bailey (2)

Joseph Bailey is a partner at BC Consulting. Prior to this, he had more than 10 years of experience working at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, and New Era CPAs. During this time, he experienced many facets of taxation and business management, from international to individuals to entities, cannabis companies to Fortune 500 corporations, and everywhere in between.

Joe has been directly assisting the cannabis industry since late 2015 and loves to work with his clients to bridge the knowledge gap between the old cannabis industry and the new influx of strict business best practices that have become standard with legalization. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University San Marcos and is an Oregon Certified Public Accountant.

Joe is married, has two daughters, and spends his time away from the office with his family out on adventures.

Joe CacheyJoe Cachey (2)

Joseph Cachey III leads the team of industry and business professionals as Chief Executive Officer of Green Rock Hemp Holdings, LLC, a vertically integrated industrial hemp and CBD production company. The company integrates hemp genetics and growth with extraction processing to fulfill its customers’ needs from farm to bottle.

Prior to joining Green Rock, Cachey served as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for a number of large retail financial service companies.  Cachey served for three years as a gubernatorial-appointed member of the Colorado State Banking Board. He also represented the money remittance and payment instruments industry on The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s FinCEN Bank Secrecy Act Advisory Group.

A member of the Colorado bar, Cachey received his Master of Law degree in Tax and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, where he was the Senior Editor on the Board of Editors of the Denver University Law Review.

 

Joe CaltabianoJoe Caltabiano (9)

Joe Caltabiano is the Chief Executive Officer of Choice Consolidation Corp., where he is responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategic vision to uncover and advance opportunities within the cannabis market. As an early leader in the complex and heavily regulated cannabis industry, Caltabiano is a respected and important voice in today’s emergent cannabis industry.

Prior to launching Choice, Caltabiano co-founded Cresco Labs, one of North America’s largest vertically integrated cannabis operators. During his tenure, Caltabiano grew Cresco Labs from a start-up to a Multi-state Operator with annualized revenue over $250 million and operations spanning nine states. He was crucial in helping the company expand its footprint into strategic U.S. markets and sourced multiple M&A transactions. Caltabiano guided Cresco through numerous rounds of multimillion-dollar capital raises, including the company’s initial raise. In addition to running all the revenue-generating activities at the company, Caltabiano launched the Sunnyside retail brand and applied its wellness theme to Cresco’s existing dispensaries and their consolidated product offerings. He also led brand building at Cresco Labs, launching the operator’s house of industry-leading brands including Cresco, Remedi, Reserve, High Supply, Good News and Mindy’s edibles.

Prior to Cresco, Caltabiano served as senior vice president of mortgage banking at Guaranteed Rate, one of the largest mortgage providers in the U.S. where he helped grow a sales division from 20 local members to over 1,000 nationwide. During his time at Guaranteed Rate, Caltabiano personally closed over $2.5 billion in loan volume and was ranked in the top 100 loan officers for 10 consecutive years, reaching No. 3 in closed loan volume.

Caltabiano’s work within the cannabis industry is personal. Caltabiano is a childhood leukemia survivor who continues to support organizations and efforts to help others in their fight against cancer. He has been honored as Man of the Year by the Chicago Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Additionally, Caltabiano has been involved with the Gateway for Cancer Research, the Imerman Angels cancer support network, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Ronald McDonald House.

Joe HodasJoe Hodas (2)

Joe Hodas is the Chief Executive Officer of Gofire, Inc., an innovator of hardware and software solutions that aid in dose delivery, health tracking, and medication management.

Joe OriJoe Ori (3)

For over 20 years, Joe Ori has been a fearless and highly accomplished trial attorney. He has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer for seven consecutive years, an honor bestowed on less than five percent of the nation’s attorneys.

Joe founded what is now Angelini, Ori + Abate Law right after graduation, dedicated to using his degree to help clients in the areas of catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death. The firm has recently expanded to Arizona.

Doing things his way. Joe has never been satisfied without a little chaos; in fact, he thrives in it. His eldest son calls him “the most intelligent and aware non-cynic you’ll ever find.”

This mentality has led Joe to a number of other business ventures, using his own experience and networks to expand his knowledge.

Drawing on his own injuries from years of football that resulted in three major spine surgeries, Joe has launched the cannabis company, Six Labs. After finding opioids to be an inadequate and concerning solution to his own health battles, Joe discovered the powerful impact medical cannabis had on himself, and on others. He now promotes safe cannabis use and hopes to bring comprehensive, smart legislation to the nation through his awareness.

Joe participates in a vast network of many of the nation’s most powerful and influential people in business, music, medicine, entertainment and politics. His previous business opportunities have included owning a record label, serving as the strategic partner to major financial and investment institutions, and public speaking.

Additionally, Joe is a successful restaurateur with locations in Arizona. He serves on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Board of Directors for the Chicago Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and is an active member of the American Association of Justice. Most importantly, Joe is the father to four fantastic children, who he is raising to be gentlemen [and one gentlewoman] and leaders.

Joe SilviaJoe Silvia (1)

Joseph E. Silvia is an attorney at Dickinson Wright PLLC in Chicago. He provides guidance on a variety of matters including mergers & acquisitions, strategic transactions, governance, international banking, payments systems, anti-money laundering and sanctions, and private equity and venture capital investments. Joe advises financial institutions, fintech companies, and corporations regarding risk and compliance, third party vendor management, consumer protection, digital currencies, affiliate transactions, privacy, and retail and commercial banking, including handling significant drafting and negotiation of vendor agreements and bank agreements between financial institutions and their clients.

He handles matters for his clients concerning banking and financial services regulation, including state and federal regulation with respect to licensing, retail banking, consumer credit, cannabis, anti-money laundering and OFAC compliance, and more. Having previously served as counsel to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where he focused on the supervision and regulation of banks, bank holding companies, and savings and loan holding companies as well as consumer finance and compliance matters, Joe has a unique perspective on all aspects of the banking system.

Joe is an adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he teaches Consumer Banking Law. He can be reached at 312.377.7870 or [email protected].

John MacKayJohn A. MacKay, Ph.D. (14)

John A. MacKay earned a B.A. in Chemistry from St. Lawrence University (SLU), and a Ph.D. from the University of Vermont (UVM), in Inorganic Chemistry. After positions teaching at Davidson College, Lyndon State College and University of Vermont (UVM), John joined Waters Corporation in 1983. In 1990 John joined Otsuka Electronics as Director of Strategic Development, and then joined Analytical Technology Incorporated, to aid in building a multi-technology company. In 1994, he rejoined Waters after the management buyout from Millipore.

John retired from Waters in March 2017. He founded Synergistic Technologies Associates, LLC works with botanical companies to help maximize their total operations based on Six Sigma principles and practices. In January 2019 he joined New Bridge Global Ventures as the Chief Technology Officer to expand the unique extraction and analytical tools the company will use across its vertical platform.

His career has included many roles in innovative product development and marketing. John is widely recognized as a scientific expert in extraction in the botanical space; he is bringing the synergy from what were disparate technologies together to optimize workflow as well as providing consulting and education services through Genus, NewBridge Global Venture company.

With the expertise and desire to spread the science throughout the industry, John has taken on roles as contributing journalist and science editor for Terpenes and Testing Magazine and was the editor of the early issues of Extraction Magazine and now is contributing journalist and scientific advisor. Synergistic Technologies Associates is focused on the continuing education and source of examining new technologies and practices in the hemp market. He has also been appointed the Educator Assistant Professor on the Volunteer Pathway, Department of Pharmacology at the Robert Larner, MD College of Medicines.

John can be reached at:
[M]+1 774-462-8363
[E] [email protected] or
[E] [email protected]

John DavisJohn Davis (7)

For the past 20 years, John Davis has fought in the trenches and with his wallet and business interests (not to mention sticking his neck out nationally!) to work diligently to end prohibition in his home state, Washington and on a national level. In addition to being the Chairman of Seattle Hempfest, John is a founding member of the Coalition for Cannabis Standards and Ethics, a board and founding member of the NCIA and a leading policy expert working on international cannabis policy reform.

John FoleyJohn Foley (1)

John Foley is a seasoned financial expert and the senior vice president of Commercial Lending at Safe Harbor Financial (NASDAQ: SHFS), a leading provider of financial services and credit facilities to the regulated cannabis industry. With over 20 years of experience in commercial lending and 14 years in commercial insurance, John brings a wealth of expertise navigating
complex financial landscapes.

John HartsellJohn Hartsell (1)

John “Harts” Hartsell is the co-founder and CEO of DIZPOT, a leading-edge global cannabis packaging company providing customers with single source branding, packaging, and proprietary technology solution, known for bringing compliant products to market quickly in the highly competitive CPG environment.

Armed with international expertise and a sharp sense of humor, Hartsell is a lifelong entrepreneur with a marketing background who has worked with some of the world’s largest brands such as YUM! Brands, Walmart, and Harkins Theaters. After creating and building several successful companies, Hartsell co-founded DIZPOT in 2017, and since then, the company has grown into one of the largest cannabis packaging firms in the country boasting proprietary technologies, a 14,000 sq. ft. facility in Phoenix, and a presence in all legalized states.

John HollonJohn Hollon (505)
John HollonJohn Hollon (1)
John LordJohn Lord (1)

John Lord is the owner and CEO of LivWell Enlightened Health, a Colorado cannabis company with 14 dispensaries across the state. A serial entrepreneur, Lord began his career as a dairy farmer in New Zealand. He founded, built and sold several consumer products companies prior to bringing his years of experience and business acumen to the cannabis industry.

John OramJohn Oram (4)

Dr. John Oram, Ph.D., is CEO & Founder of NUG, an Oakland-based, vertically-integrated cannabis company with strong historical growth and performance. Founded in 2014, NUG continues to expand and diversify its portfolio, which includes world-class R&D, state-of-the-art cultivation, extraction, and distillation facilities, one of California’s largest wholesale cannabis distributors, and the new NUG retail store experience.

John SatterJohn Satter (1)
John ShearmanJohn Shearman (1)

John Shearman, Vice President of Marketing and Cannabis Business Lead at Applied DNA Sciences, has over 30 years of deep enterprise and advertising agency experience across all marketing, sales and IT disciplines. John’s experience allows him to advise on structuring sound strategies that address business goals and objectives. His extensive technology background stems from working with several leading technology companies throughout his career. John spearheads Applied DNA Sciences Cannabis vertical leading the vision, strategy, and product development for this emerging market. John also oversees the marketing for the entire company driving the marketing strategy for its other core verticals.

John TaenzlerJohn Taenzler (9)

John Taenzler, Ph.D. Partner & Chief of Research

Dr. Taenzler earned his doctorate in experimental neuropsychology from Clark University in 1995, where he served as an associate professor and departmental statistical consultant for various universities in the Boston area. He has worked as a research consultant in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry for more than 20 years, including Executive Vice President in a large, global marketing research company (GfK) and Founder/Principal in two custom research organizations (Evolution Consulting & Research and Jaunty Consulting).

Dr. Taenzler has conducted global pharma/biotech research in over 30 countries and is well-versed in the healthcare regulatory issues and government agencies that provide and oversee healthcare services. Dr. Taenzler has conducted research in nearly every area of healthcare including:
• Pharmaceuticals (most notably in the therapeutic areas of auto-immune disease, oncology, respiratory disease, pain-related syndromes, gastrointestinal disorders, psychiatric disorders)
• Hospitals/long-term care facilities (including disease management, robotics, pharmacy operations)
• Healthcare professionals (including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians)
• Patients (including caregivers)
• Supply chain organizations (including specialty pharmacy, retail and hospital pharmacies, pharmaceutical distributors)
• Medical Appliance/Drug Delivery Devices (including inhalers, transdermal systems, injection devices, human factors testing and mitigation strategies)
• Payors/Managed care (including P&T committee composition, sales force targeting, disease/case management, coverage issues).

John VardamanJohn Vardaman (1)

John W. Vardaman, III is Chief Compliance Officer & General Counsel of Simplifya, the leading provider of regulatory and operational compliance software for the cannabis industry. Prior to joining Simplifya, Mr. Vardaman served as Executive Vice President & General Counsel at Hypur, a compliance-based cannabis banking and payments company.

Mr. Vardaman is an attorney with fifteen years of senior federal government experience in the enforcement of federal laws and policies concerning money laundering, the Bank Secrecy Act, and other financial crimes.

From 2006 to 2016, Mr. Vardaman worked at the Department of Justice, first in the Office of Legal Policy, and then as Assistant Deputy Chief in the Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section. In 2014, Mr. Vardaman drafted the DOJ policy regarding marijuana banking, known as the Cole Memorandum, which set forth enforcement parameters designed to enable banks to permissibly service marijuana-related businesses.

From 2001 to 2006, Mr. Vardaman served as Special Assistant to the General Counsel at the Department of the Treasury where he worked on a variety of money laundering and terrorist financing issues following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. From 2003-2004, Mr. Vardaman served as Associate General Counsel to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq, where he oversaw an international campaign to locate and repatriate assets of Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime held around the world.

Mr. Vardaman was the recipient of the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award from Department of Defense in 2004, and the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service from the Department of Justice in 2015.

Mr. Vardaman received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1993, and his law degree from Georgetown University in 1997.

John WestJohn West (1)

John West is a partner and chair of Troutman Pepper’s Business Litigation Department, where he advises clients on regulatory compliance matters handling all phases of government and internal investigations. Providing strong strategic and practical advice, he has particular experience in matters involving government contractors, the False Claims Act, and the alcoholic beverage industry.

 

Johnny SayeghJohnny Sayegh (2)

Johnny Sayegh has been growing in the southern California cannabis industry since 2006. Over the years, he has assisted various companies with sourcing cannabis for retail and production. This experience has helped him firsthand understand the difference in cannabis strains and effects for medical and adult use purposes.

Sayegh currently serves as the CEO of Grassposts, a wholesale platform for raw cannabis on-demand in California. He can be reached at [email protected].

Jon MonkJon Monk (1)

Jon Monk is the Managing Director at MOST, a marketing and consulting company that serves the cannabis, hemp, and related industries. He has a proven track record of leadership and business development in the marketing, finance, retail, and consumer products sectors. Jon can be reached at [email protected] for questions about marketing, advertising, and other aspects of cannabis business.

Jonathan GilinskiJonathan Gilinski (7)

About the Author

Jonathan Gilinski is an authority in the hard-capsule field with more than 20 years of experience in capsule manufacturing and encapsulation. Over ten years ago, Jonathan founded Capsuline, a company which has become a top provider of capsule products worldwide. At Capsuline he further developed his detailed knowledge of all aspects of the hard capsule manufacturing process, including capsule formulation, proper material handling, product design, branding, equipment function and more.

The Capsule Consulting Group (TCCG) is Jonathan’s latest venture where he operates as Founder & CEO. TCCG utilizes Jonathan’s expertise and extensive network of industry resources to provide capsule consulting services to the emerging cannabis markets. Jonathan can be reached at [email protected]

Jonathan HavensJonathan Havens (2)

Jonathan Havens is a partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr and co-chairs the firm’s Cannabis Law and Food, Beverage and Agribusiness practices. He counsels state cannabis license applicants and awardees, ancillary service and product providers, investors, underwriters, management companies, and various other entities that are affected by federal and state cannabis laws.

Jonathan StorperJonathan Storper (1)

Jonathan Storper leads Hanson Bridgett’s cannabis and regenerative business law practices, and since California’s legalization of marijuana has worked with cannabis companies and their investors in connection with business transactions, including formation, local and state licensing, finance, contracts, licenses, joint venture and development, mergers and acquisitions, licensing, e-commerce, technology-related matters and general corporate law.

Storper has recently represented several cannabis companies in financing and M&A transactions that include publicly traded companies from Canada. He also represents companies in a variety of industries and many non-profit charities, foundations, and business associations.

Jonathan WachsJonathan Wachs (1)

Jonathan Wachs provides strategic counseling and operational advice to clients in the areas of intellectual property, commercial transactions and outsourced legal departments. As head of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group, Mr. Wachs works closely with clients to develop, register, analyze, enforce, and transfer intellectual property assets in a customized, cost-efficient, and highly effective manner. Additionally, he conducts intellectual property audits through which clients learn the nature and value of their intellectual property assets and the steps needed to protect such assets from misappropriation or dilution. As a business lawyer, he has successfully negotiated and completed several multimillion dollar business transactions and has served as general counsel to several small and midsize businesses and organizations in various industries and professions. He also manages a blog about intellectual property issues, Friday Factoids. Mr. Wachs co-manages New Paradigm Counsel, a service through which Offit Kurman delivers customized, comprehensive and cost-effective outsourced legal departments. Through New Paradigm Counsel, Jon served as outsourced general counsel for a government contractor, a large printing business, a payment processing company and an identity theft restoration business.

Jonathon BallardJonathon Ballard (1)

Jonathan Ballard serves as the Vice President of Market Development at LeafyPack, where he leverages his deep-rooted understanding of the cannabis industry to drive innovation and sustainable growth through never-before-seen industry born partnership programs. Born into a family of wheat farmers in Bozeman, and Eastern Montana, Jonathan’s agricultural background instilled in him a profound appreciation for the challenges and opportunities within farming and production sectors.

His professional journey began at Sweet Leaf Capital, a trailblazer in the financial sector of the cannabis industry, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the early market for CBD, hemp and later marijuana. Through strategic partnerships, Jonathan developed multiple specialized programs tailored to the needs of vendors and customers, utilizing creative financing solutions to address industry-specific challenges.

Recognizing the transformative potential of advancing automation technologies in addressing key issues like labor shortages, rising costs, and stringent regulations, Jonathan transitioned to LeafyPack. At LeafyPack, he continues to focus, design, and build on those early fundamentals in creating new partnerships, programs, and creative financing solutions with the goal to facilitate a healthier and more sustainable growth trajectory for the cannabis industry as a whole, marking the next evolutionary step in its development.

Jordan IsenstadtJordan Isenstadt (1)

Jordan Isenstadt is a Senior Vice President at New York City based public relations agency, Marino. Jordan leads a team focused on a burgeoning portfolio of cannabis-focused brands and founded the Cannabis Media Lab, an accelerator for emerging cannabis startups. Prior to his current role, Jordan worked for the New York State Legislature, as well as two New York State Governors. To reach out directly to Jordan, email him at [email protected].

Joseph ChapmanJoseph Chapman (1)

Joseph Chapman is a Deputy Editor on the USA team at Chambers and Partners, producer of guides to the legal market. His experience in legal market research largely centers around exploring rapidly developing practice areas, beginning his career as a researcher on the inaugural edition of Chambers High Net Worth.  As a member of the USA guide’s editorial team, Joseph is responsible for areas which include privacy/data security, investment funds and corporate finance; he also recently spearheaded the company’s first-time coverage of the USA’s cannabis law market. He holds a BA in Russian and German from the University of Nottingham and recently completed a Graduate Diploma in Law.

Joseph GeorgeJoseph George (1)

Joseph George, a partner at George & George ADR Group, is a certified and subject matter cannabis mediator who has mediated countless cannabis disputes. Mr. George is also a Florida Supreme Court Qualified Arbitrator who arbitrates cases across numerous industries. Mr. George can be reached at his firm www.georgeandgeorgeadr.com.

Josh SchneidermanJosh Schneiderman (1)

Josh Schneiderman is a member of the firm’s corporate and securities group. He advises clients on a wide range of transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and public and private offerings of debt and equity securities. In addition, Josh advises clients on matters related to franchising, including the establishment of new franchise systems and the expansion of existing franchise systems nationally and internationally. He also advises public and private companies on corporate governance matters.

Josh also advises clients in the cannabis industry. He is familiar with the unique needs of industry clients in light of the present conflict between federal and state laws and local regulations in the space, and he and others in the firm help clients navigate the challenges that arise in that context whether their needs relate to licensing and registration, general corporate matters (including financings, joint ventures and mergers and acquisitions), branding, tax, banking and finance, real estate and employment.

In addition to his normal areas of practice, Josh is a member of the firm’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response Team, an interdisciplinary team of lawyers, formed quickly after recognizing the complex legal issues that businesses would confront as a result of the coronavirus. This group has issued legal alerts and newsletters on the topic and has hosted multiple webinars to address a range of concerns. The group remains committed to monitoring the issues and bringing as much clarity and guidance to clients as possible. More information is available in the COVID-19 Resource Center.

Josh SwiderJosh Swider (2)

Josh Swider is the CEO of InfiniteCAL, a San Diego, California based analytical lab.

Josh began his career in chemistry at Eastern Washington University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science and Chemistry degrees in physics and biology in 2012. His quest for a deeper understanding of the science led him to be accepted into the joint doctoral program at the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University, where he earned his master’s degree in analytical chemistry in 2015 and his PhD in 2017.  Throughout his college career, Josh became interested in the medicinal benefits of cannabis and the lack of analytical research and public understanding associated with it. He wanted to change this, and with his knowledge and passion for the industry, Josh founded the lab with fellow chemist Dave Marelius in 2016. Together they’ve made it InfiniteCAL’s mission to ensure only safe, quality products are allowed to hit dispensary shelves.

Joshua GoldbergJoshua Goldberg (6)

Joshua B. Goldberg is the Partner-in-Charge of the Chemical, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Department of Nath, Goldberg & Meyer and works extensively with the firm’s Trademark department. Mr. Goldberg’s practice involves portfolio management and analysis, including the preparation, prosecution, and acquisition of U.S. and foreign patents across a wide range of technology areas. Mr. Goldberg has had a recent focus on patent and trademark issues related to cannabis products and has helped navigate clients through the options available for protecting the same.

Howard W. Kline is the Trademark Department Manager at Nath, Goldberg, and Meyer. Mr. Kline’s practice involves all aspects of trademark, unfair competition, and copyright law. He counsels clients on the availability and registration of trademarks and secures trademark registrations in the U.S. and throughout the world. Mr. Kline also represents clients in matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Practice Areas

Mr. Goldberg’s practice areas include:

Patent Estate Development, both in the U.S. and Internationally
U.S. and International Patent Application Drafting and Prosecution for Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology Innovations
Technology Evaluation and Positioning
Legal and Scientific Research and Analysis regarding Patentability, Patent Validity, Enforceability, and Freedom to Operate
Licensing, Acquisitions, Divestitures, and Joint Ventures
The Preparation, Filing, and Management of Oppositions Before the European Patent Office

Professional Profile

Mr. Goldberg received his practical scientific experience while performing research and development for Particle & Coating Technologies, Inc. During this stage of his career, Mr. Goldberg was responsible for the development, design, and experimental creation of various pharmaceutical delivery systems.

While in law school, Mr. Goldberg commenced his career in Intellectual Property law as a law clerk at NGM. Mr. Goldberg earned his U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Registration Number in 1998, and was admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1999.

Mr. Goldberg has been actively practicing patent law at NGM since 1997. He has prepared and prosecuted numerous patent applications for both international and domestic clients in a wide variety of technology areas. His current practice places a particular emphasis on the chemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and mechanical art areas. He also advises corporate, university, and independent clients in such areas as the development of offensive and defensive patent portfolios, the preparation of patent enforceability and invalidity opinions, and in freedom to operate searches and analysis

Mr. Goldberg is an elected Manager of the Chemical Society of Washington chapter of the American Chemical Society. He is also a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) and the Chemical Practice Subcommittee of AIPLA, the Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle (AIPPI), the Jewish Federation, the U.S. Patent Office’s Chemical and Biotechnology Customer Partnership, and other professional organizations.

Mr. Goldberg received his J.D. degree from The George Washington University (1999) and his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis (1996). Mr. Goldberg is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is admitted to practice before the Bars of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. Mr. Goldberg is also admitted to practice before the Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the Superior and Inferior Courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Jourdan BinderJourdan Binder (1)
For over 15 years, Jourdan Binder has been leaving his ample footprint all over Miami’s hospitality scene, setting the path for the city toward its current cultural revolution. In 2008, Binder seized the opportunity to go off on his own and founded The Workshop. For over a decade, under Binder’s leadership and vision, The Workshop has been the go-to branding and marketing company for Miami’s most preeminent hospitality and lifestyle institutions. Recently, Binder ventured back into the hospitality industry and partnered with BarLab Hospitality, the founders of the Broken Shaker. Together they opened The Anderson bar in 2016, where Binder currently serves as Partner and Creative Director. Known for its 80s vibe and craft cocktails, The Anderson has been featured in notable publications like, Forbes Travel Guide, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, GQ, Esquire and The New York Times. Binder currently serves as the CMO for CLS Holdings USA, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Oasis Cannabis Dispensary and City Trees.
Joyce CenaliJoyce Cenali (1)

Joyce Cenali is partner and COO of Big Rock Partners, a San Francisco-based strategic advisory firm focused on the intersection of cannabis, food and hospitality, serving both companies and investors. Joyce is an accomplished sales, operations, and business development executive with extensive experience in the cannabis industry.

Julian WichmannJulian Wichmann (1)

Dr. Julian Wichmann is Co-Founder of Bloomwell Group and CEO of its subsidiary Algea Care, the first and leading platform for telemedicine-powered and evidence-based medical cannabis treatment in Germany. He built Algea Care in 2020 to improve the available care of chronic pain and other diseases applying innovative solutions such as digitally accessible natural medicine. Prior to founding Bloomwell Group, Dr. Wichmann worked as a board-certified radiologist at a leading German university hospital and published over 150 original research papers.

Julie HerzogJulie Herzog (2)

As head of the corporate/securities practice at Fortis Law Partners, Julie Herzog handles a wide variety of corporate, securities and merger and acquisition transactions. She has handled transactions valued at over $4 billion for major public companies and investment banks and enjoys working with a diverse clientele ranging from Fortune 100 corporations to startups, family offices, and venture capital and private equity funds. Since 2013, Julie negotiated and closed over 75 transactions valued at over $1.5 billion on behalf of our clients. Her clients represent a variety of industry sectors, including cannabis, energy, health care, technology, manufacturing, real estate, food and beverage, business consulting and other services. She has counseled several hundred companies from inception through initial public offerings or successful sales. For more information, contact [email protected].

Julie HusseyJulie Hussey (1)

Julie Hussey is a partner in Perkins Coie’s San Diego office and a member of their Product Liability Law practice group.

Justin KesselmanJustin Kesselman (1)

Justin A. Kesselman is a partner at ArentFox Schiff’s Bankruptcy & Financial Restructuring practice. He represents clients in corporate reorganizations, bankruptcy proceedings, and commercial litigation in multiple industries including the cannabis industry.

Justin WalshJustin Walsh (2)

Justin P. Walsh is a senior cannabis business lawyer at Gleam Law’s Seattle headquarters (www.gleamlaw.com), where he represents clients in a myriad of civil matters – including legal marijuana, hemp, and CBD businesses. He has received recognition for his successful representation of complex business litigation cases, as well as personal injury, medical malpractice, class action, and intellectual property cases. His practice extends to copyright and trademark matters, Consumer Protection Act, and CAN-SPAM. In addition to heading Gleam Law’s litigation department, Justin also handles matters of regulatory compliance surrounding hemp and CBD – including FDA labeling compliance, a topic Justin regularly speaks on nationally.

Currently, Justin serves as a Pro Tem Judge in Washington, and is an adjunct professor teaching a class on cannabis law at Seattle University School of Law. Justin is admitted to practice in Washington and Alaska, as well as the Washington Supreme Court, the Federal District Courts for the Western and Eastern District of Washington, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Justin can be reached at [email protected] if you have questions related to his areas of expertise.

Kaitlyn O'ConnorKaitlyn O'Connor (1)

Kaitlyn O’Connor, Esq. joined Nixon Law Group as Counsel in 2018. Kaitlyn combines her knowledge of business law and healthcare to provide real-world solutions for clients navigating this uniquely complex intersection.

Kaitlyn’s areas of practice include digital health, medical cannabis law and policy, telehealth, fraud and abuse, and HIPAA privacy/security. She provides legal, regulatory, and business guidance to healthcare providers across the spectrum of care, as well as early-stage companies and vendors serving the healthcare industry.

After graduating magna cum laude from Syracuse University, Kaitlyn attended William & Mary Law School, where she served as a member of the Business Law Review. She is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, the Connected Health Initiative (CHI), and the Virginia Cannabis Industry Association (VCIA).

Kaitlyn is based in Nixon Law Group’s Richmond office and resides in the city with her dog, Oshie.

Kamani JeffersonKamani Jefferson (2)

Kamani Jefferson is president and registered lobbyist for the Massachusetts Recreational Consumer Council. The Massachusetts Recreational Consumer Council (MRCC) works with local and state governmental bodies to ensure the social welfare and well-being of recreational marijuana consumers, marijuana businesses, and the general public. He is the co-founder of the Cannabis Cultural Association in New York, a non-profit organization that strives to involve underrepresented communities in the legal cannabis/hemp industry, by providing informational workshops, cultural programs, and community events with an emphasis on issues disproportionately affecting communities of color: access to medical cannabis, adult use legalization, and criminal justice reform.

Karen BalderamaKaren Balderama (1)

Karen J. Balderama is a partner with law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Dean LLP in its Food & Beverage practice and is co-chair of the firm’s Business Practice Group. She can be reached at [email protected], or via the firm’s website: http://www.wendel.com.

Karl KispertKarl Kispert (1)

Karl Kispert is a Principal at Grassi & Co., for the Cyber and Information Security Practice. He has over 28 years of experience in managing and delivering information risk management, internal audit, regulatory and compliance programs, information security and technology risk management projects across many industry verticals for both domestic and international clients.

Prior to joining Grassi & Co., Karl was the Vice President at Aujas. He was also formerly a Chief Information Security Officer and has spent the last 17 years in the consulting and services industry. During Karl’s career, he spent four years as a federal agent supporting the US Department of Defense within the information and physical security arena and nine years working with the US Intelligence Community.

Karl has helped design and sustain strong information and cybersecurity programs for many of the nation’s most critical decision makers.

Karl has taken Senior Leadership Management Training Courses at Kellogg School of Management and is a Ziglar Legacy Certified Trainer. He has written and spoken on the subject of cyber and information and security, enterprise risk management and regulatory compliance at both the local and national levels and has been the host of many webinars on the subject of cyber security, information security, technology risk and business risk intelligence.

Karl is a supporter of No Barriers USA.

avatar for Kassandra OfficerKassandra Officer (1)

Kassandra Officer is a partner at Finnegan, where she focuses on patent and trade secret litigation before U.S. district courts as well as on post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Her practice encompasses a range of technologies, with an emphasis on chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural technologies. [email protected]

Kate PokorskiKate Pokorski (1)

Kate Pokorski is an associate with Snell & Wilmer in Phoenix, Arizona. She focuses her practice on corporate and securities law. Kate is also a member of the firm’s cannabis practice group.

Katharine BaxterKatharine Baxter (1)

Katharine Baxter is the Lead Technical Writer and Industry News Editor for Sapphire Risk Advisory Group and is responsible for creating compliant security plans for cannabis business license applications. Katharine obtained her two Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Political Science and has worked in the cannabis industry for over two years. Katharine is a published author on cannabis and security and has covered topics such as cannabis security best practices and industry legal updates.

Kathleen BarrettKathleen Barrett (1)

Kathleen A. Barrett is an Associate in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the Chicago office of Epstein Becker Green. She advises and trains employers and industry stakeholders on compliance with recreational and medical marijuana (cannabis) laws recently passed in many states, including workplace drug policies, disciplinary action policies, and accommodations. She can be reached at [email protected].

Katie ColemanKatie Coleman (1)

Katie Coleman is a product marketing manager at Circa, the leading diversity recruitment, and HR compliance technology solution company. She works to produce webinars and write articles on diversity and other employment-related topics to guide employers, employees, and job seekers in their professional endeavors.

Ken PickeringKen Pickering (1)

Ken Pickering is a partner in Mirick O’Connell’s Business Litigation Group and chair of the firm’s Government Investigations Response and Compliance Team. He is a former special assistant district attorney and has tried more than 20 civil and criminal cases to verdict in Massachusetts and U.S. district courts. He has also represented clients in arbitration proceedings and has argued appeals in both state and federal appellate courts.  He can be reached at [email protected].

Angela Benoit is an associate in Mirick O’Connell’s Litigation Group. She focuses her practice on business and securities litigation and in representing clients in response to state and federal government investigations. She can be reached at [email protected].
Kerri ByronKerri Byron (2)

Kerri Byron is the Marketing Manager at Boca Raton, FL-based Cortera. Cortera provides information-centric solutions that power business-to-business interactions. Cortera’s innovative information and technologies deliver behavioral intelligence on millions of businesses. The wide range of applications of these insights include credit decisioning, sales & marketing intelligence, supply chain insights and other risk management needs. Kerri oversees various marketing, advertising and public relations campaigns at Cortera. Kerri can be contacted at [email protected].

Kevin HartKevin Hart (1)

Kevin Hart is the CEO of Green Check Verified, a leading provider of cannabis banking solutions and expert advisory services for financial institutions. He is an experienced, passionate, team-oriented leader that has held executive positions in venture backed technology companies.

Hart specializes in developing strategic plans coupled with organizational development with strong metric driven execution to achieve the next level of results. His diverse experience includes strategic planning, start-up and/or expanded business strategies, organizational development, sales organizations, and operational execution. All with with exceptional executive relationships and BOD development.

Kevin LeeKevin Lee (1)

Kevin Lee, Business Development Manager at ND Supplies, benefits from over 15 years’ experience in the cannabis industry. As a cannabis advocate, he founded a dispensary and non-profit organization to provide education and safe access to medical and recreational cannabis. Kevin works alongside businesses and individuals to navigate the industry’s evolution from cannabis 1.0 to 2.0, to 3.0 and beyond.

Kevin MichaelanKevin Michaelan (2)

Kevin leads AAFCPAs’ Cannabis Practice, specializing in advising plant-touching businesses and investors on business and tax strategies to maximize stakeholder value throughout the business lifecycle.  His cannabis experience includes buy-side due diligence and tax consulting for public multi-state operators (MSOs) and private equity funds on mergers & acquisitions with a deal value in excess of $4 billion and advising companies on industry-first tax strategies. Kevin’s 10+ years of diverse experience in public accounting allows him to provide a wholistic approach to business issues and deliver sophisticated tax advice.

Kevin SlaughterKevin Slaughter (1)

Kevin Slaughter is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group who solves problems and assists clients with complex commercial transactions. Throughout his decades of experience as a corporate attorney, Kevin has focused his practice on the areas of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private offerings. Most recently, he has expanded his practice to include procurement matters, airport concessions and cannabis. He has a broad range of experience working with clients from a multitude of business sectors including the automotive, manufacturing, healthcare and food industries.

Working on both domestic and international M&A transactions, Kevin has achieved exceptional results for his clients. He has in-depth knowledge in drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial agreements, including: master supply/service agreements; distribution agreements; reseller agreements; development and licensing agreements; and manufacturing agreements.

Kevin uses his extensive experience in corporate law and excellent interpersonal skills to advise owners and senior executives on a broad spectrum of issues. Above all, he listens to his clients to understand their needs, goals and objectives. Kevin earns their trust and confidence by employing an analytical yet pragmatic approach that is centered around accomplishing the business objectives of his clients in a responsive, efficient and effective manner.

In 2018, Kevin was recognized as a “Notable Minority Lawyer” by Crain’s Chicago Business. Active in his community, he serves as general counsel to the Boy Scouts of America Pathway to Adventure Council in Illinois.

Kevin WhittonKevin Whitton (2)

Kevin Whitton is the voice of the Hawai‘i Dispensary Alliance, driving its publications, messaging, and branding. With a BA in sociology and over a decade of experience in publishing and journalism as editor of four Hawai‘i regional publications—including Green Magazine Hawai‘i, a sustainability publication he founded in 2008—he is responsible for publishing the Hawai‘i Dispensary Alliance Industry Update; crafting and disseminating industry information for membership, industry stakeholders, patients and doctors; and leading the alliance’s public relations campaigns. Whitton is committed to sharing a positive public narrative that serves patients, communities, and businesses while growing Hawai‘i’s legitimate cannabis industry.

avatar for Keya DennerKeya Denner (1)

Keya Denner, a partner at Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, co-chairs the firm’s Cannabis & Employee Substance Abuse practice. With extensive experience in legal cannabis regulations, he advises Fortune 500 companies in retail, hospitality and global logistics on compliant policies. He can be reached at [email protected].

Kim RaelKim Rael (1)

Kim Rael is President and CEO of Azuca, a privately held, investor-backed company that commercializes a line of chef-quality, edible products, and licenses its fast acting TiME INFUSION™ process to quality brands looking for a fast-acting cannabis edible technology. Azuca’s patent-pending TiME INFUSION™ process enables a predictable and controllable experience every time. Azuca’s hemp-derived CBD products are sold online at azuca.co/shop. Azuca TiME INFUSION™ is available in the Wana Quick gummies line in Colorado.

 

avatar for Kirk MillerKirk Miller (1)

Kirk Miller is a commercial insurance, risk management, and business strategy leader with more than 20 years of cannabis consulting and insurance industry experience. Kirk is an Executive Producer at Nine Point Strategies. Follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirkemiller/or email him at [email protected]

avatar for Kresimir PehardaKresimir Peharda (3)

Kresimir Peharda is Chair of the Cannabis Practice at YL Law LLP.

As one of the leading cannabis deal attorneys in Los Angeles, his practice includes representing cultivators, manufacturers, processors and retailers, MSOs, private equity funds and public companies.

Kresimir’s clients generally benefit from his experience representing public companies and hands-on operational experience in three start-ups, two in healthcare and one in real estate.

He represents companies in all stages of development from start-ups to public reporting companies.

Kresimir has assisted his public clients in IPOs, spin-offs, going private transactions, SEC compliance, corporate governance, corporate reorganizations and complex financing transactions. He advises startups and middle market companies on contracts, equity compensation, debt and equity financing, mergers and acquisitions, and shareholder matters.

His clients have raised billions in USD in capital through public and private securities offerings (including private placements and PIPEs), commercial bank loans, other asset-based lenders, private equity firms, strategic partners, and VCs.

Kresimir also structured, negotiated, and closed mergers and acquisitions in the billions in domestic and international settings. He has assisted his clients in alliance, development, distribution, licensing, marketing and sales agreements worth in excess of a billion USD. He can be reached via email at [email protected].

 

Kris KraneKris Krane (2)

Kris Krane is the President & Co-Founder, 4Front Ventures. He founded 4Front Advisors in 2011, Kris now serves as president of 4Front Ventures.

Prior to co-founding  4Front, Kris served as director of client services for CannBe, a pioneer in developing best practices within the medical cannabis industry. Kris has dedicated his career to reforming the nation’s misguided drug policies, where he served as associate director of NORML from 2000 to 2005 and executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy from 2006 to 2009. He currently serves as Vice Chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) and as Treasurer of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) and the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois (CBAI). Kris is also a member of the New Jersey Cannabis Industry Association Board (NJCIA) and is a regular contributor to Forbes on the business of cannabis. He resides in Chicago with his family.

Kristi KellyKristi Kelly (1)

Kristi, who was CBE’s 12th ranked most influential woman in cannabis in 2016, is the executive director of Marijuana Industry Group, which helped create the world’s first taxed and regulated cannabis framework, and supports and advances licensed and regulated Colorado cannabis businesses today. She is also a founding board member of The Fourth Corner Credit Union, founding trustee of CannAbility Foundation, and co-Founder of Root Strategies Consulting.

avatar for Kristin McCallKristin McCall (1)

Kristin McCall is a partner in the Commercial Litigation practice, where she represents clients in state and federal courts in a variety of litigation matters. Her practice includes helping businesses navigate the often complex and constantly evolving cannabis laws at the local and state levels regarding licensing and permitting, regulatory compliance and related litigation. She may be reached at [email protected].

Kyle LoucksKyle Loucks (1)

Kyle Loucks is the Founder and CEO of RollPros, an automation company disrupting the cannabis industry using its groundbreaking TruRoll technology that mimics the precision of hand-rolled quality joints at scale.

Prior to RollPros, Kyle held various lead engineering and technical roles for companies ranging from innovative medical device startups to tech giants like Hewlett-Packard and Georgia Pacific. He also played a key role in developing optics hardware for Facebook’s Oculus VR system.

With conventional pre-roll joint production processes notorious for churning out inconsistent and sub-standard quality joints, Kyle saw an opportunity for innovation and automation. Since 2020, Kyle and the team at RollPros have helped cannabis companies succeed by arming them with the industry-leading technology they need to create premium-quality pre-rolls that build consumer loyalty while reducing overhead, boosting efficiencies, and eliminating tedious manual labor processes.

Kyle holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University in Pullman, WA.

LaKia BourneLaKia Bourne (1)
LaKia Bourne has 20+ years of experience as an accomplished and trusted accounting professional. As a women-owned and minority-owned accounting firm, LaKia and the team at Green Space Accounting have a passion for working with other small businesses and engaging in the local community, and her values drive her overall career goals and mission to uplift businesses and encourage financial competency through reliable accounting services.
Lance AndersonLance Anderson (1)

K. Lance Anderson is a partner at Dickinson Wright PLLC in Austin, Texas. His practice focuses on
complex intellectual property (IP) and technology transactions, university technology transfer, and
advising businesses in acquisition and disposition of innovation-rich assets. A significant portion of his
practice includes plant traits, plant breeders rights (PVPs, plant patents) and plant-derived products and
related formulations, particularly within the emerging medicinal and adult use Cannabis markets. He can
be reached at [email protected]

avatar for Lane BrunsLane Bruns (5)

Lane Bruns is the CEO of ICANIVEST, a Maryland LLC, and operates as a Registered Investment Advisory Firm focusing on the Cannabis Industry for individual investors and family offices. We tailor our advisory services by constructing portfolios of PUBLICLY TRADED CANNABIS EQUITIES to meet the investment objectives of our clients.​ ICANIVEST has developed a process in which we continually evaluate our asset allocation of capital among long, neutral, and short positions. And finally, we look at the individual equities in each sector providing detailed fundamental analysis like DCFs and Price Comparisons.

Laura BianchiLaura Bianchi (1)

Laura A. Bianchi is a Managing Partner at Bianchi Brandt & Hale in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a nationally recognized authority on law, compliance, business strategy, finance and operations in the cannabis and hemp industries. Among the first attorneys anywhere to focus on this nascent cannabis market, Laura has spent years handling some of the largest transactions and advising cannabis companies and industry participants. On the forefront of both the legal cannabis and hemp movements, Laura is passionate about providing information, strategic advice and direction in regard to all realms of the cannabis and hemp industries.

Laura Breit, PELaura Breit, PE (7)

Laura Breit is the founder and owner of Oregon-based firms Root Engineers and ColeBreit Engineering. She is a professional mechanical engineer specializing in the design of HVAC, plumbing, and process systems for the cannabis industry. Using her experience in traditional engineering methods through Root Engineers parent company, ColeBreit Engineering, she applies her team’s depth of knowledge to create efficient and economically sound solutions for cultivation and processing facilities. Taking a custom approach to each project, Laura has experience working in the traditional design-bid-build method, as well as in the design-build arena. She enjoys the dynamic nature of the cannabis industry, and since legalization in her home state of Oregon in 2014, Laura has led her team of mechanical and electrical engineers on more than 80 cannabis-related projects across the country. She thrives on building relationships with building owners, growers, architects, contractors and investors.

Lauren TamburroLauren Tamburro (2)

Lauren Tamburro is the Director of Technical Services and Sales, for Vertosa, a hemp and cannabis technology company providing customized emulsion systems for infused products. She is an expert in new product development, managing projects from concept to commercialization, plant scale-up and the product development process. Prior to joining Vertosa, Lauren performed analytical chemistry for six years and as Senior Scientist began launching new food products at Mondelez International, primarily focused on chewing gum. As Senior Manager of Research and Development at ALOHA she launched plant-based protein bars, powders and aseptic ready to drink beverages.

 

Laurie HolcombLaurie Holcomb (1)

Laurie Holcomb is the President of BlackStar Industrial Properties. The company has developed a state-of-the-art cannabis complex in Southern California. With over 20-years of experience building large-scale communities throughout California, Holcomb started BlackStar Industrial Properties along with of some of the leading experts in the cannabis industry. Together, their goal was to build the world’s finest, fully licensed and compliant cannabis complex, and lease out space to responsible and professional businesses seeking to enter the California market. 

She can be reached at: (949) 252-1177 or through the company’s website, at: www.blackstarIP.com  

Lawrence BayeLawrence Baye (1)

Lawrence Baye is a Principal of PKF O’Connor Davies and serves in the Risk Advisory Group. He has over 35 years of management consulting experience in the public accounting firm sector. Prior to joining the firm, Larry worked for one of the “Global Six” CPA firms.

Larry focuses on risk advisory and performance improvement engagements for a broad range of clients, including private and public companies of varying sizes, not-for-profit and health care organizations, higher education institutions and governmental entities, financial services and institutions, real estate owners, managers and developers, REITs, manufacturers, distributors and retailers, professional and business service firms, energy, technology, media and entertainment, publishing, health care, defense contractors, and others.

His expertise includes enterprise risk management, Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls over financial reporting, internal audit out/co-sourcing, information technology auditing and security, corporate governance practices, COSO 2013, HIPAA and regulatory compliance. In addition, he has led projects designed to enhance organization and operational performance, utilized benchmarking to gauge results/outcomes against peer/industry metrics, developed financial accounting policies and procedures, evaluated information technology effectiveness, drafted and tested business continuity and disaster recovery plans, constructed information technology strategy as well as guided clients in their ERP system selection and implementation.

Larry is a frequent presenter at various professional organizations and co-authors the Risk and Advisory Newsletter published by the firm.

Lawrence CaseyLawrence Casey (1)

Lawrence J. Casey is a shareholder at the Boston law firm of Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C., practicing in the business, employment and litigation areas. He represents executives, professionals, and employers in employment-related litigation and arbitration matters before state and federal courts and agencies. He also counsels high-level executives and professionals in matters concerning employment terms and compensation packages, including negotiating complex employment and transition agreements. Larry is a frequent speaker on employment-related topics. He is an Elected Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, is recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA, holds a Peer Review AV® Preeminent™ rating by Martindale-Hubbell, and is listed as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer.

Leah HeiseLeah Heise (1)
Lee PrindleLee Prindle (2)

Lee Prindle is a Seattle native and a graduate of the University of Oregon. He writes frequently about the insurance industry. For more about stoned driving, please visit: https://quotewizard.com/auto-insurance/marijuana-car-insurance-and-the-law

Leo AubelLeo Aubel (1)

Leo Aubel focuses his practice on the real estate industry, with decades of experience in the acquisition, leasing and disposition of real estate. His commercial leasing work includes medical offices, bars and restaurants and retail spaces, as well as the licensing of these facilities. Aubel can be reached at [email protected] and 312-456-3663.

Leonard DietzenLeonard Dietzen (1)

Leonard Dietzen, partner at law firm RumbergerKirk, concentrates his practice on the representation of private and public sector employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. From consulting with clients to representing them in administrative proceedings and litigation, his practice encompasses the full spectrum of activities attendant to the employment relationship. Contact him via email, [email protected].

 

Leslie BocskorLeslie Bocskor (1)

Leslie Bocskor is an investment banker and entrepreneur focused on the emerging legal cannabis industry. He founded Electrum Partners and is working with some of the biggest players in the industry to develop strategies to quickly expand the market for legal cannabis in the U.S. and beyond.

avatar for Lexie BartonLexie Barton (1)

Lexie Barton is the Director of Client Strategy at BDSA and works with companies across the industry to help drive better, data-backed decision making. Lexie is passionate about empowering businesses to run effective and efficient operations while developing experiences that resonate with consumers. Lexie is also involved with the National Cannabis Industry Association, helping lead the Education Committee as Vice Chair, and has a strong data background working in Advertising and Consumer Packaged Goods in both Market Research and Data & Analytics. She believes deeply in the power of data and has leveraged data throughout her career to drive growth.

Lezli EngelkingLezli Engelking (14)

Lezli Engelking
Founder | Foundation of Cannabis Unified Standards (FOCUS)

FOCUS is the only international, third party, non-profit, cannabis standards development organization created to protect public health, consumer safety, and safeguard the environment.

Through two-decades of professional experience across pharmaceuticals, mental health, non-profit and cannabis industries, Lezli realized the only way to build a truly sustainable, legal, cannabis marketplace – not just on a national level- but globally – was to develop international, voluntary-conformance cannabis standards suitable for adoption into regulation that would serve as the common language necessary to ensure the quality and safety guidelines required for international commerce.

Lezli’s ability to envision simplified solutions to complicated situations make her the perfect candidate to lead FOCUS and work in the formulation of international public policy to ensure the highest standards that protect public health and safety are met and maintained. www.focusstandards.org

Liesl BernardLiesl Bernard (2)

Liesl Bernard is the founder and CEO of the industry’s premier cannabis staffing firm–CannabizTeam. Above all, she is passionate about people and helping companies create a competitive advantage by recruiting exceptional talent. She has over 20 years of global executive search and placement experience. Prior to launching CannabizTeam and CannabizTemp, she was working with Fortune 500 companies.

Her vast background in global executive search and staffing with a strong focus in all verticals of the cannabis industry formed the foundation to create the world’s fastest growing cannabis staffing firm in the global market. Liesl and her team continually set themselves apart by their fine-tuned ability to understand each client’s business. Additionally, they take time to learn the skills, personality, and culture fit required for each unique placement.

Since their start, CannabizTeam has connected top talent with thousands of jobs at the leading cannabis private and public companies across North America and Canada.

Linda OstovitzLinda Ostovitz (1)

In her 36 years of practice,Linda Sorg Ostovitz has served as a leader, educator and advocate. Ostovitz holds a prestigious fellowship in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and serves as the secretary of the Maryland Chapter. She also serves on the Board of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce and the Business Women’s Network of Howard.

Ostovitz represents clients in Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Baltimore Counties. Her practice focuses exclusively on divorce litigation and mediation, child custody and access, child support, alimony, business valuation, as well as property and asset distribution. In addition to providing legal representation in court, Ostovitz provides mediation services to help families come to a resolution without the need for litigation.

Ostovitz has written and contributed to publications on family law matters, including the Maryland Bar Journal, Lawyers.com and USA Today. She is a strong advocate for her clients and inspires the highest level of confidence, allowing the best and most informed decisions to be made.

She enjoys speaking to groups like the National Family Resiliency Center, and guest lecturing for organizations. She also hosts free seminars to educate the public about the varied legal options in family law. Ostovitz values mentorship and lends her experience to students by serving as a judge in the Maryland State Bar Association high school mock trial competitions, as well as mentoring newly admitted attorneys.

Her commitment to the community extends to her generous contributions and active participation in Gilchrist Hospice, Columbia Patuxent Rotary, and Leadership Howard County.

Lisl DunlopLisl Dunlop (2)

Lisl Dunlop is an antitrust partner in Axinn’s New York office. She has 30 years of experience in guiding clients through the antitrust-related aspects of mergers and acquisitions, antitrust agency investigations, and antitrust litigation. Her clients include leading US and multinational companies in a broad range of industries, including the media, technology, cannabis, and health care sectors. She is a frequent speaker and author on cutting-edge antitrust issues. Lisl can be contacted at [email protected].

Barbara Samaniego is an antitrust associate in Axinn’s Washington, DC office. Her practice focuses on antitrust law in a variety of contexts, including litigation, health care, and pharmaceuticals. Barbara can be contacted at [email protected].

Sam Sherman is an antitrust associate in Axinn’s Washington, DC office. His practice focuses on antitrust transactions, litigation, and government investigations. He has represented both US and multinational clients across a variety of sectors, including life sciences, technology, and cannabis. Sam can be contacted at [email protected].

 

 

Liz BrohanLiz Brohan (1)

Liz Brohan is CEO and President of CBD Marketing, a 40-person, full-service agency in Chicago, where she leads brand revitalization, acquisition and retention efforts for national and global companies that are aligning with cannabis markets. Her interest in social media monitoring and online listening underlines the importance of the marketing insights these initiatives can provide to products, brands and companies in all industries. Liz speaks nationally on marketing topics, including at national CBD-cannabis business conferences. Contact Liz at [email protected]

 

Lloyd Pierre-LouisLloyd Pierre-Louis (1)

Lloyd Pierre-Louis is a member of Dickinson Wright’s Cannabis Practice Group. His practice focuses on administrative law and government affairs, and with particularity in licensing, regulatory compliance and legislative advocacy in the legal cannabis and more traditional highly-regulated industries. Along with the process of legislation and rulemaking, he assists entities and individuals through every aspect of licensure, regulatory compliance, business operations, employment and business transactions.  His clients include producers, manufacturers, retailers, service providers, testing laboratories, equity and debt investors, nonprofits and trade associations.

Loni MowbrayLoni Mowbray (1)

Loni Mowbray brings over 20 years of experience in food quality to her role managing product standards at SōRSE. Prior to SōRSE, Loni served as Quality Control Manager for Ivar’s Soup and Sauce Company, an established seafood restaurant chain that distributes their products across the country. Her responsibilities included oversight of all aspects of their quality program, which included developing and evolving their food safety and quality programs and driving to SQF certification. Loni has also worked for Coca-Cola Refreshments, Trident Foods, and DaVinci Foods.

Lorelie MastersLorelie Masters (1)

Lorelie S. Masters is a partner in the firm’s Insurance Coverage group in the firm’s Washington D.C. office. A nationally recognized insurance coverage litigator, Lorie handles all aspects of complex, commercial litigation and arbitration. She can be reached at +1 (202) 955-1851 or [email protected].

Lori GreenLori Green (3)

Lori Green, a partner with Nixon Peabody LLP, co-leads the law firm’s Cannabis practice. She has more than 30 years of domestic and international experience in a wide range of M&A and other business law matters. Lori can be reached at [email protected].

Lori Armstrong HalberLori Halber (1)

Lori Armstrong Halber is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department at Fox Rothschild LLP. She can be reached at [email protected].

Lucas McCannLucas McCann (1)

Dr. Lucas C. McCann is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at CannDelta Inc. where he provides scientific oversight on all projects. A medicinal organic chemist by training, Lucas acquired regulatory knowledge within the Regulatory and Operations Enforcement Branch for Health Products within Health Canada before moving into the private consulting space.

Leveraging his science background he has catapulted himself to the frontlines, where technology, cannabis, and regulation interface. He specializes in chemical synthesis, laboratory processes and building science-forward cannabis companies. Lucas guides his clients through Health Canada’s Cannabis Regulations and the licensing process by working to create compliant business and scientific strategies for start-ups to publicly traded licensed producers.

Lucas holds a Ph.D. in combinatorial chemistry from York University (Toronto), a Masters’ degree in Natural Product Synthetic Chemistry from Laval University (Quebec City) and a B.Sc. from the Faculty of Applied Sciences at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby).

Madeline ScanlonMadeline Scanlon (4)

Madeline Scanlon is the Cannabis Insights Manager for Brightfield Group, where she analyzes cannabis consumer and product data to craft actionable insights for the US and Canadian cannabis markets. Deeply invested in the cannabis space as a thought leader, content creator, and event organizer, Maddie shares insights at presentations with organizations like Cannabis Marketing Association, CannaCon, and the Illinois Women in Cannabis.

Maggie CoweeMaggie Cowee (1)
Maggie Cowee is an economist with nearly two decades’ experience in market analysis, consumer preference analysis and business development. Before joining High Yield Insights as a Senior Consultant, Cowee was a Senior Data Analyst for Marijuana Business Daily, where she contributed data and market analysis for the daily news, magazine features and its special publications.

Cowee started her market research career as a research economist at the University of Nevada, Reno in State Agricultural Marketing, where her findings aided the state’s farmers and ranchers in making business expansion and diversification decisions. She can be reached at [email protected].

Marco HoffmanMarco Hoffman (1)

Marco Hoffman is the CEO and Founder of Evergreen Herbal. Marco has been working in the cannabis industry since 2008. Originally he worked as a cinematographer in the entertainment industry. He transitioned to working in the cannabis industry when his stepmother was admitted to hospice and he witnessed firsthand the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
Marco oversees the daily operations of Evergreen Herbal, which is regarded as one of the best edibles companies in the state of Washington. The company has some of the highest quality control standards in the industry, with the attention to the most responsible packaging and labeling standards possible. Hoffman is committed to providing the type of quality products to the recreational market as he has been doing for the medical industry.

Margot MicallefMargot Micallef (1)
Margot Micallef  has over three decades of legal, business and operational experience with over $15 billion in merger and acquisition activity, and oversight of hundreds of millions of dollars in chain wide revenue, she  is the co-founder and CEO of GABY Inc., a branded, cannabis consumer goods company. GABY was inspired by the dire cancer prognosis and ultimate passing of Margot’s late sister and GABY co-founder, Gabriella – who remains the inspiration behind the company today. GABY’s mission is simple: to empower consumers to enhance the quality of their lives by providing easy, and simple access to a range of wellness-oriented products.

Prior to GABY, Margot was the Founder and President of Oliver Capital Partners, founded in 2003 to invest in private companies looking for expansion capital or an outright sale. Margot has also served as an Adjunct Professor in governance and ethics for the MBA Program at the University of Alberta, was a co-instructor for the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia and previously practiced with one of Canada’s most prestigious law firms, then known as Russell and DuMoulin (now Fasken Martineau DuMoulin). Margot has been the recipient of numerous business awards and accolades including: Appointee as a Queen’s Counsel in 2002, recipient of an Excellence in Leadership Award and named Woman of the Year from the Canadian Women in Communications, one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in 2011, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist for the Prairie Region of Canada, and was one of three finalists for the RBC Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship.

Mariah PhillipsMariah Phillips (1)

Mariah Phillips is passionate about world affairs at 2U, Inc., where she specializes in the business, law, government, and tech verticals on behalf of programs like MBA@ Syracuse, the online MBA program from Syracuse University. She is pursuing her masters in communications with S.I. New House School of Communications at Syracuse.

Marion MariathasanMarion Mariathasan (1)

Marion Mariathasan is CEO of Simplifya, the cannabis industry’s leading regulatory and operational compliance software platform. Simplifya’s suite of products takes the guesswork out of confusing, continually changing state and local regulations. Featuring SOPs, badge tracking, document storage, tailored reporting and employee accountability features, the company’s Custom Audit software reduces the time clients spend on compliance by up to 45 percent. Marion is also a serial entrepreneur who has founded or advised numerous startups. He is an investor in 22 domestic and international companies, four of which he serves as a board member, including: Ceylon Solutions, Leafwire,  ilios and Simplifya.

 

Mark BednarzMark Bednarz (1)

Mark Bednarz is a Partner and the leader of the Risk Advisory Group of PKF O’Connor Davies. He combines more than 20 years of public accounting and Fortune 500 experience and expertise in attestation and consulting services for a variety of industries.

Mark’s extensive experience includes internal audit, board governance, business reengineering, forensic accounting, system implementations, compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley consulting, IT audits and governance, service organization control reporting (SOC), attestations and risk assessments.

He is a frequent presenter, training evaluator and webinar leader on subjects related to governance, risk and compliance for several professional organizations. Mark also serves as an author and contributing editor to articles that appear in professional newsletters and other publications. Mark can be reached at [email protected].

Mark BergerMark Berger (1)

Mark Berger is the President and Chief Product Officer of Securitech Group, Inc., an innovative lock manufacturer in NYC. Notable projects include the creation of custom life-safety automatic deadbolt door lock solutions for the classrooms at the new Sandy Hook School, custom emergency gate exit system for the New York City Transit Authority, and code-compliant multi-point deadbolt exit locks for the retail industry. A holder of several patents, Mark has served the industry and public in several volunteer positions including president of DHI Security & Safety Professionals, chair of ASIS International’s School Safety & Security Council, and ongoing chair of the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association’s Codes & Government Affairs Committee. Mark has also been a volunteer instructor in Crime Prevention for the NYPD for over 25 years, and has presented on many industry panels.

Mark GoldfogelMark Goldfogel (24)

Mark Goldfogel is an entrepreneur, consultant, writer, and speaker. He is credited with having first proposed “Seed to Sale Tracking” as a means of diversion control, taxation, and health and human safety to the State of Colorado. He co-founded the cannabis industry’s first compliance inventory control system and was a key advisor to The Fourth Corner Credit Union, a financial institution with a banking charter to support the “Hemp and Cannabis Movement.” He has advised States, non-industry companies wishing to enter the industry, and startup companies capitalizing on the opportunities and avoiding the potholes of the budding cannabis industries. For a free copy of his book, Smoking Something, The Cannabis Paradox10, (Amazon $24.20) please send an email to [email protected].

avatar for Mark KrauseMark Krause (1)
Mark Krause is the Laboratory Director of Krause Analytics. He has over 45 years of experience in multiple chemistry disciplines with his primary focus being the application of analytical and data analysis techniques to solving complex problems. His current research focuses on the pharmacology of natural plants and extracts, including the analysis of biologically active compounds found in native plants used for medicinal purposes.
Mark ShevitzMark Shevitz (1)

Mark Shevitz is Executive Vice President, Brand Strategy, at CBD Marketing, a 40-person, full-service agency in Chicago, where he leads branding initiatives for companies across industry sectors.  Mark has worked with companies as diverse as Sears and Allstate to Aflac, Pfizer, Blue Diamond and dozens more—many now aligning with cannabis interests. Mark speaks and writes nationally on brand marketing topics. Contact Mark at [email protected]

Marvin WeinbergMarvin Weinberg (1)

Marvin L. Weinberg is co-chair of the Labor Management Relations practice group and he’s also a member of the Cannabis Law practice group at Fox Rothschild LLP. He has extensive experience in employment litigation, collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, handling matters before the National Labor Relations Board and providing guidance to employers seeking to remain non- union. He can be reached at [email protected].

Matt EngleMatt Engle (1)

Matt Engle is a commercial property and casualty insurance broker with Insurance Office of America. With over 15 years of insurance experience, Matt has a broad background working in the cannabis, technology, gaming, healthcare, nonprofit and construction industries. His primary responsibility is to consult with profit and nonprofit businesses to create action plans to lower their total cost of risk and keep their employees safe through a customized insurance and risk management program. Matt can be contacted at [email protected]

 

Matt KarnesMatt Karnes (5)

Matthew (Matt) Karnes has over 25 years of diverse finance and accounting experience. Prior to founding GreenWave Advisors LLC, Matt worked in equity research focusing on the Radio Broadcasting and Cable Television industries for First Union Securities. Matt also covered Satellite Communication at SG Cowen and in addition, worked with the top ranked Consumer Internet analyst at Bear Stearns & Co – this team was consistently recognized by the Institutional Investor’s “All America Research Team”. As a sellside equity analyst, Matt authored and co-authored numerous emerging industry research reports including such names as Google, Sirius, XM Satellite Radio, DIRECTV and EchoStar Communications.

Matt was also Principal and Senior Equity Analyst at Bull Path Capital Management, a New York City based hedge fund, where he was responsible for investment strategies of emerging technologies primarily within the Technology, Media and Telecom sectors. Prior to his career on Wall Street, Matt held various finance and accounting positions at PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Deloitte as well as at Texaco Inc. where he worked throughout the U.S., Europe, The Caribbean and Asia. Additionally at Chase, Matt was responsible for implementing the bank’s corporate accounting policies on commodity, interest rate and foreign currency derivative products. Matt graduated from Fordham University with an MBA in finance and earned a B.S. Business Administration with a double major in accounting and finance from Miami University (OH). Matt is also a Certified Public Accountant. Matt can be reached at [email protected].

GreenWave Advisors, LLC is based in New York City.

Matt LeathersMatt Leathers (3)
Matt has over fifteen years of consulting and industry experience, working for some of the leading consulting firms in the world. Currently, Matt is a senior consultant at Kettle Consulting Group, which aims to help clients build strategic business and technology capabilities that assume long-term independence and sustainability.
He can be reached at: [email protected]
Matt WalstatterMatt Walstatter (51)

Matt Walstatter and his wife, Meghan, are the owners of Pure Green, a patient owned and operated dispensary in Portland, Oregon. They have jointly owned and operated cultivation centers since 2001. Their dispensary opened in 2013. Matt can be reached at (971) 242-8561 or [email protected].

Matthew HuronMatthew Huron (1)

Matthew Huron started Good Chemistry Colorado in 2010 and is currently Chief Executive Officer. With 15 years of experience in the marijuana industry, one of the most experienced cultivators of marijuana in the United States. Huron became involved in the medical marijuana industry when his father and his father’s partner were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. In 1996, when medical marijuana became available in California, Huron saw firsthand the symptomatic relief patients experienced from this alternative medical treatment. In 2000, he began growing medical marijuana for AIDS patients throughout the state, founding and operating a nonprofit medical marijuana co-op that became one of the most respected and well-known facilities in San Francisco. In 2010, he launched Good Chemistry Colorado, a vertically integrated cannabis company in the state.

Since 2010, Huron has expanded cultivation operations in two large Colorado facilities that are devoted solely to the production of more than 60 strains of marijuana and the production of extracts and concentrates through solvent-less processing. Huron is a founding board member of the Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA) and a founder and former board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). He has served on the Colorado Department of Revenue’s Medical Marijuana Enforcement Division’s (MED) Licensing Authority Advisory Committee, which was charged with advising regulators on the development of production management, tax and other policies pertaining to the use of marijuana.

Matthew JonesMatthew Jones (1)

Matthew Jones has been in the retail security and safety field for over 10 years working for The Home Depot, J.C. Penney, CVS Pharmacy, and Kohl’s. He comes to us with training from the United States Army, and the Lamar Institute of Technology Police Academy. He received a Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education to be a certified peace officer, and is interview and interrogation certified by Wicklander-Zulawski.
Jones works in business development for Sapphire Risk.

Matthew KittayMatthew Kittay (2)

Matthew R. Kittay is the Co-Chair of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group and Chair of the New York Corporate Team at Fox Rothschild LLP. He has handled major structuring deals and secured private equity and venture capital for a number of companies in the cannabis sector. He can be reached at [email protected].

Matthew WarnerMatthew Warner (1)

Matthew Warner is a lawyer at Preti Flaherty in Portland, Maine where he specialized in cannabis law, administrative law and appellate practice. He is currently representing cannabis operators suing the State of Oklahoma and the City of Portland, Maine over their residency laws and he filed a lawsuit earlier this year against the State of Maine which resulted in the State deciding to no longer enforce its residency requirement for adult use marijuana businesses.  Matt can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (207) 650-1224.

Matthew ZandiMatthew Zandi (1)

Matthew Zandi is a senior managing director and co-leads the Los Angeles office of Guidepost Solutions. A former Orange County Deputy District Attorney, senior trial lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and assistant U.S attorney, he now assists investors, law firms and corporations with investigations, due diligence, security, anti-money laundering, and compliance matters. Matt’s experience makes him uniquely well-suited to assist both investors and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, nationally and internationally.

Matt served on the DOJ’s White Collar Crime Task Force, receiving special training in enforcement polices, integrity reporting, deferred prosecution agreements, independent monitoring, and coordination with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Inspector General for Department of Defense and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and related state agencies.

Also, Matt has over 25 years of experience in corporate and political campaign and crisis management as a former legislative aide in Sacramento and Washington, DC.

Matt can be reached at [email protected].

Maureen RyanMaureen Ryan (9)

Maureen Ryan is CEO of Kukuza Associates, a cannabis finance advisory firm that helps companies of all sizes, in all segments of the cannabis market. Named to the 2020 list of influential business women in Silicon Valley for her pioneering work in cannabis accounting and finance, Maureen’s insights on the cannabis space have appeared in Accounting Today, San Francisco Business Times, Cannabis Business Executive and the National Cannabis Industry Association’s website. Before joining Kukuza’s parent company, RoseRyan, in 2000, Maureen worked in a variety of roles with Nortel Networks, Quantum Corp. and General Dynamics. Contact her at [email protected].

 

avatar for Max HassMax Hass (1)

Max Hass is a Founder and Partner with Holon Law Partners and has significant experience in the areas of entertainment and business law, with a particular focus on copyright and trademark matters. He is also available to assist with contract negotiation and drafting, business formation, non-profit formation, and selected intellectual property litigation matters. Recently, Max has begun a practice advising on cannabis advertising and packaging regulations. You can reach Max at [email protected].

Maxine NeuhauserMaxine Neuhauser (1)

Maxine Neuhauser is a Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management and Health Care & Life Sciences practices, in the Newark office of Epstein Becker Green. Her practice focuses on litigation and providing strategic advice and counsel to for profit and nonprofit regional, national, and international businesses. corporations.  Ms. Neuhauser can be reached at [email protected].

Meg SandersMeg Sanders (1)

Meg Sanders, as CEO of Mindful, heads the largest woman-led cannabis company in America. Mindful is one of the most respected and most recognized cannabis producers and infused products manufacturers with medical and recreational dispensaries operating across the state of Colorado in Colorado Springs, Black Hawk, Denver, and Berthoud, and soon expanding with licenses to operate in Aurora, in the State of Illinois and more in the works. Meg is also a General Partner in Marimind Cannabis Engineering, a national and international cannabis consulting company providing a wide range of services within and around the cannabis industry throughout the United States.
Mindful is engaged in an aggressive growth strategy and is on track to double production and distribution outlets over the next six months. Mindful’s driving philosophy is enshrined in the company name (courtesy of Meg’s creativity and brilliance), which is to be mindful of yourself, your co-workers, your community, the plant, and the patients and customers in everything we do.
Meg continues to be a leader in the legal cannabis movement and industry and has been featured in media globally including 60 MInutes, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, Le Monde, NPR, NBC, Der Spiegel, The Wall Street Journal,BBC, High Times, CBC and many more. She was a key part of the establishment of regulations for the legal marijuana industry in Colorado, having been the only industry representative appointed by Gov. Hickenlooper to be involved in their creation. She is a sought after resource to assist countries, states, counties, and municipalities a in forming their Medical Marijuana Programs. Meg has been with Mindful management since the company’s inception in 2010 and has played a significant role in its meteoric growth. Meg has used her expertise to assist local and state regulators seeking input, feedback and beta testing for various systems related to tracking, growing and selling medical cannabis. Meg has also made significant contributions to Mindful’s community. Meg represents MiNDFUL as a board member of the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and the Aurora Economic Development Council. Meg was recently honored to participate with the White House, FBI, NSA and other national organizations in a workshop hosted by the National Science Academy discussing protecting our bio economy- the first time ever that cannabis was discussed. Meg represents MiNDFUL for the second year as a case study for the Harvard Business School. She was a co-founder and executive director of the Boulder Youth Football League, and served a three-year term as president of the Boulder High School Football Booster Club. She has also contributed time and energy to the Boulder Valley School District Food Task Force. Meg also works in the Mindful grow team’s vegetable garden, the produce of which is donated to Mindful employees as well as to neighboring communities.

Megan RobertsonMegan Robertson (2)

About the co-authors

MEGAN ROBERTSON is an Associate in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the Washington, DC, office of Epstein Becker Green. She focuses her practice on health care compliance, fraud and abuse issues, health regulatory due diligence, and medical device product marketing.

Ms. Robertson received her J.D., with honors and with a concentration in Health Law, from The George Washington University Law School. While attending law school, she was the Executive Editor of the Federal Circuit Bar Journal and worked as a Certified Student Attorney at the school’s Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic. She also served as a legal policy intern at the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks, where she researched coverage of autism therapies in Federal Employee Health Benefit plans and helped draft comments on the proposed rule for the Medicaid managed care regulations.

In 2014, Ms. Robertson graduated, magna cum laude, from Clemson University in South Carolina with a degree in Genetics.

DELIA A. DESCHAINE is a Member of Epstein Becker Green’s Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office. Named to the Washington DC Rising Stars list (2018-2020) in the areas of Food & Drugs and Cannabis Law, Ms. Deschaine understands the most significant U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) legal and compliance risks that her clients face and knows how to address them. Her advice is informed by a background in defending clients in government enforcement actions and challenging unlawful government conduct.

avatar for Meghan StoppelMeghan Stoppel (2)

Meghan Stoppel is a partner in the State Attorneys General Group at Cozen O’Connor. She helps clients navigate regulatory challenges and develop compliance strategies that align with their business goals. Before coming to Cozen O’Connor, Meghan served as chief of the Consumer Protection Division in the Office of the Nebraska Attorney General. In that role, Meghan was responsible for the investigation and enforcement of state and federal laws related to deceptive and unfair trade practices for dietary supplements, tobacco, and other highly-regulated products.

 

avatar for Melinda GwaltneyMelinda Gwaltney (2)

Melinda Gwaltney is the creative force behind Blackdog Retail Design – Where passion for design meets the cannabis industry. With three wild kids, a fantastic dog (whom the company is named after), and a flair for transforming spaces, Melinda is not your typical retail interior designer; Blackdog is not your typical firm. 

Blackdog Retail Design has designed over 90 cannabis retail spaces across the country. From licensing floor plans to full merchandising plans and everything in between, Blackdog is your go-to full service retail interior design firm. No haze pricing and attention to timelines mean you are on budget and on time. We freely share our trusted tradespeople for you to add to your team of pros. 

Melinda can be reached directly at [email protected].

 

Mia GetlinMia Getlin (2)

Mia Getlin is an Oregon cannabis attorney and a member of the Oregon and Washington State Bars. She practices general business law, specializing in legal marijuana, hemp, and CBD out of Gleam Law’s Portland, OR office. Mia has served clients throughout the industry, from OLCC licensees to policy advocates and industrial hemp businesses. She is also VP and Secretary of the Oregon Industry Progress Association, a political action group advocating for business friendly-change to Oregon’s recreational cannabis policy. She also has an Oregon and California CPA (inactive).

An honors graduate of UCLA and Pepperdine Law, Mia previously worked in public accounting at KPMG, providing internal control audit and advisory services to large companies with a focus on the retail, banking, and automotive industries. After moving to Oregon in 2014, she began to focus on business law and specifically serving the growing cannabis industry as an Oregon cannabis attorney.

With family members involved in the recreational market, Mia knows firsthand some of the challenges and pitfalls facing the growing legal marijuana, CBD and hemp industry. She is passionate about helping clients find cost-effective solutions that allow cannabis businesses of all types to succeed and prosper.

As a Portland cannabis lawyer at Gleam Law, Mia has experience in a range of business law disciplines from entity setup, cannabis licensing and contracts to business acquisitions and sales.

Mica GrossMica Gross (1)

Mica Gross is the Director of Operations for Wana Brands, a leading maker of infused cannabis products. Based out of the company’s headquarters in Boulder, Colo., Mica joined Wana Brands after earning 15 years of diverse experience in project management, food and supplement production, and product and organizational development. He has hands-on experience in CO2, ethanol and multi solvent extraction of cannabinoids and other functional compounds.

Mica has also spearheaded the development of safety and compliance programs including cGMP and HACCP, which are mandated by the FDA for food, supplement and drug manufacturers. Mica’s experiences have provided the framework for reinforcing and improving Wana Brands practices that benefit the ongoing growth of the company.

Michael GiustiMichael Giusti (3)

Michael Giusti, MBA, is a senior writer and analyst for InsuranceQuotes.com. He has worked as a journalist for more than 20 years, including as a reporter at a daily newspaper in Florida, as an editor at a regional business journal, and as a writer for national and international publications. He specializes in business, technology, finance, insurance, automotive and industry-focused writing.

 

avatar for Michael HarlowMichael Harlow (1)

Michael Harlow is the Cannabis Industry Group leader for CohnReznick and the Office Managing Partner of the Bethesda, Maryland office. As such, Michael enjoys working with a variety of clients across country in the Cannabis industry and representing the firm in the Washington, D.C. region. He has more than 20 years of experience in public accounting serving clients in attestation, accounting, and tax advisory roles and has extensive experience across multiple real estate-related industries including homebuilding, land development, residential management, commercial management, and land engineering.

For the past 7 years Michael has focused on growing the Cannabis Industry Group as a client serving Tax Partner, with clients throughout the nation and the regulated cannabis ecosystem from single dispensaries through the largest MSOs in the country. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Maryland.

Michael JacobsMichael Jacobs (1)

Michael Jacobs is a marketing and creative content specialist at Gotvape.com.

avatar for Michael MejerMichael Mejer (2)

With an extensive background spanning over a decade in publicity, marketing, and sales,
Michael Mejer has emerged as a seasoned professional adept at forging connections between
leaders in the cannabis sector and invaluable media and press prospects.

As the driving force behind Green Lane Communication, Mejer’s specialized PR agency in the
cannabis realm, he skillfully orchestrates opportunities that link industry trailblazers with earned
media exposure and press engagements.

This strategic approach empowers these leaders to not only enhance brand recognition, but
foster trust and establish unwavering credibility.

Michael PanebiancoMichael Panebianco (2)

Michael Panebianco is currently Vice President Agency and Advertiser sales for MRI and the lead on the recently released cannabis study. With over 20 years of media and consumer market research sales experience, Michael brings a unique passion to developing innovative solutions that provide beneficial insights to his clients. Prior to MRI, he has held media positions with Comcast, Nassau Broadcasting, and Arbitron. He is a proud alumni of Monmouth University. Michael can be reached at 212-884-9238 or [email protected]

Michael PreciadoMichael Preciado (1)

Michael Preciado is a senior litigator in the Orange County office of Buchalter. He is a member of the firm’s Cannabis & Hemp Industry Law Group, and helps clients navigate the legalities in the vapor, e-cigarette, cannabis, and CBD industries. (Contact Mike at [email protected])

Michael RichardsonMichael Richardson (2)

With a long career of business experience in the cannabis, lending, and real estate business, Michael S. Richardson discovered fraud within his own mortgage company. Now the Cannabis Industry has its own fraud triangle—pressure, opportunity, and rationalization. Michael never thought it could happen to him, but it did. Michael has since become a Subject Matter Expert in the Cannabis and Mortgage Industries over the last 30 plus years. Don’t become a victim of fraud: Where the money flows, fraud will follow. Michael S. Richardson is the CEO of Green Brain Solutions, and GBS is your answer to unseen problems that may very well find your company.

Michael SampsonMichael Sampson (2)

Michael H. Sampson, Esq. is Symphony Risk’s Senior Director, Legal Affairs & Risk Management. In that role, he works closely with Symphony Grow, Symphony’s specialty business focused exclusively on the risk management and human capital needs of cannabis businesses. Mike can be reached at [email protected].

Michael SassanoMichael Sassano (7)
Michael Sassano currently serves as the CEO and Chairman of the Board for Somai Pharmaceuticals, an Ireland-based company focused on the cultivation, extraction, and distribution of cannabinoid-containing pharmaceutical products throughout the European Union. Before this position, Michael built one of the largest and most technologically advanced cultivation companies in the U.S. State of Nevada, called Solaris Farms. Michael built Solaris from a private equity start-up to a major player in the competitive Las Vegas market. With Somai, Michael is now leveraging his experience building a thriving cannabis company in the West Coast market – which he considers to be the best in the world in terms of cannabis growing and product development – and his success in leading Solaris from the ground-up to one of the top private companies in Nevada. He will now be turning his full attention to the European Union and building scalable high out-put cultivation and extraction facilities in various strategic countries as Europe develops its market. As the continent comes online, Somai will be positioned as one of the top global pharmaceutical distributors of medical-grade cannabis.
Michael TackeffMichael Tackeff (1)

Michael C. Tackeff is an attorney at Bass, Berry & Sims where he represents clients in complex business litigation, criminal prosecutions, bankruptcy matters, and government investigations. Michael can be reached at [email protected].

Michael WarrenMichael Warren (1)

Michael Warren is a partner with trial law firm McManis Faulkner in San Jose, Calif. Warren represents employers in a variety of issues, and he has defended high-level executives in numerous employment disputes and investigations. He may be reached at [email protected].

 

Michele RingelbergMichele Ringelberg (1)

Michele Ringelberg, the owner of ThrivePOP, has over 20 years of experience in visual communication, marketing, and web development. Michele works with small to medium-sized businesses as a seasoned marketing and online expert. She consults with business owners and senior executives and takes great pride in being a consultant who knows and understands how to get real results from digital and inbound marketing, specializing in the Cannabis Industry. Some clients include Pipp Horticulture, Fohse Lighting, Ubigro, and others.

A recent graduate of the Small Business Administration Emerging Leadership Program, Michele’s dedication and willingness to be a great leader was quickly demonstrated by her willingness to drive to Detroit weekly for classes. Michele is a visionary with strong business acumen and a passion for leveraging technology to help the business generate business demand and increase revenues. In addition, Michele has received recognition in nationwide marketing competitions where she demonstrated her marketing campaigns and results in technology, thus achieving the title of Marketing Genius of the year for her creativity, passion, and ability to get people excited about marketing with proven results and increased revenue.

Michelle DroletMichelle Drolet (21)

Michelle Drolet is founder of Towerwall, a woman-owned cybersecurity and cannabis compliance services provider in Framingham, Mass., with clients such as CannaCare, Smith & Wesson, Covenant Healthcare and many mid-size organizations. She can be reached at [email protected].

 

 

Michelle NovickMichelle Novick (1)

Michelle G. Novick is a partner in Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s Bankruptcy and Restructuring Practice. She is an experienced insolvency professional and has represented clients on every side of a transaction in corporate bankruptcy proceedings. She represents clients in general contract disputes in state court and prosecutes and defends cases in bankruptcy court and federal court. Michelle can be reached at [email protected].

MIG MIGMIG MIG (1)
Mikaela WhitmanMikaela Whitman (1)

Mikaela Whitman is a partner in Pasich LLP’s New York office and a member of the firm’s insurance recovery practice.  Her practice focuses on the representation of insureds in all phases of insurance coverage recovery, from pre-suit negotiations through alternative dispute resolution and litigation.  She can be contacted at [email protected]

 

avatar for Mike GoralMike Goral (1)

Mike Goral leads Armanino’s National Cannabis Tax Practice. A tax professional since 1989, he has significant experience in federal, state and local tax from both an accounting and legal perspective. He spent time with multiple Big 4 firms, including serving in KPMG’s Washington National Tax Office, and has worked with cannabis companies both large MSO’s and smaller cannabis companies in California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Colorado.

He advises cannabis clients on a broad range of issues that affect the cannabis space, including mergers and acquisitions, loan structuring, and funding mechanisms from venture capital, private equity and investment banking. Mike provides guidance on cannabis technology, manufacturing, transportation and retail issues.

Mike is the contributing editor of Cannabis Taxation a 350-page treatise for Thomson Reuters discussing all states that tax cannabis sales. He is a Boardmember of the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and founding member of the Tri-State Chapter of the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce. Mike is on the Banking and Finance Committee for NCIA. He is a member of the California
Society of Certified Public Accountants, the National Cannabis Industry Association and the California Cannabis Association, which nominated him for their CPA of the Year award for 2019. He holds a B.S. in mathematics and psychology from the University of Alabama, a J.D. from Cumberland Law, and a Masters of Tax Law from Emory Law School.

Mike LuceMike Luce (44)

Prior to co-founding High Yield Insights, Mike Luce led multi-million dollar insights engagements with Fortune 100 consumer goods companies. Mike has nearly 20 years experience developing market insights for some of the world’s leading consumer brands, including Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo and General Mills, and retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Kroger.

High Yield Insights applies best practices and capabilities drawn from that experience to the dynamic cannabis industry.

Mike can be reached directly at [email protected]

Milan PatelMilan Patel (1)

Milan Patel is the chief executive officer and co-founder of PathogenDx. He has over 30 years of experience with large public, to small private and entrepreneurial companies in numerous industries from life sciences, biotechnology, government services, and automotive. Previously, Patel was COO/CFO of GMSbiotech. Patel has worked with Fortune 50 companies in a variety of roles from product and technology development, sales and marketing, finance and manufacturing. Patel has extensive experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, business strategy and planning, infrastructure and organizational development, and controls, compliance and audit.
He holds degrees in Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Detroit, a Masters in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Michigan, and a Masters in Business Administration from University of Detroit. Milan co-founded PathogenDx on the premise of bringing a better, faster and more cost-effective solution for purity assurance to the cannabis, food, agriculture and water testing industries.

Mitch BaruchowitzMitch Baruchowitz (1)

Mitch Baruchowitz is the Managing Partner of Merida Capital Holdings, a private equity firm with four funds under management focused on cannabis investing.  Mitch has more than twenty years of experience in the legal and finance industries.  Prior to founding Merida, Mitch was the former Deputy General Counsel of the publicly traded financial services platform, MarketAxess, as well as former General Counsel of the boutique investment bank, Pali Capital.   Mitch has founded over a dozen companies in the cannabis space, many with successful $100MM+ exits, and was one of the early limited license holders who ushered in the era of legal cannabis on the East Coast.

 

 

Morris DentonMorris Denton (1)

Morris Denton is Chief Executive Officer of Compassionate Cultivation, the leading medical cannabis company in Texas. Morris oversees all aspects of Compassionate Cultivation’s vertically integrated business and strategy to ensure operational transparency and integrity as a reflection of the values of the state of Texas. He has over 25 years of business leadership experience in technology, CPG, B2B, sports and entertainment industries. Working in both large and small agencies and corporations, and with significant expertise leading smart and effective global teams, Morris specializes in creating sustainable and differentiated leadership positions for businesses in highly competitive markets. A Texas native, Morris lives and works in the Austin area. He holds degrees from Texas Christian University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.

 

 

avatar for Nadav EyalNadav Eyal (1)

Nadav Eyal is the CEO and Co-Founder of Eybna, a pioneering cannabis technology company and terpene manufacturer headquartered in California and R&D Center in both Colorado and Israel. Nadav’s professional background is rooted in the field of data science, which he acquired during his service in the Israeli Intelligence Corps. Nadav has long been passionate about botanical medicine and how it can offer a more effective medicinal treatment than pharmaceutical products.

In 2014, ignited by his personal story, Nadav decided to apply the methods he learned in data science to the cannabis field and founded Eybna with a mission to bring the health benefits of cannabis to broader populations worldwide. His extensive technology experience shapes Eybna’s strong core in research and development. These roles lay the foundation for the company’s close partnership with academia and leading industry innovators, enabling Eybna to constantly integrate advanced research into the process of product development.

Today, Nadav is leading Eybna’s technology and business development, with a goal to provide the global cannabis industry with innovative data-driven phytochemical formulations, unlocking the full potential of the cannabis plant. Nadav is an active member of the U.S. National Cannabis Industry Association’s Cannabis Manufacturing Committee and serves as the Terpenes Subject Matter Advisor for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. He also lectures at the Technion’s Medical Cannabis entrepreneurship course – Israel Institute of Technology.

Nancy WhitemanNancy Whiteman (1)

Nancy Whiteman is co-founder and co-owner of Wana Brands, which produces Wana Edibles, Wana Extracts, and Wana Medicinals. Whiteman is responsible for partnerships and licensing agreements domestically and internationally. She is also responsible for the strategic vision of Wana Brands and has been instrumental in Wana Brands’ growth into new and emerging markets.

Prior to founding Wana, Whiteman was a principal with The Whiteman Group, a sales and marketing consultancy, and previously held a range of senior level marketing and business development positions including vice president, marketing and new corporate ventures for the Paul Revere Insurance Group in Massachusetts.

Whiteman holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is on the Board of the Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA), and is a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association, and Colorado Leads, which promotes an environment of sensible regulation that creates certainty and sustainability for all companies that have benefited from legalization of medical and adult use marijuana. Whiteman was named the fourth most important woman in Cannabis in 2016 by Cannabis Business Executive.

Established in 2010, Wana Brands is ranked the No. 1 edibles producer in sales revenues in the highly competitive Colorado market according to BDS Analytics. Wana Brands produces 20,000 units a week in its 30,000 sq. ft. Colorado facility, servicing more than 450 of Colorado’s 500+ dispensaries. Wana Brands is also available in over 200 dispensaries in Oregon. The company launched in Nevada at the end of 2016, and has partnerships in Illinois, Massachusetts and Maryland that will bring Wana Brands products to those states in 2017 and 2018. Wana Brands best selling products include Wana Sour Gummies, Jewels and WanaCapsXR.

Nathan KellyNathan Kelly (3)

Nathan Kelly, is the Executive Vice President of the Good Meds Network, a medical marijuana business in Denver, Colorado. He has spent six years in the MMJ industry building the Good Meds cultivation business into a leading provider of high quality cannabis in Colorado marketplace. Good Meds’ Pure Power Plant was awarded the Denver High Times Cannabis Cup for best Hybrid Strain in 2014. He has also served as a marijuana consultant in Michigan, Illinois, Maryland and continues to try to expand Good Meds business into new national and global marijuana markets as they come online. Previously, he graduated from Michigan State University with an Interdisciplinary Humanities degree and worked as Public Relations specialist for a workforce development non-profit in Washington, DC. Nathan and his wife Kristi, who is also his business partner, live in Denver with their two dogs Stringer and Cici.

Nathaniel GlasserNathaniel Glasser (2)

NATHANIEL M. GLASSER is a Member of the Firm in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the Washington, DC, office of Epstein Becker Green. His practice focuses on the representation of employers in employee relations and human resources compliance, as well as litigating claims of harassment, discrimination, whistleblowing, and wage-hour violations. He also advises clients on novel issues of employee relations, including drug testing and accommodation questions in the wake of new recreational and medical marijuana (cannabis) laws, as well as the implementation of artificial intelligence and predictive (or people) analytics in the workplace. He can be reached at (202)-861-1863 or [email protected].

ANASTASIA A. REGNE* is a Law Clerk – Admission Pending – in the Employment, Labor & Workforce Management practice, in the New York office of Epstein Becker Green. She will be focusing her practice on employment litigation, labor-management relations, and employment training, practices, and procedures, including: drug testing and accommodation questions, particularly concerning the interaction with new marijuana (cannabis) legislation.

Neal LevineNeal Levine (1)

Neal Levine is Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at LivWell Enlightened Health. Neal has worked to end cannabis prohibition and set up sensible industry regulations in more than 20 states over the past 14 years, serves on the Board of Directors for the National Cannabis Industry Association, and is widely considered to be one of the leading national experts on cannabis policy reform.

Neil WillnerNeil Willner (4)

Neil M. Willner is the Co-Chair of the Cannabis Group at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC.  Neil counsels hemp and marijuana companies operating on all tiers of the supply chain on the complex patchwork of state and federal regulation.  Relying on his deep knowledge of state-specific marijuana and hemp rules, Neil assists clients in strategically navigating the disharmonized industry.  Neil also serves as regulatory counsel to the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp’s CBD Task Force and Cannabis Beverage Council where he quarterbacks policy development and the drafting of responsive comments to state and federal agencies.

Neil WillnerNeil Willner (4)

Neil Willner, Associate at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, focuses his legal practice on medical malpractice, dental malpractice, nursing home liability and general liability centered on complex litigation. His clients include hospitals, medical practices, physicians, eleemosynary institutions, commercial businesses and summer camps. Neil has handled appeals in the New York Appellate Division, First and Second Departments.

Neil also is a member of Wilson Elser’s Cannabis Law practice, advising medical professionals, growers, processors, insurers, distributors and vendors within the legalized cannabis industry as well as organizations outside the industry impacted by the rapidly evolving state and federal regulatory landscape.

Nic EasleyNic Easley (2)

Nic Easley is the founder and president of 3C and provides the leadership for the organization. Nic’s experience includes over 15 years in the commercial cannabis industry. Nic holds degrees in Environmental Studies and Biology; he is also a veteran of the United States Air Force and is based in Denver, Colorado

Nicholas KingNicholas King (3)

Representing medical marijuana owner/operators, Nicholas King was a key member of the 23 person Colorado state work group that developed the first regulatory system for commercializing medical marijuana in the world. He has an intimate knowledge and perspective of the rules governing retail and medical marijuana programs. In 2010 he founded the trade association ACT4CO to include owner/operators in the developing the regulations. Nicholas was the first in the industry to provide training classes and field assessments for pioneer owner/operators to understand the rules and regulations and how to properly apply them in their facilities. Nick can be reached at [email protected].

Suzanne Harank, Co-Founder and CEO of Medical-Recreational Marijuana Systems, is a cannabis industry expert and pioneer in the field of regulatory compliance. Nicholas King, and Suzanne were the first consultants in the world to perform on-site field compliance assessments in 2011 within the regulated cannabis industry. Suzanne has testified as a compliance consultant at Marijuana Enforcement Division court hearings. She ran the day-to-day operations of a dispensary and cultivation facilities and ensured all compliance requirements were properly implemented, updated, and maintained. Sue can be reached at [email protected].

Nicholas KovacevichNicholas Kovacevich (6)

Nicholas Kovacevich is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kush Bottles, Inc., which has become one of the best-known packaging and accessory companies in the cannabis industry. Under Kovacevich’s leadership, Kush Bottles has grown to become a premier supplier, with offices in several states, proprietary product lines, and a fully staffed compliance department.

Kovacevich graduated Summa Cum Laude in from Southwest Baptist University, and started and ran several successful companies prior to founding Kush Bottles. Widely interviewed in major media, Kovacevich has emerged as an expert in matters pertaining to cannabis compliance, industry trends, marijuana packaging, and canna-business financing options. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Nick DiUlioNick DiUlio (1)

Nick DiUlio is an analyst and reporter for www.insurancequotes.com–which publishes in-depth studies, data and analysis related to auto, home, health, life and business insurance–where he studies the insurance industry in order to direct and oversee the management of editorial content that provides trusted tips, advice and insights for consumers.

Nick FishmanNick Fishman (1)

Nick Fishman co-founded EmployeeScreenIQ in 1999 and serves as the company’s Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President. Nick oversees all of EmployeeScreenIQ’s marketing activities, including business development, lead generation, social media, media outreach and brand building initiatives.

Nick is the chief pioneer and architect of EmployeeScreen University, a first-of-its-kind online, educational learning resource for human resource, security and risk-management professionals.

He is also a frequent speaker on industry issues including: New Technologies in Employment Screening, Best Practices and Industry Trends.

Nick currently serves on the Communications Committee for the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) and has also served on the Accreditation Awareness committee as well as the organization’s co-chair of the Public Awareness Committee.

Nick lives in Chicago, IL with his wife, two daughters and his dog, Charlie, and is a die-hard Ohio State Buckeyes fan. He can be reached at [email protected].

Nico PentoNico Pento (1)

Nico Pento serves as the Vice President of External Affairs for Terrapin, a Boulder, Colo.-based national cannabis company. In this capacity, Pento oversees all legislative, rulemaking and policy issues facing Terrapin and the overall cannabis industry. He works on the local, state and federal levels.

avatar for Nicolas GuarinoNicolas Guarino (2)

Nicolas Guarino is the Co-Founder and CEO of Naturae. As a GMP-certified 100% New York company working in cannabis extraction since 2017, Naturae has been producing and distributing the finest solventless hash, live rosin, and distillate cannabis products in its mission to close the gap between flower and oil. They produce and distribute New York’s number-one-selling cannabis vape brand, Jaunty, available in all of the state’s licensed dispensaries, and their product portfolio also features gummies, concentrates, and more.

Niklas KouparanisNiklas Kouparanis (8)

Niklas Kouparanis, CEO and Co-Founder of Bloomwell Group, has served as a serial entrepreneur, medical cannabis pioneer, founder, and growth activator of companies since 2017, all while shaping the future of the European cannabis industry. In 2020, Niklas co-founded Bloomwell Group, one of Germany’s largest telemedical cannabis companies. Bloomwell Group serves as a central hub for a new cannabis ecosystem that covers the entire value chain (except cultivation). Through innovation and the digitization of the entire treatment process, Bloomwell Group ensures an effective and reliable supply of medical cannabis to patients and contributes to the de-stigmatization of cannabis in medicine through data-based research. Today, the Bloomwell Group offers tens of thousands of cannabis patients, pharmacies, doctors, and wholesalers a digital home. www.bloomwell.eu

 

 

avatar for Nohtal PartanskyNohtal Partansky (1)

Nohtal Partansky is the Founder and CEO of Sorting Robotics. He is a serial entrepreneur and former NASA-JPL engineer. At NASA-JPL, Nohtal was a cognizant engineer on the MOXIE project; an instrument on the surface of Mars producing oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. After leaving NASA-JPL, Nohtal founded Sorting Robotics with his co-founder, Cassio Dos Santos Jr.

Since the company’s inception, Nohtal has led Sorting Robotics in building innovative equipment for cannabis manufacturers and vertically integrated brands. While building Sorting Robotics, he witnessed firsthand how the lack of automation in the cannabis industry disrupts the value chain and erodes profit margins. Today, Sorting Robotics is working to solve those problems with AI-driven machines deployed across North America.

avatar for Pam ChmielPam Chmiel (25)

Pam Chmiel is a contract marketer, publicist, and published business writer. She also is the Marketing Partner for Studio 420, working with delivery services, dispensaries, and canna-businesses to define and develop their identity, position, and online presence in the marketplace. Pam is based in Manhattan, NY.

Links to work: https://linktr.ee/pamchmiel

As The Mary Jane Society podcast host, she interviews leaders, innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs from all areas of the cannabis industry and shares her insights in a bi-monthly newsletter.

avatar for PanXchangePanXchange (6)

PanXchange produces indices for emerging commodities bringing price transparency, price discovery, and key market intelligence. We acquire pricing information by conducting surveys with vetted and anonymous market participants and make expert assessments based on a variety of factors. We will publish monthly spot biomass assessments for Colorado, Oregon, and Kentucky, with plans of expanding crude, distillate, and isolate reporting as well as additional regions. As the market evolves, PanXchange will evolve with it. Monthly assessments will be published on the last Thursday of every month.

Please reach out to RJ Hopp by email at [email protected] or by phone at (877) 917-9658 for any questions or to be added to the distribution list.

Patricia RosiPatricia Rosi (7)

Patricia Rosi is CEO of Wellness Connection, Maine’s leading cannabis operator that’s now a model for patient-centric care on the East Coast and beyond. With 80 employees and over $15M in revenue, the Wellness Connection includes four Maine state-licensed dispensaries with state-of-the art cultivation, processing and manufacturing facilities.

Rosi is a cannabis industry trailblazer. Since 2011, she has successfully navigated the challenges of this new industry, collaborating with Maine state officials to create a solid and sustainable policy framework, developing strong business partnerships and expanding all lines of business. She’s now a sought-after advisor to early stage cannabis enterprises across the US, providing insight on best management, production and R&D practices as well as emerging retail and consumer trends.

Rosi has been honored nationally as a pioneer and progressive in the cannabis industry. She’s on the list of the Glass Ceiling Wreckers: 2019 Power Women of Cannabis by Cannabis Business Executive (CBE). This is the third year Rosi has been honored by CBE: She was named the 2017 CBE Most Important Woman in Cannabis and ranked #3 of the CBE 50 Most Important Women in the Cannabis Industry. Also, Rosi has been honored as one of Maine’s top five female CEOs by MaineBiz.

On the national scene, she is an active member of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Marketing and Advertising Committee as well as the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH). Rosi continues to support policy work in Maine as the state navigates new recreational cannabis laws. She works with the Association of Maine Cannabis Operators (MEACO), Maine Professionals for Regulating Marijuana (MPRM) and Retail Association of Maine.

Rosi champions corporate social responsibility, creating a wellness culture that benefits not only her employees but their communities and patients in need. In 2016, Rosi launched a program dedicated to providing free cannabinoid therapies to patients in hospice care. The Wellness Connection team gives back each year via preferred rates for qualified patients and donates dozens of paid volunteer hours for community non-profits.

Rosi is also a passionate and result-oriented executive with vast global experience in the areas of business management, team-building, marketing, communications and branding. As a citizen of both the US and France, she has decades of experience as a creative leader at both Saatchi & Saatchi and Omnicom. And she built a small, local creative agency into an experiential marketing leader with national clients that included Verizon, Kraft and Procter & Gamble.

Patrick CoxPatrick Cox (1)

Patrick “Rick” Cox is a partner within Nixon Peabody’s M&A and Corporate Transactions practice group and a member of the firm’s Tax team. He focuses on various tax aspects facing domestic and international companies and provides significant experience in areas of capital markets, reorganizations, real estate, and private equity matters.

Patrick HeintzPatrick Heintz (1)

Patrick Heintz, Sales Manager, Building Services and Construction, Aggreko Canada leads the cannabis solutions business. He can be reached at [email protected].  You can learn more about how other successful businesses apply proven temporary equipment solutions to their most pressing production issues at www.aggreko.com.

 

Patrick VoPatrick Vo (1)

Patrick Vo, President & CEO of BioTrackTHC, is an experienced professional with a strong background in finance, business development and corporate strategy. Mr. Vo began his career with a global accounting firm, Price Waterhouse Coopers. He held an accounting manager role with an economic development firm, a business development role with a Fortune 500 company, and a strategy consulting role with a number of medical and executive recruiting startups. Mr. Vo holds a Master of Science in Business from Indiana University, a Bachelors in Accounting from the University of Arizona, and a Masters in Accounting from the University of Arizona.

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn

Paul ArmentanoPaul Armentano (11)

Paul Armentano is the Deputy Director of NORML— the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. His writing on cannabis and cannabis policy has appeared in over 1,000 publications, scholarly and/or peer-reviewed journals, as well as in more than two dozen textbooks and anthologies. He is the co-author of the book, Marijuana Is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? (Chelsea Green, 2013) and the author of the book, The Citizen’s Guide to State-By-State Marijuana Laws (Whitman Press, 2015).

 

avatar for Paul DunfordPaul Dunford (2)

Paul Dunford is Co-founder and VP of Knowledge at Green Check. Paul has extensive experience leading digital transformation initiatives predominantly in the healthcare and retail verticals. Previously he was retained by a Fortune 100 insurance company to design and implement a sophisticated solution for managing their field sales teams.  At Green Check, Paul leads the compliance team that designs cannabis banking programs for financial institutions. Paul is an active member of the cannabis banking regulatory community, contributing to trade publications and speaking virtually and in person across the country on the subject.

 

Paul GerberPaul Gerber (10)

Paul Gerber, in charge of business development, Paul joined parent organization of AGoodEmployee.com, Application Research in 2008 specializing in background screening for the property management industry. With the expansion of the employment screening division, Paul was the natural choice to head up marketing. With over 40 years of people management experience, Paul served as Vice President and sales manager for a large Los Angeles area real estate developer, and Chief Financial officer for a national mortgage servicing firm.
If you have any questions for Paul He can be reached at 855-361-1667 or by email at [email protected]

Paul GoldenPaul Golden (1)

Paul Golden is an engineer for Nexus Greenhouse Systems focused on the cannabis industry. His knowledge spans energy use in greenhouses, the physics of greenhouse climate control, and intensive agricultural practices used in integrated greenhouse systems today. He has been working within the greenhouse industry since a young age starting with Petiti’s Greenhouses and continued to manage greenhouse operations in Colorado following college. He has a B.S. in Applied Physics and went on to receive his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University in 2009. He currently designs hi-tech commercial cannabis and vegetable greenhouses with a focus on production optimization and can be reached at [email protected].

Paul HofferPaul Hoffer (1)

Paul R. Hoffer is of counsel at the intellectual property boutique law firm Harness IP. He works with businesses in the cannabis space to protect their trademarks and other IP assets. Paul may be reached at [email protected].

Paul PenneyPaul Penney (1)

Paul Penney, Chief Investment Officer, Safe Harbor Financial, is a CPA, experienced institutional investor, research analyst, private company executive and board member and an early and highly engaged cannabis industry private and public company investor, lender, strategic advisor, and founder. Paul’s responsibilities run broad and deep across the cannabis space ranging from managing a senior secured / equity fund to strategic advisory and financial roles with some of the largest west-coast centric cannabis companies and THC & CBD brands.

Paula KrasnyPaula Krasny (2)

Paula Jill Krasny is a partner in the Intellectual Property Group at Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC, based in Chicago. For 30 years, she has been devising and implementing strategic, practical and cost-effective solutions to businesses seeking to build, monetize, protect and increase the equity in their brands and other intellectual property assets. She has extensive experience working in a variety of industries, including retail, consumer products, apparel, finance, technology, trade associations, and hospitality. She can be reached at [email protected].

 

 

Pauline PelletierPauline Pelletier (1)

Pauline M. Pelletier is a director in Sterne Kessler’s Trial & Appellate Practice Group. Pauline counsels clients in emerging and regulated industries, including cannabinoid therapeutics. [email protected], 202.772.8838

Deborah Sterling, Ph.D., is a director and chair of Sterne Kessler’s Biotechnology & Chemical Practice. Deborah counsels clients in emerging and regulated industries, including cannabinoid therapeutics. [email protected], 202.772.8501

 

Pavel KubuPavel Kubu (2)

Pavel Kubů is the CEO of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI). He is an expert in the fields of medical informatics and addictology. In 2001, he graduated in general medicine with a focus on disease prevention and public health from the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University.

Since 2005 he has been working for the Intel Corporation as a Business Development Manager, leading projects of the Intel World Ahead Programme for Healthcare in Central and Eastern Europe and Education in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In 2006 he was appointed as chair of the Ethics Commission at the National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addiction.

Pavel has served since 2007 as a board member of the Czech National Forum for eHealth, from 2012 to 2015 as a member of the steering committee of the Czech Healthcare Forum and since 2013 as a board member of the medical cannabis patients’ organisation KOPAC. In these non-profit NGOs he is primarily devoted to the education of healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers and support for the research and development of new treatment and preventive methods.

Since 2011 he has led the implementation of medical strategy at the company ELON MEDICAL s.r.o., devoted to wearable plastic electronics for new treatment methods using printed light devices.

In 2014 he became a cofounding member of Konomed s.r.o., a company that focuses on research and development in the field of medical cannabis.

Pete FoythoPete Foytho (1)

Pete Foytho is the Founder and President of Clutch Creative Company, a seasoned digital agency based in Burlington, Vermont. With more than two decades of experience in website strategy, design, and marketing, Pete brings deep experience to the cannabis sector including dispensaries, cannabis brands, and professionals.

Peter KusnicPeter Kusnic (1)

Peter Kusnic writes industry studies for business intelligence firm The Freedonia Group. Focusing on consumer/commercial markets including cannabis in North America, he also covers e-commerce, packaging, security, smart homes, and a number of other topics. He holds a BA from University of Pittsburgh and an MFA from University of North Carolina Wilmington. Peter can be reached at [email protected].

 

Peter MarcusPeter Marcus (3)

Peter Marcus is the Communications Director for Terrapin Care Station, a national cannabis company with roots in Boulder, Colo. In addition to working on internal and external communications for Terrapin Care Station, Marcus assists with cannabis messaging and political outreach for the industry as a whole.

Prior to joining Terrapin in September 2017, Marcus served as the Senior Statehouse Reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette and ColoradoPolitics.com, covering politics, the governor’s office, the Colorado Legislature, Congress, and federal, state and local governments. He joined in November 2016 from The Durango Herald. The Washington Post twice named Marcus one of the top state-based political and legislative reporters in the nation. He also has won over a dozen awards from the Colorado Press Association.

In prior positions, Marcus worked for the Colorado Statesman, a Denver-based political weekly, and The Denver Daily News, a former free daily newspaper in Denver, where he covered City Hall, politics, and had an entertainment column. Before that, Marcus worked for the Longmont Times-Call.

An Ithaca College graduate, Marcus studied journalism and creative writing, before
moving to Colorado from New York in 2004.

Peter McCuskerPeter McCusker (128)

Peter McCusker is the Founder and Editor of BusinessCann and an experienced news and business editor, who believes it’s time to fully embrace the multiple, proven, medical benefits of the cannabis plant. BusinessCann covers the ins and outs of the growing European Regulated Medical Marijuana marketplace. Peter can be reached at [email protected].

BusinessCann is an online news publication, which supports the growth of Europe’s Hemp, CBD and Medicinal Cannabis industries by providing factual and feature articles, comment and profiles on the people and businesses forging its growth and development.
Peter MetzPeter Metz (2)

Peter Metz is a Principal in the Family Office & Tax Practice at Grassi & Co. and brings over 20 years of accounting experience to the firm. Peter has expertise in financial reporting, auditing, preparing of financial statements, reviews, compilations, tax preparation and projections, forensic work and international tax compliance.  Peter has been exposed to many different industries including onshore and offshore investment partnerships, real estate partnerships, dry bulk shipping, cannabis, wine, activist private equity investing and charities.

 Prior to joining Grassi & Co., Peter was the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Sterling Grace Corporation, a Family Office based in Locust Valley, New York and Montreux, Switzerland.  He was a Company Director and Officer for many of the Family Office’s corporations, partnerships and LLC’s. Peter also has equity and derivative trading and portfolio experience.

Peter received his Bachelors of Science Degree in Economics from Cornell University. He also earned his Masters of Business Administration from New York University graduating as a member of the Beta Alpha Psi Honorary Accounting Society. Peter has been a Certified Public Accountant of New York State for over 20 years and continues his education in tax.

Peter is an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). He can be reached at [email protected]

Peter MurphyPeter Murphy (1)

Peter Murphy is a partner at Saul Ewing where he advises cannabis industry clients on regulatory compliance, licensing applications, and corporate transactions to support the launch and growth of their business. He was also the chief legal officer for a cannabis operator prior to joining the firm, in which he drafted their successful license applications and collaborated with the CEO on legal matters and issues ranging from business strategy and corporate governance to mergers, fundraising, reorganization and other corporate transactions. ([email protected])

Peter MurphyPeter Murphy (1)

Peter Murphy is a member of the Eckert Seamans law firm’s Regulated Substances Group, a multidisciplinary team of lawyers and government affairs professionals who advise clients establishing and operating legal marijuana businesses throughout the United States. He helps clients navigate licensing and other complex legal and regulatory issues surrounding the fast-growing medical marijuana industry. He has drafted permit applications for medical marijuana dispensaries and cultivation operations in Pennsylvania and is well-versed in the nuances of medical marijuana law and its relationship with existing federal law. Murphy frequently writes and presents on the topic of medical marijuana regulation in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Murphy is also a litigator in the firm’s Professional Liability and Mass Tort groups, where he represents individual, institutional, and corporate clients in all aspects of tort litigation in Pennsylvania and Delaware state and federal courts. He is experienced in all phases of discovery, trial, and appeal.

Peter PaddenPeter Padden (1)

Peter J Padden is an Associate of Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura and has specialized in advising cannabis industry operators, landlords, and investors in the leasing, acquisition, disposition, and financing of cannabis properties and businesses on a national basis for the past four years. Having developed an extensive network of cultivators, retailers, manufacturers, distributors, consultants, lenders, attorneys, vendors, and other cannabis industry professionals, there is no component of the business where Peter cannot provide capable advisory or a strong referral. 

Peter has earned a track record of proven results advising corporate landlords contemplating a first dispensary lease, multi-state operators in need of new locations, and private investors looking for ways to get in on the ‘green rush’. His step-by-step approach to helping navigate his clients through the unique legal, financial, and operational challenges of the cannabis industry has helped each client maximize each opportunity. He can be reached at [email protected].

Peter PaddenPeter Padden (1)

Since 2017 and the broad legalization of cannabis in the State of California, Peter Padden has dedicated his practice of real estate to providing an institutional level of professionalism, tools, and services to the legal marijuana and hemp industries. This higher level of insight and partnership has benefitted large and small cannabis businesses and landlords across nine states, as Peter’s commitment to excellence on behalf of his clients has been hard to replicate in today’s brokerage marketplace.

A graduate of the Villanova School of Business with a degree in Finance, Peter’s analytical approach to the unique mechanics of transacting cannabis real estate enables both veterans and novices in the industry to benefit from his years of complex deal making in an ever evolving industry. His move to James Capital Advisors to help co-found the Cannabis Corporate Real Estate team with excellent new tools and partners should further the depth and breadth of advisory that he seeks to provide capable operators. He can be reached at [email protected].

Philip J. Cenedella IVPhilip J. Cenedella IV (4)

First and foremost, Cenedella is a patient advocate for four decades having grown up in New York during the Rockefeller drug law years. He then established himself in San Diego during the push for legalization there in the’ 90s. Now he is situated in Germany during its historic transition into the leadership role of the European cannabis industry. Cenedella served as a Founding Board Member of the World Trade Center San Diego, a Lead Consultant for Deutsche Telekom, The California Trade and Investment Office, Deutsche Bank, IBM, San Diego Economic Development Board and many other entities. He can be reached at [email protected] and/or +1.888.206.3264

Phillip MandelPhillip Mandel (1)
Phillip Scott Mandel is the founder of Mandel Marketing and is a writer, marketer, and musician based in Austin, Texas. He has an MFA in Writing from Texas State University and an MA in Literature from NYU, and has worked with many aspects of the advertising, branding, and marketing industries for nearly twenty years. Mandel can be reached at [email protected].
Press ReleasePress Release (930)
avatar for Rachel GilletteRachel Gillette (2)

Rachel Gillette, Holland & Hart partner and leader of the firm’s Cannabis group, was one of the country’s first lawyers to dedicate her practice to cannabis law. Nationally ranked as a Band 1 cannabis lawyer in Chambers USA, Rachel has over a decade of experience helping clients navigate complex regulatory, financial, and operational challenges. She works with startups, established cannabis operations, investors, and ancillary businesses at all points along the cannabis industry supply chain. Rachel can be contacted at [email protected]

Ralph MorganRalph Morgan (1)

As CEO of O.penVAPE, Ralph Morgan sets direction, strategy and media relations for the world’s largest cannabis company.

A visionary entrepreneur, Morgan’s determination to provide access to cannabis as a safer alternative medicine led to the founding of O.penVAPE.
After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno in 1996, Morgan held several executive and sales positions for health care companies including Smith and Nephew, Stryker Orthopedics and Med1Online.

Foreseeing the many financial and medical benefits of legalized cannabis, Morgan seized the chance to combine his health care experience with his passion to help others and founded O.penVAPE in 2012 alongside four other partners.

Two years prior to O.penVAPE, Morgan founded Organa Labs, the world’s largest and longest running extraction facility. He also opened his first dispensary, Colorado Harvest Company, in the same year with the help of business partner Tim Cullen. Many consider Colorado Harvest Company the most important landmark on Denver’s Green Mile, a one-mile stretch of boulevard with the highest concentration of cannabis shops in the world. Morgan and Cullen own the three Colorado-based dispensaries that, on average, round out each year with approximately 94,000 cash transactions.

In 2015, Ralph accepted the first Trail Blazer Award from High Times Magazine, a publication that has been covering cannabis for 40 years. Today, Morgan is one of the few individuals possessing the depth of knowledge and experience necessary to run a world class organization in the newest American industry. Industry and community leaders, advocacy groups and members of the media seek Morgan’s advice and value his expert insights.

Randy ShultzRandy Shultz (1)

Randy Shultz, Chief Technology Officer, Arcadia Biosciences has 20 years of experience in plant science and agricultural biotechnology. Before joining Arcadia, he served as director of R&D and senior director of R&D strategy at Inari Agriculture. As the global crop lead, Shultz played an instrumental role building and scaling Inari’s R&D platform and developing a foundational intellectual property estate. Previously, Shultz led numerous scientific production teams at Monsanto (now Bayer Crop Science), including their Genome Editing Platform team.

“Since joining Arcadia last year, it has been rewarding to apply my experience in plant breeding and genomics to the improvement of a previously uncharted crop like hemp,” said Shultz. “It’s an honor to accept this new role building out a disruptive technology platform for Arcadia that holds such promise for growers, businesses and consumers alike.”

Shultz received his Ph.D. in functional genomics from North Carolina State University and his B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has authored over a dozen patents and publications.

Ray ZillgittRay Zillgitt (1)

As the senior vice president of risk management and general counsel at Michigan-based Lake Trust Credit Union (Lake Trust), Ray Zillgitt provides counsel related to enterprise risk management, government affairs, vendor management and high-risk banking matters. Lake Trust is one of Michigan’s largest credit unions to enter the cannabis banking market – working with cannabis businesses at all levels of the supply chain to provide a banking program that streamlines processes, offers compliance guidance and makes it more effective to manage a business. For more information, contact Lake Trust at 313-496-4420.

Rebecca Cicarelli and Matt GiffordRebecca Cicarelli and Matt Gifford (5)

Rebecca Cicarelli, Marketing and Business Development Director, CustomVault has an MBA from New York University and an extensive background in consumer marketing. Cicarelli has been a member of the CustomVault team since 2010. She applies her experience in new products and market development to the security business and specifically to the opportunity in medical marijuana. Matt Gifford, Director, CustomVault is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland, and a member of the CustomVault team since 1996, Gifford brings a consultative approach to the development of customized vault and security solutions for customers in the marijuana and pharmaceutical industries. Well-versed in applicable regulations; both federal and state, with extensive experience in security plan design, he partners with customers to ensure necessary approvals.

Rebecca GwiltRebecca Gwilt (5)

Rebecca E. Gwilt, Esq. is a Virginia-licensed attorney, Partner at Nixon Law Group, and leader of Nixon Law Group’s Cannabis Business practice. She provides legal, regulatory, and business guidance to healthcare clients, including those clients in and ancillary to the medical cannabis industry. She is focused primarily on healthcare entrepreneurship and compliance, cannabis licensing and compliance, and privacy/security of patient data. She also provides corporate and transactional services to clients, including business formation and dissolution, employment contracts and disputes, licensing, board and general compliance, mergers and acquisitions, and reimbursement.

“Rebecca is also an Advisory Board Member of Cannabis Commonwealth, a 501(c)(3) that unites the patients, parents, professionals and policy makers dedicated expanding Virginia’s regulated medical cannabis program.” She can be contacted at [email protected].

Rebecca RothmannRebecca Rothmann (1)

Rebecca M. Rothmann is an Equity Partner at Wilson Elser in the Chicago office.  Rebecca is co-chair of the Firm’s Specialty Professional Risks Practice Team.  She primarily represents accountants, attorneys and insurance brokers in defending malpractice claims involving a wide range of issues.  She also defends insurers and their agents and brokers in litigation and arbitrations in a variety of claims including ERISA, life and health insurance coverage disputes and those arising out of the sale of investment products.  She has a growing practice representing property management companies, officers and directors and other specialty professions. Contact her at: [email protected].

Justin Dobek is an associate at Wilson Elser in Chicago office.  He is a member of Wilson Elser’s Professional Liability & Services and Complex Tort & General Casualty practice groups.

Daniel McMahon Jr. is a summer intern at Wilson Elser in the Chicago office.  He is currently enrolled as a senior at Tufts University and plans to attend law school.

Reggie SnyderReggie Snyder (7)

Reggie Snyder is a partner in the Atlanta office of Taylor English Duma LLP. Snyder is an experienced trial lawyer with more than two decades of experience managing a wide range of litigation matters for clients in Alabama, Georgia and Texas. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

Rich CardinalRich Cardinal (1)

Rich Cardinal is Vice President of Cannabis Operations at Next Big Crop, a full-service cannabis consulting firm with decades of collective expertise in license procurement; facility design and construction; systems engineering; equipment and materials sourcing; operations management; and compliance. Formed in 2013, Next Big Crop’s mission is to offer top-notch consulting services in an industry that, until recently, has lacked standardization and large-scale agricultural principals. In May 2015, the company was acquired by General Cannabis Corporation, a publicly traded company servicing the cannabis sector nationally.

Rich FamaRich Fama (2)

Rich Fama focuses his practice on class action and complex litigation in the areas of toxic tort, products liability, food and liquor liability, construction defect, and mass tort actions, and has decades of experience litigating in New York’s state and federal courts.

Fama possesses a particular knowledge of handling cases involving catastrophic injuries and damages. He defended life sciences corporations in the PPA and pedicle screw litigations. He is currently lead defense counsel on several well-publicized and high-exposure cases involving the release of toxic substances into the environment, including mold, lead, asbestos, methanol, benzene, and other chemicals and contaminates. He also represents product manufacturers in class action matters involving alleged product defects and mislabeling, including alleged Federal Trade Commission violations regarding “Made in the U.S.A.” claims.  Richard also serves as consulting counsel to various entities for claims arising out of alleged exposure to diacetyl at microwave popcorn manufacturing facilities.

Richard has a construction background, having worked in several large architectural and engineering consulting firms prior to attending law school. That background, combined with his pursuit of coursework in both architecture and engineering, has proven invaluable to his handling of construction defect and related matters.

Fama earned his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law in 1993 and his undergraduate degree from New York Institute of Technology in 1987.

Kristin Keehan concentrates her practice on class action and complex litigation and regulatory compliance.

The focus of her litigation practice is in the areas of construction and labor law, toxic tort, products liability, and food liability. She has experience handling all phases of litigation, from initiation of suit to jury selection.

Kristin has significant experience providing regulatory advice and conducting regulatory reviews for major food, beverage and over-the-counter drug companies. Kristin also assists with regulatory compliance reviews for marketers of medical marijuana and CBD products.

She has successfully defended clients in construction and labor law litigation and defeated claims based on alleged violations of Labor Law § 240(1). Kristin works with clients of major construction companies to address safety concerns and best practices for accident prevention and response.

Kristin graduated magna cum laude from Albany Law School, where she was a senior editor with the Albany Government Law Review and an associate editor for the Center for Judicial Process.

Richard BlauRichard Blau (1)

Richard M. Blau is a shareholder at GrayRobinson and chairman of the law firm’s Regulated Products Law Department. He leads the firm’s Medical Marijuana Team focusing on the rules and regulations that govern the production, processing, distribution, sale and dispensing of medical marijuana and related cannabis products. Blau can be reached at [email protected].

 

Richard OrmondRichard Ormond (1)

Richard Ormond is a Shareholder at Buchalter, APC. He is the founder of its Cannabis Law Group and he is the President of the California Receiver’s Forum. Mr. Ormond is also the principal of Stone Blossom Capital LLC, a receivership, ABC and restructuring business focused on the cannabis industry.

Rick ScarpelloRick Scarpello (2)

Rick Scarpello, Founding Partner and CEO of Medically Correct LLC is a food expert with a strong operations, compliance, and accounting background. He is a self-avowed serial entrepreneur full of game changing ideas.

Born and raised in a small town in Iowa, Scarpello moved to Denver, Colorado to make a name for himself. His innovative thinking and inquisitive mind drove him to develop several businesses the latest of which is Medically Correct, LLC one of the leading companies in the rapidly expanding Cannabis Industry.

Scarpello is also the founding partner of Sproutwell LLC, specializing in gluten-free sprouted grains and Alien Grains LLC, a gluten-free beer company.

Earlier in his career, Scarpello crafted the recipe for Flouish Gluten-Free Bread later partnering with Udi’s, the number one gluten-free product in it’s category. Rick’s leadership moved Udi’s and earlier Il Fornaio Bakeries into the frozen par-baked bread category, increasing the opportunity for expansion.

Rick and his wife of the last 19 years spend their free time watching their teenage daughter’s volleyball games and their 12-year old son excel at baseball.

Rick can be reached at [email protected].

avatar for RJ FalcioniRJ Falcioni (3)
RJ Falcioni, J.D. has made a career of cannabis after retiring from the practice of law, having served as CEO and co-founder of several notable businesses, including his current position as CEO of the supply chain management platform Outspoke.io.
Rob HendrixRob Hendrix (8)

Rob Hendrix has been a resident of Ellensburg, Washington since 1990. After 29 years in the retail automotive business, the last 7 as GM at a dealership in Yakima, he opened Cannabis Central, a retail location in Washington in August of 2014 and has operated profitably and violation free since. As a result of his extensive experience and success, he founded Cannabis Consulting Nationwide and is its Founder/Owner.

Hendrix has successfully navigated the invasive rules and regulations in Washington since launch. He has been politically active, is a member of the Washington Cannabusiness Association (WACA) and a member since September 2014 and a board member since January 2016.

Hendrix understands the challenges associated with starting any business but understands better than most the “extra” stress that comes with opening a retail cannabis store including issues related to; banking, finance, security, insurance, community reaction and push back, dealing effectively with local government and law enforcement, as well as family and friend reaction.

Hendrix has been married to his wife Diane for nearly 40 years and has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. He is available to help anyone already in the business or those who are contemplating getting into cannabis retail and can be reached at:

Cannabis Central LLC/Cannabis Consulting Nationwide LLC
Cell: 509.833.5556
Office: 509.201.1144

Rob RadkeRob Radke (1)

Rob Radke is President of Method Testing Laboratories, a 3rd party cannabis and hemp testing lab based in Tampa, Florida. Rob is an experienced cannabis, operations and finance leader with deep experience leading manufacturing operations, commercializing new products, mergers, acquisitions, turnarounds and restructurings. Rob has completed over $6.0 billion in transactions from small real estate purchases to highly complex and large acquisitions. Prior to Method Testing Labs, Rob was a senior executive with Parallel Brands, the largest private cannabis company in the United States.

Robert BaronRobert Baron (1)

Robert Baron is a subject matter expert in cannabis banking and a Certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS). He is currently Chief Experience Officer at StandardC, Inc., a fintech that supports financial institutions’ cannabis banking compliance programs while enabling access to banking and financial services for the cannabis industry.

Robert FinkleRobert Finkle (1)

Robert D. Finkle is partner in the Cannabis Law practice group at Greenspoon Marder LLP. Mr. Finkle represents commercial cannabis companies throughout California at every level of the supply chain on a variety of matters including business organization, licensing and compliance, land use and real estate, commercial transactions, and civil disputes. Mr. Finkle is closely monitoring the impacts COVID-19 is having on the cannabis industry and how to prepare his clients for those changes.

Robert KaitzRobert Kaitz (1)

Robert M. Kaitz is an associate at the Boston law firm of Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C., practicing in the employment and litigation areas. Robert is a trial lawyer focusing primarily on employment and business litigation matters, as well as employment counseling. Robert represents clients in employment discrimination, wage and hour, and close corporation litigation. He also assists employers in drafting and implementing company handbooks, restrictive covenants, and severance agreements and advises employees with regard to navigating employment contracts.

Robert LermanRobert Lerman (1)

Robert S. Lerman – Founder & CEO, eBottles420.com

Mr. Lerman has over 40 years of experience in packaging.

He started eBottles.com, an online catalog of bottles and closures, in 2002 together with Josh Erlanger the CTO. eBottles420.com grew out of the success of eBottles.com and has become the market leader in the supply of rigid packaging to the legal cannabis industry.

Mr. Lerman founded The Lerman Container Corporation, a distributor of bottles and packaging components in 1979, and Custom Bottle, Inc. a manufacturer of plastic bottles in 1983.

Lerman Container and Custom Bottle grew to over 200 employees under his stewardship and both companies were sold to the management in 2006. Lerman Container was subsequently sold to Berlin Packaging, while Custom Bottle is still in operation today as CKS Packaging.

Mr. Lerman has been active in various industry associations in the distribution and  manufacturing segments of the industry. He is a past President of the Packaging Association of Distributors and Manufacturers and has served on the Advisory Board of Packaging Technology Magazine. He was a member of the National Association of Container Distributors and the Young Presidents Organization.

 

Robert MunnellyRobert Munnelly (1)

Robert J. Munnelly, Jr. is a shareholder at the Boston law firm of Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C., practicing in the Regulatory and Administrative Law area. He represents clients in all stages of the Massachusetts adult-use cannabis licensing process and is co-author of “Massachusetts Marijuana Regulatory Scheme Takes Shape,” published by Law360 in January 2018 as one of the first comprehensive assessments of the emerging Massachusetts cannabis licensing schemes. Rob’s data security and information privacy practice focuses on advising and working with companies to develop written plans, improve security-related policies, support compliance training, and respond to potential security breaches. He also has substantial experience working with companies in other regulated industries and is a frequent panelist at litigation administrative agency, industry, and information security events.

Robert RocheRobert Roche (1)

Robert Roche is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader. He is the co-founder of Green Rock Hemp Holdings, a vertically integrated solutions provider to the industrial hemp community. He has founded more than 50 businesses across of variety of sectors, including direct marketing/consumer products, media, hospitality, real estate, financial, energy, and logistics. He has extensive business and real estate interests in the United States, including Green Rock Hemp Holdings, Gallup Land Partners, Gallup Energy Logistics Park, Sand Hollow Resort, and Redhorse Performance. Internationally, he is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Oak Lawn Marketing, Acorn International, and Cachet Hotels & Resorts.

Along with his successful business ventures, Roche is an engaged civic leader and passionate philanthropist who supports nonprofit organizations focused on education, international relations, and sustainability.

Robert SelnaRobert Selna (1)

Robert W. Selna is a partner with law firm Wendel Rosen LLP in Oakland, Calif. Selna chairs the firm’s Cannabis practice group, and he frequently writes and speaks on related issues. He may be reached at [email protected].

Robert SpenceRobert Spence (1)

Robert Spence, CDT LEED AP, is director of facilities for 4Front Ventures/Mission Dispensaries, a national multi-state cannabis operator and retailer, with a market advantage in mass-produced low-cost quality branded cannabis products.

Roberta KingRoberta King (2)

Roberta F. King is the founder of Canna Communication, a Michigan-based integrated communication firm. Clients include legal practices, provisioning centers and cannabis growers. Prior to founding Canna Communication, she held executive level communication positions in hospital healthcare, an art museum and community philanthropy. She can be reached [email protected]

Roger BrownRoger Brown (2)

About Roger Brown, president of ACS Laboratory

A pioneer in the cannabis testing space, Roger Brown co-founded the first cannabis testing lab in Florida ― ACS Laboratory. ACS Laboratory is ISO 17025 compliant, DEA licensed, CLIA licensed, and the largest state-of-the-art testing facility in the eastern USA.

https://acslab.com/

 

Ron SilverRon Silver (1)

Ron Silver, the world-renowned Chef of beloved NYC restaurant Bubby’s, is also the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Azuca, a line of fast acting hemp-derived CBD and cannabis edibles, made from chef-quality, all-natural ingredients. In his mission to provide the cannabis industry with understandable, easy-to-dose edibles, Ron marries his expertise as a chef, business owner and entrepreneur to create and develop new products and expand globally. Azuca currently offers CBD-infused simple syrup that blends effortlessly into cold and hot beverages, and sugar for baking or adding to your morning coffee. The products are available nationwide at azuca.co/shop. Azuca TiME INFUSION™ is also available in the Wana Quick gummies line in Colorado.

Ronald WilliamsRonald Williams (1)

Ronald L. Williams is Co-Chair of the Construction Law Group at Fox Rothschild LLP. He focuses his practice on construction litigation and the negotiation of construction contracts for major projects throughout the nation and abroad.

Roy BinghamRoy Bingham (2)

Roy Bingham is a Harvard MBA and former McKinsey consultant, banker, serial entrepreneur and co-founder, with Liz Stahura of BDSA. He started BDSA in 2015 after recognizing that the cannabis industry lacked the kind of sophisticated data that is both commonplace and essential in other industries where point of sale analytics and understanding consumer behavior drive decisions from new product development to sales and marketing. Roy had been an early investor in SPINS – a very successful data analytics company for the Natural Products Industry and later was an expert user of their data, as well as data from IRI, Nielsen and others as a senior sales and marketing executive with ReNewLife – America’s leading natural digestive care company. His other businesses include Health Business Partners, Nutrition Business Journal, Health Strategies Consulting, Nourishlife and the NBJ Summit. He is also a chartered banker having started his career with NatWest Bank and then Paragon PLC.

Ruben EspinosaRuben Espinosa (1)

Ruben Espinosa is a member of Wilson Elser’s Cannabis Law practice, advising medical professionals, growers, processors, insurers, distributors and vendors within the legalized cannabis industry as well as organizations outside the industry impacted by the rapidly evolving state and federal regulatory landscape. Ruben can be reached at: [email protected]

Ruben HonigRuben Honig (1)

Ruben Honig is the executive director of the Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force. A founder and principal at Ceres Strategies, Honig specializes in local licensing and governmental affairs throughout the state of California, and was a driving force behind the creation and passage of Measure M. A Massachusetts native and medical cannabis patient, Honig previously operated a successful national copywriting business and spent three years in sports and brand management. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Emory University.

Ryan BallRyan Ball (1)

Ryan Ball is market data analyst for botaniCo and specializes in developing programs to identify, engage and convert high-value referral sources for post-acute health care companies by analyzing targeted claims data across the country. For more information about how data can be utilized by a medical cannabis company to find new growth opportunities, please contact Ryan @ [email protected].

Ryan CauleyRyan Cauley (1)

Ryan Cauley is an associate in Much’s Health Care practice,  where he leverages his experience working both in-house and in private practice to advise health care clients on their critical compliance, regulatory, and operational needs. Ryan takes a pragmatic approach to counseling clients throughout the health care industry and offers tailored solutions based on each client’s specific needs and goals.

Ryan DouglasRyan Douglas (50)

Ryan Douglas helps businesses cultivate a profitable future in the cannabis industry. He is the founder of Ryan Douglas Cultivation, LLC and author of From Seed to Success: How to Launch a Great Cannabis Cultivation Business in Record Time. Ryan has worked in commercial horticulture for 25 years and specializes in legal cannabis start-ups.

Before entering the cannabis industry, Ryan spent 15 years as a commercial greenhouse grower of ornamental and edible crops, growing up to 600,000 plants annually. As Master Grower from 2013 to 2016, he directed cultivation for Tweed Inc., the flagship subsidiary of Canopy Growth Corporation. Ryan now offers cultivation advisory services to cannabis operators worldwide, and he can be reached through his website, douglascultivation.com.

Ryan HogganRyan Hoggan (1)

Thoughtful Brands, Inc. CEO Ryan Dean Hoggan brings more than 18 years of leadership, global business development and entrepreneurship experience in the health equipment, medical devices and natural health products sectors. Early in his career, Ryan took on a leadership role in, HOGGAN Health Industries, where he led operations, business development and marketing efforts. After identifying an untapped niche in the market, he founded Hoggan Medical where he went on to launch over 100 health, fitness and medical device products and negotiated contracts with big and small customers including the Mayo Clinic, Boeing, Daimler AG and the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). In 2014, Ryan discovered the power of CBD and essential oils — both personally and professionally — after a personal health scare prompted him to research and subsequently try holistic products to improve his health. He went on to co-found several natural health products in the CBD sector. As CEO of Thoughtful Brands Inc. (formerly Mota Ventures), Ryan brings his extensive experience to further expand the company as a global eCommerce leader in the natural health products sector, including CBD and psychedelic medicine. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Westminster College, an MBA from The University of Arizona and a Master of Global Management (MGM) from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University.

 

Sam FensterstockSam Fensterstock (5)

Sam Fensterstock is the senior vice president of business development at AG Adjustments, a provider of third party commercial collection services. Fensterstock has spent his entire business career as an entrepreneur and senior executive in the commercial credit and collection space. Has been a founder and played a key role in the dynamic growth of several leading niche commercial credit risk management companies and is considered an expert in the order to cash and credit and collection process.

Prior to joining AG Adjustments, Fensterstock was the director of business development at PredictiveMetrics a statistical-based credit and collection scoring and modeling company that he helped grow and sell to SunGard (FIS) in 2011. Fensterstock can be reached at [email protected] or 631-719-8096.

Sara GullicksonSara Gullickson (2)

Sara Gullickson is an entrepreneur, investor, and corporate dealmaker with more than a decade of experience building and scaling businesses personally and professionally. A multi-state cannabis license holder, Gullickson has a proven track record in identifying new opportunities and infusing traditional business strategies into progressive markets. At age 27, she entered the nascent cannabis space and founded her first venture, consulting firm Dispensary Permits. She went on to build several other ancillary companies tailored to the cannabis industry including a tech platform and turnkey retail model. After eight years serving as CEO across her portfolio of brands, Gullickson sold to a publicly traded company.

Gullickson continues to lend her extensive industry knowledge and credentials as CEO and founder of national consulting firm The Cannabis Business Advisors and streaming platform, How to Open a Dispensary. A high-level strategist, she advises stakeholders on corporate structure, financing, and operations to better position their companies for growth and potential exit. Recognized as a Women to Watch and one of the Top 20 Women to Dominate the International Cannabis Space, Gullickson has received numerous accolades for her business contributions. She has been invited to present at the Real Estate Wealth Expos in Los Angeles and Toronto, MJBizCon, Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo, and other speaking circuits focused on high-growth industries. Throughout her career,  Gullickson has thrived in an unconventional business landscape, merging her expertise in brokering relationships to cultivate success. Beyond her professional endeavors, Gullickson’s passions include raising her two children and inspiring women to pursue executive leadership.

Sarah Lee Gossett ParrishSarah Lee Gossett Parrish (2)

Sarah Lee Gossett Parrish (www.sarahleegossettparrish.com) is a third-generation attorney who maintains a business litigation practice with an emphasis in Oklahoma’s cannabis industry. She is also admitted to practice in Texas. Sarah Lee represents dispensaries, growers, processors, and ancillary businesses within the cannabis space.

The National Law Journal recently named Sarah Lee one of its 2019 Cannabis Trailblazers. Sarah Lee has achieved Martindale-Hubbell’s highest AV rating for both peer and judicial review and is a member of Lawyers of Distinction for Excellence in Cannabis Law.  Sarah Lee was named one of the Women Leaders in the Law by The American Lawyer Magazine in 2019 and 2020 for her leadership in Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, International Cannabis Bar Association, National Cannabis Industry Association, NORML, the Oklahoma Cannabis Industry Association, and Oklahoma Women Cann.

Sarah Lee is admitted to practice in all state and federal district courts in Oklahoma; all state courts in Texas; the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; and the United States Supreme Court. She received her B.A. in Letters from the University of Oklahoma, graduating with the Silver Leitzeiser Award for Outstanding Senior, Phi Beta Kappa, and Summa Cum Laude. While chairing the Oklahoma Governor’s Commission on the Status of Women, Sarah Lee was instrumental in starting the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame. She recently organized and moderated Cannabis POTpourri, a sold out continuing legal education course and The Oklahoma Bar Association’s first full day of cannabis education for Oklahoma attorneys, held during the Bar’s 2019 Annual Convention.

Often interviewed in print and digital media, Sarah Lee has been quoted in Marijuana Business Daily, Los Angeles Times, The Denver Post, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and online publications of ABC News, Newsmax, InStyle, Food and Wine, The Leaf, Leafbuyer.com, Cannabis Tech, CPA Practice Advisor, Cooking Light, and Health.com magazines. She has been a guest on numerous radio shows, including Cannabis A to Z with Frankie Boyer, iHeart Radio, Andy Hooser The Voice of Reason, The Mike Siegel Show, the Heidi Selexa Show, and KTOK. Her legal thriller took second place in the New York LawJournal’s 2006 Fiction Writing Contest, and she has shown her fine art photography at Art SanDiego and during Miami’s Art Basel week at Spectrum Miami. Sarah Lee is a monthly columnist for Herb-Age, an Oklahoma cannabis magazine, and has spoken at cannabis events, including CannaCon I and CannaCon II in Oklahoma City.

Scott BermanScott Berman (1)

Scott Berman joined the Panther Opportunity Fund (“Panther”), a vintage 2017 cannabis focused venture capital fund with a complementary and diverse set of 14 portfolio companies, in 2017 as a Principal and member of the investment committee. Scott first entered the cannabis space in 2015 when he co-founded the Cannabis Rep Network (merged into Calyx Distribution) to provide sales & distribution for brands in California. Prior to Calyx, Scott co-founded a data-driven digital ad agency called Audience Partners in 2007, targeting addressable audiences for the political and healthcare industries. Scott has a degree from the University of Maryland and began his career in a family Jewelry manufacturing business based in Philadelphia. From 1988 to present, Scott has worked for the Philadelphia 76ers, as head statistician for all home games.

Scott JagodzinskiScott Jagodzinski (1)

Scott Jagodzinski is the President of Y Scouts, he was drawn to their purpose of transforming how people and companies connect. Scott has started, operated, and exited multiple businesses over his career in a number of industries, including his first job selling Grit newspaper as a 10-year-old in rural North Dakota. He would later return to the newspaper business and lead a company that created the first single-source local market newspaper network, eventually selling the company to a publicly-traded ad agency. His interest in fitness led him to cofound Alchemy365, a 2019 Inc. 5000 growth company.

Scott RabinowitzScott Rabinowitz (1)

Scott Rabinowitz, Founder & Marketing Compliance Specialist at Buoyancy Digital, and GreenAdGuide.com in Colorado, is one of few hands-on experts in age-restricted online advertising with over 20 years of experience working with high-risk industries, effectively spending more than $300m on compliant digital advertising on behalf of clients. He maintains an active IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) Digital Media Sales Certification and is an accredited member of the Google Partners and Microsoft Advertising Partners programs, and the Cannabis Marketing Association. Scott is also a regular conference speaker at the USCC Expo conferences in Miami and Phoenix.

Scott SelingerScott Selinger (1)

Scott L. Selinger is a government policy advisor at Dykema whose practice is built on an extensive career in government relations and public service. He counsels clients in the cannabis space on various licensing and regulatory issues within Illinois.

 

Scott ThomasScott Thomas (3)

Scott Thomas, US National Director of Sales, Signature Brands, Genetec and his team are responsible for sales to the Retail, Financial, Hospitality, Gaming and Cannabis vertical markets via Genetec’s network of system integration partners. Scott started his career at Genetec as a Director of Business Development in 2007. Prior to joining Genetec, Scott spent 16 years at Checkpoint Systems where he held various sales and management roles.

 

Scott WaldmanScott Waldman (1)

Scott Waldman is a Senior Account Executive at digital marketing agency Adtaxi. A native Californian, he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to joining Adtaxi, Scott has dedicated himself to numerous industries focused on sales & marketing pursuits for various verticals over the last 18 years including e-commerce, CBD, Consumer Electronics, Education, Health & Beauty, Automotive, Tech, Brick & Mortar retail, and numerous others. Scott enjoys travel and cooking in his spare time and believes that helping other people is the key to accomplishing your goals.

Sean ArnoldSean Arnold (2)

SEAN ARNOLD, Founder and Managing Partner of Terradigm Consulting, possesses a combined two and a half decades of professional experience within the food and beverage and cannabis industries. With an MBA in Finance, Sean spent 7 years in roles spanning from General Manager to Director of Quality Assurance and Senior Vice President of Production and Product Development in multiple successful cannabis operations.

As founder of Terradigm Consulting, Sean seeks to set the industry standard for comprehensive, operational and strategic support with a focus on quality management and continual improvement.

 

Sean MackSean Mack (8)

Sean Mack is the co-chair of Pashman Stein Walder Hayden’s Litigation practice and chair of the Cannabis and Hemp practice.

With significant experience counseling business owners in complex disputes, and recognition on the InsideNJ “Insider 100 Cannabis Power List” in 2019, Mack brings a unique set of skills to businesses interested in cannabis and hemp. Beginning in 2015, Mack led a team of the Firm’s attorneys to analyze existing cannabis laws and regulations to prepare proposed legislation for New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform (NJUMR). NJUMR then presented the Firm’s proposal to a state senator for incorporation into an early draft of the bill to legalize adult use marijuana in New Jersey. Building on that experience, Mack advises businesses interested in applying for medical cannabis or hemp licenses in New Jersey, and has represented other clients in appeals of the 2018 and 2019 rounds of medical marijuana license applications. He also advises companies and individuals on the specific protections afforded to medical marijuana patients under the Jake Honig Act in employment, the receipt of medical services, and real estate. Mack advises Hemp-CBD companies on state and federal laws affecting their advertising and businesses. He also works in tandem with Pashman Stein’s attorneys to offer clients counsel in the interplay between cannabis/hemp laws and corporate, employment , intellectual property and real estate laws.

Mack’s business litigation practice focuses on complex disputes involving unfair business competition in a variety of forms. He regularly represents businesses, business owners and senior executives in lawsuits involving theft of corporate opportunities, theft of trade secrets, breaches of non-competition agreements, breaches of confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, and other unfair business practices. Clients often retain Mack when a joint business venture has gone awry or when they believe it is time to divorce their business partners. Many of his cases arise from complicated contractual and licensing disputes. He also has represented clients in trademark and trade dress infringement cases and in counterfeiting cases.

He can be reached at [email protected].

Seth GoldbergSeth Goldberg (1)

Seth A. Goldberg, Duane Morris Partner and Co-lead of Cannabis Industry Group counsels clients in business and litigation, with a particular emphasis in highly-regulated industries such as cannabis, pharmaceuticals and healthcare. He serves as a team lead for the Duane Morris Cannabis industry group, and has been recognized by various publications, including the prestigious Chambers and Partners, for his work in the cannabis space.

Mr. Goldberg’s unique experience in highly-regulated markets, combined with his entrepreneurial interests, has led to his involvement with the cannabis (marijuana and hemp) industry, where he advises core and ancillary cannabis companies, including growers, processors, dispensaries, infused-product manufacturers, real estate developers, universities and university research centers, raw materials companies, and investors in a wide array of regulatory and business matters pertaining to their legal cannabis activities. He is an active member in various cannabis industry groups and associations, and participates in the American Trade Association of Cannabis & Hemp’s Cannabis Beverage Council and CBD Task Force.

Seth WongSeth Wong (2)

Seth is president of TEQ Analytical, has 12 years experience managing TEQ Analytical Labs’ sister laboratory, Industrial Laboratories. Seth is currently President of Industrial Laboratories which is an ISO 17025 accredited facility. Seth has extensive experience in practical application of wet production laboratory management. He holds a B.A. in International Economics from The George Washington University.

Shar PuskalaShar Puskala (1)

Shar Puskala is the Director of Program Management at Berlin Packaging, a worldwide leader in the packaging industry. With deep experience in product design and the management of complex engineering projects, Shar has most notably lent her insights to leading design and commercialization of various Class I and Class II medical devices. Shar can be reached directly at: [email protected]

Shawna Seldon McGregorShawna Seldon McGregor (6)

Shawna Seldon McGregor is the founder of Maverick Public Relations. She established Maverick PR in 2018 after two decades at PR agencies in New York City and Denver. McGregor has deep experience representing a multitude of sectors including biotech, sustainable technologies, renewable energy, associations, the regulated cannabis industry and media companies. McGregor is a member of PRSA, where she has earned a certificate in Reputation Management. She’s also a member of NIRI, NCIA and Denver Press Club. She was named a top PR pro by Civilized (January 2018), Cannabis Industry Journal (December 2017) and MG magazine (June 2017). In 2016, she accepted the Cannabist Award for best agency for work in the cannabis industry. For more information, contact [email protected].

Simone Cimiluca RadzinsSimone Cimiluca Radzins (10)

I connect, teach, lead, and inspire entrepreneurs, startups, and rapidly growing companies around the world. I am the CEO of Kalogia, a global network that connects cannabis professionals and businesses and the founder and CEO of LIV Advisors, a leadership training company. I have spoken about cannabis business on National Public Radio (NPR); have lectured on the US cannabis economy in Prague and Costa Rica, created and led the Cannabis Women’s Empowerment Summit, and have given multiple talks at industry events.

My expertise is in business strategy, finance, risk management, and business process improvement. I have have improved business operations for hundreds of clients around the world. With a background in Big 4 public accounting and international consulting for Fortune 500 companies, I’ve lived and worked in Spain and France and has assisted clients throughout Latin America, Western and Northern Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

Skip MotsenbockerSkip Motsenbocker (1)

Skip Motsenbocker is the CEO of Pacific Stone, a market leader in California cannabis, with both large scale green-house cultivation facilities and more than a million square feet of flower. Pacific Stone Brand is offered in over 600 stores and includes packaged flower, pre-rolls and cartridges. Motsenbocker oversees the brand’s product launches, expansion, among other exciting strategic initiatives.

 

Sloane BarbourSloane Barbour (1)

Sloane Barbour is the CEO and founder of engin, a recruiting software and management system focused on hiring and job development in emerging industries.

Smoke WallinSmoke Wallin (1)

J Smoke Wallin is CEO of Vertical Wellness, the leading hemp-based CBD company, and President of multi-state cannabis operator Vertical Companies. He joined the cannabis movement after a successful career in the beer, wine and spirits industry and seeing his US Veteran friends suffer from a lack of access.  Smoke served as Chairman & President of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA).

Sonia LunaSonia Luna (1)

The newly minted Best Accountant winner at the 2018 California Cannabis Awards, Mrs. Luna is the Founder and CEO of Aviva Spectrum, a leading cannabis accounting firm. She has more than 18 years of accounting and compliance experience with a polished Big 4 background.

Selected as an appointee for the Securities Exchange Commissions’ Advisory Committee on Smaller & Emerging Growth Companies, Mrs. Luna has served as an expert witness and writes about a variety of topics covering accounting, cannabis regulations and tax compliance.

She has over 8,000 compliance followers on social media, including BlogTalk Radio, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok.

 

 

Spencer BunnSpencer Bunn (1)

Spencer Bunn has been working as an Arizona CPA for 11 years. Since early 2014, Spencer has worked with marijuana dispensary clients on issues such as IRS audits and collection activities, Section 280E compliance, and entity structure. Spencer can be reached at [email protected].

Spencer MahoneySpencer Mahoney (3)

Spencer Mahoney is a second-generation employee at CCIG, working as a trusted Commercial Insurance Advisor. Spencer began his career as a Middle Market Underwriter in Boston, where developed his underwriting skills.

Spencer has operated in the Cannabis, Technology and Healthcare industries for nearly a decade. He has experience managing Cyber Liability, Professional Liability and Management Liability programs for middle market clientele.

Spencer is a board member of the Insurance Charitable Foundation (IIFC), NephCure Colorado and Colorado Uplift.

A business graduate of the University of Arizona, Spencer holds a professional industry designation as a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). Spencer can be reached at [email protected]

Stacey TylerStacey Tyler (1)

Stacey C. Tyler, Counsel, Real Estate, handles a broad array of real estate transactions including acquisitions, dispositions, development, leasing, financing, hospitality, joint ventures, and public-private partnership arrangements. Her clients range from institutional landlords and lenders to tech startups. Stacey also has extensive experience in real estate issues arising in connection with cannabis enterprises and heads up Lowenstein Sandler’s Cannabis Working Group, which comprises seasoned practitioners providing a full range of services to cannabis companies, including regulatory, intellectual property, tax, and finance.
Stacey can be reached at: [email protected] | 973.597.6208

Stacy BryantStacy Bryant (1)

Stacy Bryant, a Humboldt County native, is the Division Manager of Higher Growth Search, where she uses her 15+ years of cannabis experience to help guide businesses into a fully compliant space. Stacy began her career in the industry as a cultivator at 16. She worked in many different roles during California’s medical cannabis era, including large-scale outdoor cultivation, commercial light deprivation, and propagation (a personal favorite). She now specializes in workforce development for the industry she knows and loves.

Stephen AscherStephen Ascher (1)

Stephen Ascher is a partner co-chair of Jenner & Block’s cannabis practice. Stephen is a first-chair trial lawyer who has deep experience in the cannabis sector including guiding one of the largest cannabis companies in the United States in several arbitrations and lawsuits related to dealings with minority investors and their securities offerings. Stephen is sought after for his deep understanding of his clients’ businesses, which enables him to communicate with companies in their industry-specific language, and then simplify and explain these concepts to judges, arbitrators, and juries.

Stephen GoldnerStephen Goldner (1)

Steve is the founder and President of C³ and Regulatory Affairs Associates [RAA] – a worldwide leader in getting medical devices and drugs approved by FDA and in other countries.

A forensic toxicologist and lawyer, Steve has more than 40 years experience as a regulatory professional. Steve began his career at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in New York, developing the first reliable drug screening tests for many drugs, and launching the Drug Screening industry. He then developed the drug methadone, getting FDA approval and managing that start-up company.

He is noted for his professionalism, knowledge and ability to navigate successfully in the complex regulatory world of medical device and drug approval. And his business sense frequently allows clients to realize hidden opportunities in this highly regulated work environment.

Steve BirkmeierSteve Birkmeier (2)

Steve Birkmeier is the Vice President of Sales and Business Development for Arteco. He is responsible for sales operations for North America, Latin America, Africa and Australia. He began working with Arteco in 2005 and has played an integral role in founding and developing the Arteco US Division. While at Arteco, he has held key roles in marketing, sales and operations. Steve holds an MBA in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Studies from the Saint Louis University.

avatar for Steve DeAngeloSteve DeAngelo (1)

Steve DeAngelo is a globally recognized cannabis leader who was dubbed “the father of the legal industry” by former Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown. As a lifelong activist, author, educator, investor, and entrepreneur, he has spent more than four decades on the front lines of the cannabis reform movement. His most notable business achievements include co-founding Harborside-one of the first six dispensaries licensed in the United States-now a publicly-traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange; Steep Hill Laboratory, the first cannabis analytics company; Arcview Group, the first dedicated cannabis investment network, and Last Prisoner Project, dedicated to fighting criminal injustice and reimagining drug policy

Steve is the author of The Cannabis Manifesto and an originator of the wellness approach to understanding cannabis. He played a key role in the passage of Initiative 59, Washington DC’s medical cannabis law; the passage of Prop 64, California’s adult-use law; and successfully defended multiple legal attempts by US federal authorities to shutter the doors of Harborside.

Steve FlaksSteve Flaks (2)

Leading the sales team at BioTrackTHC, Steve Flaks has helped to establish the company as a leading cannabis software provider. Mr. Flaks has been featured in a variety of industry panels and publications as a subject matter expert surrounding licensed cannabis operations including dispensary SOP’s and a variety of custom workflows, cannabis software, point-of-sale and seed-to-sale compliance.

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveflaks/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/SteveAtBioTrack

Steve GormleySteve Gormley (1)

Steve Gormley, author of Investing in Cannabis for Dummies, is a renowned expert in the legal marijuana sector, with nearly 30 years’ experience developing, branding, marketing, launching, managing, and operating businesses in the U.S. and international and emerging markets. He is widely considered a pioneer in the cannabis industry, with nearly a decade of professional experience in the sector. His analysis is featured prominently in outlets including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, U.S. News and World Report, Chicago Tribune, and MarketWatch, and he is a regular fixture on the speaking circuit.

Steve has served in C-level roles in a U.S.-based, publicly-traded cannabis company and ran a private equity venture focused on rolling up lawfully operating dispensaries in the Los Angeles market. He operated a hydroponics retail gardening supply enterprise in Los Angeles, as well as licensed cultivation facilities in California. He has worked in cannabis retail, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, lobbying, and finance.

Steve has raised more than US$50 million for private and public cannabis companies that include financing for acquisitions, operations, growth, and startups in the sector.

Steve HawkinsSteve Hawkins (1)

Steven Hawkins is President and CEO of the US Cannabis Council, a first-of-its-kind strategic alliance that combines the collective resources of leading cannabis companies and prominent advocacy organizations to speak in one voice to end federal cannabis prohibition and create an equitable and values-driven cannabis industry. Until recently, he also served as Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a leading national organization advancing legalization of cannabis for adult use and medical treatment.

Hawkins began his career as a civil rights attorney and has served in national leadership roles at organizations advancing civil and human rights and criminal justice reform. He was previously Executive Vice President of the NAACP, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, President of the Coalition for Public Safety and Executive Director of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. He is a graduate of Harvard College and NYU School of Law.

Steve OwensSteve Owens (12)

About the Author:
Steve Owens, MBA, is the CEO and Founder of Adherence Compliance and is considered a thought leader in regulatory and financial marijuana compliance. He has written extensively in the areas of operational compliance and has more than four (4) years of marijuana regulatory and financial compliance expertise. Contact 720-616-3900 or visit www.adherence-corp.com for more information.

Steve PhanSteve Phan (1)

New York City-based entrepreneur Steven Phan has been an activist in the cannabis space for nearly a decade, where he also spent time working for a CBD company and noticed a need for peer-to-peer interaction. While operating the company’s live chat, even after providing extensive customer service, individuals still wanted to see and speak to someone physically. Overcoming decades of stigma and re-familiarizing people with the cannabis plant became the driving force behind Phan’s first business QuadDeuceNil (QDN) which he launched in 2014. The urban cannabis lifestyle brand became a platform and collective to educate and change misperceptions creating an even more enlightened community. In 2018, he opened Come Back Daily, an experiential CBD retail store now located in the East Village. Using a hands-on approach supported by knowledgeable staff, customers are encouraged to sample CBD products and learn about how cannabis can benefit their lifestyle. Since then, and Phan has continued to play an active role as a leader in the community. He is also retail chair for the Cannabis Association of New York.

Steven SchainSteven Schain (62)

Winner of National Law Journal’s “2019 Finance, Banking, & Capital Markets Trailblazer” award, Steve Schain is Counsel to national Cannabis, Hemp and Hallucinogens law firm Smart-Counsel, LLC, is admitted to practice in PA and New Jersey and represents entities, governments and individuals in litigation, regulation and compliance, license applications, and entity formation.  Reach Steve at [email protected]

Sundie SeefriedSundie Seefried (6)

Sundie Seefried is founder and CEO of Safe Harbor Financial (NASDAQ: SHFS), a leading financial services provider to the cannabis industry. She is a 40-year credit union industry veteran and served as the former CEO of Partner Colorado Credit Union (PCCU). Established in 2015 by PCCU, Safe Harbor was formed to provide an unmet need – compliant banking and financial services to the rapidly growing US cannabis industry.

 

Susan GuneliusSusan Gunelius (83)

Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. (KeySplashCreative.com), a marketing communications company established in 2008 offering, copywriting, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and SEO services. Susan has been working with clients in the cannabis industry since 2015. She spent the first half of her 30-year marketing career directing marketing programs for AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more as well as businesses of all sizes around the world. Susan has written 11 marketing-related books, including the highly popular Content Marketing for Dummies, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, and The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing. She is also a Certified Career and Business Coach and Founder and Editor in Chief of Women on Business (WomenOnBusiness.com), an award-winning blog for business women. Susan holds a B.S. in marketing and an M.B.A in management and strategy.

Susan Hollander and Paul SousaSusan Hollander and Paul Sousa (1)

Susan Hollander is a partner in Venable’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group, with more than 25 years of experience in intellectual property litigation and counseling. She has significant experience with trademark, copyright, unfair competition, trade dress, and false advertising cases. She helps high-profile and leading brand-name clients in the technology, Internet, retail, consumer products, entertainment, finance, and healthcare industries prevent the genericism and dilution of their brands and has been responsible for several precedent-setting trademark decisions and jury verdicts.
Hollander frequently appears before the Patent and Trademark Office and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as district and appellate courts throughout the United States. She also manages the international trademark portfolios for a diverse range of clients in various industries and develops comprehensive enforcement efforts in protecting and policing intellectual property rights. Additionally, she has experience overseeing trademark surveys and negotiating settlement and license agreements.

Paul Sousa is an associate in Venable’s Intellectual Property Group in San Francisco, focusing on trademarks and intellectual property matters. He advises clients on domestic and international clearance, cease and desist matters, UDRP complaints, DMCA takedowns, dispute resolution, and portfolio management. He also represents clients in trademark disputes before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board as well as federal district court.

In addition, Sousa has federal and state court intellectual property litigation experience, including pre-filing investigation, motion practice, discovery, depositions, trial preparation and settlement. Sousa’s trademark and intellectual property litigation clients have included domestic and international corporate clients across a range of industries, including consumer electronics, software, finance, food and beverage, and fitness.

Tamsin KaplanTamsin Kaplan (1)

Tamsin R. Kaplan is a shareholder at the Boston law firm of Davis, Malm & D’Agostine, P.C., practicing in the business, employment, and litigation areas. She has extensive experience representing businesses, executives, and other high level professionals on a full range of employment-relates issues, including recruitment, hiring, discrimination, negotiation of employment agreements, breach of contract, non-competes, discipline, termination, and reductions in force. Tamsin regularly litigates business and employment cases in federal and state courts and agencies. She frequently conducts workplace investigations and trainings on diversity, harassment, and other topics. Tamsin has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA, and is listed as a Massachusetts Super Lawyer.

Taneeshia ThomasTaneeshia Thomas (1)

Taneeshia Thomas is a 35 year old African American from Harvey, Illinois. She is currently pursuing her degree in in Business and Communications from South Southern College and has a background in Finance.She and her husband Chris Thomas have been together for 10 years. They started dating when Chris was in prison and have been together ever since. The Thomas’ can be reached at [email protected].

Tanya Hoke and Caroline LambertTanya Hoke and Caroline Lambert (1)

Tanya Hoke has a decade of experience managing investigative due diligence for clients in a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, financial services, and consulting.

She has led hundreds of due diligence investigations into management teams, helping clients to identify business, legal, and reputational risks prior to proceeding with high-value investments. Prior to founding Belem Group and Galen Diligence, she was a senior consultant in corporate investigations at Control Risks Group. Hoke is a certified fraud examiner and a licensed private investigator in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College and a Master of International Business degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Caroline Lambert is a second-year law student at Boston University School of Law pursuing a J.D. with a concentration in international law. Bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in interdisciplinary studies and political science. Extensive knowledge and research experience within the fields of regional organizations and conflict management. Conference presentations include International Studies Association National Conference (2016) and International Studies Association Northeast Regional Conference (2015)

avatar for Tariq NaeemTariq Naeem (2)

Tariq Naeem co-chairs the Tucker Ellis LLP Health & Life Sciences Group. A trial lawyer with a background in the biological sciences, he defends manufacturers of prescription drug and consumer products in all aspects of personal injury cases, particularly those regulated under theFood, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. He works directly with manufacturing, regulatory, clinical, and pharmacovigilance employees to defend clients on such diverse issues as product recalls, design changes, labeling revisions, safety assessments, and FDA investigations. He also advises cannabis businesses on litigation risk management.

Tate BehningTate Behning (2)

Tate Behning, VP of Marketing, leads Terrapin’s retail and wholesale branding and marketing efforts. A marketing and sales expert with more than 18 years of experience building and growing large and small brands locally and internationally. Most recently, Tate was a Marketing Consultant, helping a large CPG brand launch new products and brands in the natural products and outdoors industries. Prior to that he led the nation’s largest pop-up retailer through a major organization transition from a wholesaler to a retailer. He started his career doing marketing and strategy in the event management industry where he eventually led a prestigious event management firm. He has an MBA from the University of Colorado.

Tayana ParkanskaiaTayana Parkanskaia (1)

Tatyana Parkanskai a is the co-owner of Matchbox Cannabis, a Toronto-based, family owned and operated, adult-use cannabis retailer that specializes in exceptional curated experiences and a carefully-curated selection of brands.

 

Taylor JonesTaylor Jones (1)

As the senior sales executive with BioTrackTHC, Taylor Jones has partnered with hundreds of licensed cannabis operators across the full-vertical cannabis supply chain in 30+ states and 4+ countries.

Tekisha HarveyTekisha Harvey (1)
Terry BoothTerry Booth (1)

Terry Booth is the CEO Designate of Australis Capital Corp. and MED PPE Canada Inc. As the co-founder and former CEO of Aurora Cannabis Inc., he was instrumental in building this company into a global, multi-billion dollar cannabis industry leader. A visionary and passionate leader, Terry has  more than 25 years of experience in creating, growing and leading companies in highly regulated industries.

Thomas SmithThomas Smith (2)

Thomas M Smith Chief Innovator CannaScore.

Smith has 33+ years experience in the insurance industry, risk management and government regulatory compliance. His experience includes owning and head of Sales and Marketing of a Commercial Insurance Brokerage and was owner and publisher of an industry leading electronic regulatory compliance suite of products, which included Federal/State OSHA, EPA and DOT rules, directives and interpretations. Most publications were a result of agreements with the regulatory organization where Smith’s company actually maintained regulations for those agencies and selling subscriptions to these electronic regulation products to the end users who had to comply with those regulations.

Smith’s business development activities also included designing an Internet site for US Department of Transportation, a HAZMAT compliance software product for UPS, assisting two international organizations to publish their regulations electronically.

Smith completed several insurance related schools and was part of the initial startup of the XML committee for ACCORD, an insurance industry organization that provides forms design and management systems for the industry. He also started and sold a company that market and sold medical supplies and products to Government Agencies.

Tiffiny Walls-Fox Walls-FoxTiffiny Walls-Fox (1)

Tiffiny Walls-Fox is a partner at Edlin Gallagher Huie + Blum with 13 years of experience practicing law who takes an entrepreneurial approach to helping clients resolve their most daunting legal challenges. Tiffiny has litigated a wide variety of general liability, premises liability, and personal injury cases.  She specializes in cannabis law, construction law, product liability, toxic tort, and trucking and auto casualty matters.  Notably, her previous experience includes founding and managing her own law firm, serving as Trial Attorney and Fraud Investigation Counsel for a global leader in property and casualty insurance, and working for a firm that served clients from underrepresented communities.

In 2006 Tiffiny earned her J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law, graduating cum laude.  While at UM Law, she was a member of Phi Alpha Delta; the Black Law Students Association; the American Bar Association Sports and Entertainment Law Section; and the Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Section.  In recognition of her research, analytical, and writing skills, she was invited to join the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review and served as a Staff Editor from 2004-2005.  In 2001, Tiffiny graduated from UCLA  with a B.A. in history.  As an undergraduate, she was a tutor and mentor in the groundbreaking PALS Program, volunteered her time as a Unicamp counselor, and was chosen as part of the inaugural UCLA Law Fellows class.

Tim CullenTim Cullen (3)

Tim Cullen, CEO of Colorado Harvest Company, a vertically integrated enterprise that grows and sells its own natural cannabis, is also a member of the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s newly formed Private Advisory Committee to help cannabis producers gain insight into safe cultivation practices. The project taps into Cullen’s expertise as an educator and expert cannabis grower. Earlier in 2016, the Colorado Department of Agriculture returned a perfect score on all 80 tests of Colorado Harvest Company cannabis samples taken between August 2015 and January 2016.

Cullen, who took a sabbatical after 10 years of teaching high school biology to start a marijuana business, oversees the production of more than 700 pounds of high quality natural cannabis.

Tim GarrettTim Garrett (1)

Tim Garrett is an attorney with Bass, Berry & Sims where he helps employers solve complex issues related to all aspects of labor and employment law, providing in-depth counseling and developing creative solutions to underlying business issues. He defends employers of all sizes in employment litigation claims across the country. He may be reached at [email protected].

Tim Sutton CPP, PCI, PSP, CHPATim Sutton CPP, PCI, PSP, CHPA (5)

Tim Sutton is considered the most qualified cannabis security expert in consulting. With nearly 35 years of security management experience across several industries including boots-on-the-ground experience within the cannabis industry as security director for two Illinois-based MSOs and triple security board certification, he has been the cannabis industry’s go to security consultant since 2013. His expertise includes operational security management, program development, loss prevention, physical security, risk assessments, and technical security systems design and implementation. Tim is a Director on the ASIS International Professional Standards Board, and a member of the ASTM International  D37 Committee on Cannabis Standards.

Sutton has spoken at a number of cannabis industry events covering security subject matter. He first entered the cannabis industry as a security consultant when he authored security content for the extremely competitive Illinois permit application process winning two cultivation permits and three dispensary permits. After winning five IL permits, Mr. Sutton has provided security consulting services and authored consistently winning security plans and content for applications and operations in multiple states.

In addition to operational security director roles within the cannabis industry, Mr. Sutton has worked as a hospital security director, manufacturing facility security coordinator, and retail director of loss prevention and security. He also has held several positions within a security integrator operation including account executive, senior systems engineer, and licensee in charge and today provides security technology plans for multiple industries.

Tom SantannaTom Santanna (5)

Tom Santanna is the president of Tom Santanna Strategic Consulting (TSSC) a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania based government relations firm. Santanna, a well known figure in the halls of the Capitol, is renowned for his keen political insights, and his tireless efforts in representing his clients in front of the state legislature. TSSC is the only Harrisburg-based firm specializing in medical cannabis. Tom Santanna can be contacted at [email protected]

Tommy TruongTommy Truong (4)

Tommy Truong is the Partnership Director at KayaPush, with a passion for helping entrepreneurs scale their business with technology.

Tony GalloTony Gallo (17)

Tony Gallo is the Managing Partner for Sapphire Risk Advisory Group www.sapphirerisk.com with over 30 years in the Loss Prevention, Audit, Safety, and Risk/Emergency Management fields. He is a published author on cannabis security and has spoken at numerous cannabis business conferences across the country. Tony is considered one of the leading authorities on cannabis security programs.

Tracy GallegosTracy Gallegos (2)

Tracy A. Gallegos is a corporate partner at international law firm Duane Morris LLP. Tracy is also a team lead of the firm’s Cannabis Industry Group and has provided legal services to the cannabis industry since 2010, representing licensed retailers, cultivators, distributors, manufacturers and businesses providing ancillary services thereto. She can be reached at [email protected]

 

Travis HillTravis Hill (1)

Travis Hill, a partner with Nixon Peabody, is a member of the firm’s Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice. He previously served as the chief of both the Public Integrity Bureau and the Real Estate Enforcement Unit of the New York State Attorney General’s Office and also as an assistant U.S. attorney in the District of Columbia.

Travis SteffenTravis Steffen (3)

Travis Steffen, CEO of GrowFlow, a business management and compliance solution for cannabis wholesalers and retailers, and bestselling author of Viral Hero, is a serial entrepreneur with 7 successful exits to his name. With expertise in building and leading teams, raising capital, recruiting and hiring, and growth strategies, Travis is passionate about startups, software and technology. Travis joined GrowFlow as CEO in February of 2019, and has committed to building GrowFlow into the de facto market leader in cannabis software.

Trent OverholtTrent Overholt (1)

Trent Overholt is the CEO of 14th Round, a design and technology company building the best brands in cannabis. 14th Round offers integrated product development, product design, branding and manufacturing plus unrivaled experience in tuning the hardware to each brand’s unique consumable, to functionally elevate the brand while aesthetically differentiating the form factor.

Trent’s specialty is launching and developing successful businesses. As an operating exec, he combines strategy, team building and organizational design to drive clarity and alignment.

 

Trevor McDonaldTrevor McDonald (2)
Tucker HerndonTucker Herndon (1)

Tucker Herndon is the managing partner of Burr & Forman’s Nashville office and the practice group leader for the Agricultural Funding and Lending Group. His practice focuses on commercial lending and creditors’ rights, representing financial institutions and borrowers in loan documentation, foreclosures, and loan and real estate transactions. He can be reached at [email protected].

avatar for Tyler McCainTyler McCain (1)

Tyler McCain is a seasoned cannabis cultivator and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the industry. He is the Director of Cultivation at Mellow Fellows, LLC, which operates Mello Cannabis in Haverhill, MA, and Mello Farms in Amesbury, MA.

Tyler began growing cannabis in Hawaii in his youth, and he quickly developed a passion for the plant and a keen eye for genetics. He moved to California in 2006 to pursue a career in medical cannabis cultivation. Tyler worked on several large-scale grow operations in Trinity and Humboldt Counties, servicing hundreds of cannabis stores in Los Angeles from 2008-2013.

A surfer since age 15, Tyler returned to Hawaii in 2015 and began growing medical cannabis for patients while continuing to chase waves.

In 2019, Tyler relocated to Boston to work as Director of Cultivation at Mellow Fellows. He is also a pheno hunter, responsible for sourcing and developing new cannabis genetics. Tyler is passionate about using his skills and experience to produce the highest quality, most cutting-edge cannabis cultivars and products possible.

Tyler WilliamsTyler Williams (1)

Tyler Williams is the Chief Technical Officer of Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ), and creator of the first global cannabis safety & quality Certification Scheme. Before founding CSQ, Tyler was the Vice President of Operations for ASI, one of the leading food safety auditing, training, and consulting companies in the U.S. In this position, Tyler was responsible for the certification process of over 3000+ audits annually, and he’s trained and consulted several different major food and beverage companies around the world to help improve their food safety practices. Tyler has his master’s degree in Food Safety and Certificate in International Food Law, along with several professional development certifications in food defense, food fraud, preventive controls, HACCP, lead auditor, and more.

 

Vee PopatVee Popat (4)

Vee Popat a data-driven, Google Analytics & Ads certified digital marketing professional with 21 years of strategic, hands-on experience. He’s the founder of 2 unique digital marketing agencies specializing in SEO, conversion rate optimization (CRO), digital advertising, website development, and perpetual data-driven results for his clients.

His cannabis marketing agency, ColaDigital.ca, specializes in digital marketing & SEO solutions for cannabis companies, marijuana dispensaries, and other ancillary businesses.

His brother agency, VPDM Digital Marketing, specializes in data-driven, results-oriented digital marketing solutions and lead generation for real estate agents, financial services, and other local services businesses.

Vee and his cannabis marketing team provide fully managed digital marketing services and specialize in website development, search engine optimization (SEO), content marketing, and Google advertising. Vee can be reached at [email protected].

Virginia MaggioreVirginia Maggiore (2)
Since joining RDC in 2019, Virginia Maggiore has built the firm’s practice of Retail Store Rollout and Planning, adding notable clients to the firm’s roster and garnering accolades for her work from colleagues and clients. Virginia is a licensed architect, responsible for developing the in-store experience and customer journey, creative strategy, visual communication, and marketing integration for retail clients. In the cannabis industry, she has brought her expertise to over 15 retail dispensary projects, including with brands such as Cookies and Stiizy.
Vlad ValmeVlad Valme (1)

Vlad Valme has spent almost a decade working in sales, packaging, product development and sourcing in the cannabis industry. Today he specializes in vaporizer device filling and capping equipment at Thompson Duke Industrial, where he manages the company’s Alliance Partner Program and Southern California Operations to help processors increase efficiencies.

Walter MooreWalter Moore (1)

Walter Moore is an accomplished software architect, financial engineer, and entrepreneur. He is the Co-Founder, CEO and CTO of Cognitive Harmony Technologies, a company designed to streamline the cannabis business application process.

Warren HaraszWarren Harasz (1)

Warren Harasz is Vice President of Regulatory Compliance at Cannaspire. He is an experienced cannabis cultivator with over 15 years of experience in everything from Organic Greenhouse and Light-Dep production, to indoor clean-room hydroponic facilities at commercial scale. He worked at Big Island Grown in Hawaii, writing their facility SOPs which were used to pass DoH inspection prior to beginning operations. He is also a gifted technical writer who can capably wade through state legal code, federal regulations likes OSHA and GMP, in order to produce compliant, useful documents for business management and operations.

 

Wendy RallWendy Rall (26)

Wendy Rall is a professional graphic designer with over 30 years experience. After graduating from The Art Institute of Philadelphia, she worked with east coast design firms for 20 years. In 2002, she moved to Mexico and cofounded Planeta Surf magazine. Now based in California Wendy owns and operates Budd Branding, a boutique design studio. www.buddbranding.com

Whitt SteinekerWhitt Steineker (5)

As co-chair of Bradley’s Cannabis Industry team, Whitt Steineker represents clients in a wide range of cannabis issues. In addition to providing a full suite of legal services to cannabis companies, Whitt and the Cannabis Industry team advise non-cannabis clients – from banks to commercial real estate companies to insurance companies and high net worth individuals – on best practices for doing business with cannabis companies. Whitt can be reached at [email protected].

 

William SimpsonWilliam Simpson (1)

William Simpson III, is the CEO and owner of the Chalice Farms brand. Chalice Farms is a vertically integrated producer, processor and retailer based in Portland, OR and currently serving medical patients and recreational users as of Oct. 1, 2015.

Zachary Venegas VenegasZachary Venegas Venegas (1)

Mr. Venegas is Chairman and CEO of Helix TCS, Inc. (OTCQB: HLIX), a business services provider focused on technology, compliance and security solutions for the cannabis industry. He oversees the Company’s M&A strategy and spearheads long-term planning and growth initiatives.

Prior to joining Helix TCS, Mr. Venegas led Spruce Investment Advisors’ Strategic Advisory Group, closing a portfolio with a net asset value (NAV) of $500 million. He was the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Scimitar, a Dubai-based private equity and venture firm. He steered deal origination, negotiations and capital raising, along with performing analyses at the macroeconomic and geopolitical levels to lead investments across four continents and multiple industries.

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