Alan Gertner
CEO, Hiku
Alan Gertner is the CEO of the recently founded Hiku, the only Canadian craft cannabis producer with a significant national footprint and a growing brand house including premium cannabis lifestyle brands DOJA, Van der Pop, and Tokyo Smoke (co-founded by Alan). A lover of technology, design and everything in-between, Alan most recently led a $+100M organization at Google in Asia. Alan is a proven leader in strategy and operations, including as a founding member of Google’s first Global Business Strategy team while based in Mountain View, California. Alan was formerly a Management Consultant at Oliver Wyman in New York and graduated Dean’s list from the Richard Ivey School of Business, Canada’s leading business school, in 2006.
Brendan Kennedy
CEO, Privateer Holdings
Brendan Kennedy is CEO of Privateer Holdings, the world’s first private equity firm investing exclusively in legal cannabis, which has raised $140+ million to launch global cannabis brands – including portfolio companies Tilray (a global leader in medical cannabis production and research), Marley Natural (the official Bob Marley cannabis brand), and Leafly (the world’s largest cannabis information resource). Mr. Kennedy is a sought-after thought leader on the cannabis industry, business, and entrepreneurship and has been featured in publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, and Financial Post, as well as on stage at Web Summit, Collision, RISE Conference, and SXSW. He holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley; an M.S. from the University of Washington; and an M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management.
Dr. Chanda Macias
Owner, National Holistic Healing Center Medical Marijuana Dispensary
Dr. Chanda Macias, PhD, MBA is the Owner of the National Holistic Healing Center Medical Marijuana Dispensary (NHHC) and Medical Marijuana Consultant in Washington D.C. NHHC is a patient advocated company dedicated to providing individuals with debilitating medical conditions, and specific illnesses with alternative allopathic medicine. NHHC provides patient education and support, medical marijuana, and medical marijuana infused products to patients in compliance with the DC Department of Health.
Daniel Vinkovetsky
Senior Cultivation Editor, High Times
Daniel Vinkovetsky, aka Danny Danko, is a writer, photographer and Senior Cultivation Editor of High Times magazine for 16 years. He has written and edited hundreds of articles on the subject of marijuana gardening both outdoor and indoor and visited hundreds of cannabis cultivation facilities large and small. Danko is the writer of Top Ten Strains of the Year every year since 2005 and also the creator and founder of the HIGH TIMES Seed Bank Hall of Fame. His first book, The Official HIGH TIMES Field Guide to Marijuana Strains, was published in January 2011.
Dasheeda Dawson
Founder & President, MJM Strategy
Dasheeda Dawson is The WeedHead – a strategy consultant, digital growth hacker, and brand equity builder in the cannabis industry. Dasheeda is a corporate-to-cannabis cross-over pioneer helping hemp and marijuana brands “hack into mainstream America” with real talk, top-ranked training and digital expertise. From Target to THC, she has successfully launched and managed multi-million dollar brands for companies such as Target Corporation, Victoria’s Secret and Fullbeauty Brands prior to transitioning to the cannabis industry. Dasheeda received her MBA from Rutgers Business School and completed her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology at Princeton University in 2001.
Deanna Clark-Esposito
Managing Attorney, Clark-Esposito Law PC
Deanna Clark-Esposito is the Managing Attorney of the New York City based Clark-Esposito Law Firm, P.C., and provides legal representation to domestic and foreign companies with matters involving US federal laws and agencies including, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and cannabis, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and vape/tobacco products. She also handles matters concerning the import/export and fashion industries. In 2017 she was a panelist at the Women Grow NYC event entitled, “Know the Law: The Legal Side of a Cannabis Business,” and presented at the “Vapor Fair Meets Hookah Fair” trade show, providing an overview of current obligations, deadlines, and what is on the horizon for the vape industry in terms of FDA regulations and compliance.
Derek Smith
Executive Director & Co-Founder, Resource Innovation Institute
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.
Dooma Wendschuh
Co-Founder & CEO, Province
Dooma Wendschuh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Province, a Toronto-based highly disruptive startup in Canada’s legal cannabis industry. Prior to founding Province, Mr. Wendschuh was the co-founder of a successful, well-known Colorado-based cannabinoid research and consumer products company which he ran for two and a half years. Before entering the cannabis industry, Mr. Wendschuh was co-founder and co-CEO of sekretagent Productions, Inc., a film and video game production company and advertising agency with offices in Los Angeles and Montreal. Mr. Wendschuh graduated magna cum-laude from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, and received his Masters from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema / Television Peter Stark Producing Program.
Ebele Ifedigbo
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director, The Hood Incubator
Ebele is co-founder and co-executive director of The Hood Incubator, a non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the participation of Black and Brown communities in the legal cannabis industry. Ebele spearheads the organization’s economic development and fundraising efforts. Ebele is a Yale MBA graduate committed to using business to foster innovation and racial equity in cannabis. Ebele has served as an NAACP Economics Fellow, working to develop federal and state policies and programs aimed at closing the national Racial Wealth Divide. Ebele’s other professional experiences include working as an analyst at Ameriprise Financial, a legal and compliance summer analyst at Goldman Sachs, and an MBA summer intern for the worker cooperative development organization Project Equity. Ebele received a joint BA in Economics and Philosophy, with a minor in African Studies from Columbia University in New York City.
Emily Paxhia
Co-Founder & Managing Director, Poseidon Asset Management
Emily Paxhia is a co-founder and one of the Managing Directors of Poseidon Asset Management. Emily has reviewed thousands of companies in the cannabis industry and has worked with countless founders in many capacities. She had helped to shape founders’ pitch preparations, their go-to-market strategies/ product launches, and advised on day-to-day business operations. Emily has held board seats for three portfolio companies and participates as an adviser to multiple teams. Emily has dedicated time and energy to supporting policy groups and serves on the Board of Directors of the Marijuana Policy Project. Emily graduated from New York University with an M.A. in Psychology in 2008. She graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. in Psychology in 2002.
Evan Eneman
Founder, Casa Verde Capital, Ello & Flower Shop
A long-time advocate for the legalization and de-stigmatization of cannabis, Evan has spent the past several years working on investing in and scaling companies in the emerging cannabis space. In 2014, Eneman co-founded Casa Verde Capital, one the first venture capital firms that makes early stage investments in innovative and fast-growing ancillary businesses in the emerging cannabis industry, and then went on to co-founded ELLO, which provides accounting, tax and advisory services to the industry. At the same time, recognizing the demand for a dedicated creative and marketing agency focused on cannabis brands and services, Eneman set about founding one and Flower Shop was born. Evan holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Economics from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and is an active member of the alumni community, serving as President of the Wharton Alumni Club of Southern California.
Gia Morón
Director of Communications, Women Grow
Gia Morón is the Director of Communications for Women Grow. Gia is also the Founder and CEO of GVM Communications, Inc., a public relations, brand and business development consulting firm. She launched her firm in 2012, working with various small to mid-sized businesses, non-profit organizations, entrepreneurs, authors and celebrity clients. Prior to launching her firm and working with Women Grow, Gia worked at the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. for fifteen years as a Media Relations Officer in the Corporate Communications department. While at Goldman Sachs, Gia oversaw various business areas from Private Equity, Urban Investment, Investment Research and Technology to the firm’s organizational focus on Corporate Engagement, Diversity, Recruiting, Human Resources and Corporate Services. Before joining Goldman Sachs, Gia was Director of Promotions and Publicity for six years at The Fremantle Corporation, an international television distribution and production company.
Giadha Aguirre de Carcer
Founder & CEO, New Frontier Data
Giadha Aguirre de Carcer is the Founder and CEO of New Frontier Data, the leading cannabis Big Data & Analytics reporting provider in over 68 countries around the world. An entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in business execution, management and strategic business development, de Carcer has worked in investment banking and as a senior consultant in multiple industries across commercial/government sectors domestically and abroad. De Carcer is an official member of the Forbes Technology Council. De Carcer is one of The Most Powerful Women to Watch in D.C. and a recipient of the 2017 Maverick Woman of the Year Stevie Awards. Fluent in five languages including French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, she earned an Associate of Arts degree from Miami Dade Community College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations & Trade from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Arts degree in International Security from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.
Jeanne Sullivan
Co-Founder, StarVest Partners
Jeanne M. Sullivan – Advisor, Investor, Speaker is passionate about delivering ideas – information – and inspiration to entrepreneurs especially women (and a few good men) – and is a fierce advocate for entrepreneurs and changing the prohibition rules in the Cannabis industry. Jeanne is a co-founder of StarVest Partners, a venture capital firm in NYC and long-time tech investor. She is now active with The Arcview Group – a membership organization of more than 600 investors focused on cannabis. Jeanne serves on the board of the New York Venture Capital Association; is a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at the Harvard Kennedy School and is an Athena Entrepreneur Fellow for Barnard College. She also serves as advisor for many women-focused organizations that work to “fund and fuel” women entrepreneurs and is on the Global Board of Trustees of Astia, an organization that funds high-growth women entrepreneurs.
Dr. Jeff Chen
Director, UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative
Dr. Jeff Chen MD/MBA is the Director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, where he leads a team of over 20 faculty members to conduct education and groundbreaking research into the effects of cannabis on society, including health, legal, economic, and social impact. He is a thought leader on the intersection of cannabis policy, science, and business, where he has worked for the last four years to accelerate cannabis research. Dr. Chen is a David Geffen Fellowship Recipient, UCLA Anderson Fellowship Recipient, and UCLA Wolfen Entrepreneurial Award Recipient. He is a U.S. patent holder, a published author in cancer research, and sat on the Admissions Committee at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is a graduate of the MD/MBA program at UCLA and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University where he studied Biology, Business, and Music, and managed the microbiology lab of the Chair of the Microbiology Department, Dr. William Ghiorse.
Jesce Horton
Owner, Panacea Valley Gardens
Jesce Horton is an engineer by education, an energy management and automation expert through training, and a horticulturalist by passion. Currently he serves as the owner of Panacea Valley Gardens, a medical cannabis cultivation center and co-founder of Panacea, an award-winning dispensary in Portland, OR. He is also the co-founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), the first and largest non-profit organization founded to create equal access and economic empowerment for cannabis businesses, their patients, and the communities most affected by the war on drugs. Jesce earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL.
John Hudak
Deputy Director & Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
John Hudak is deputy director of the Center for Effective Public Management and a senior fellow in Governance Studies. His research examines questions of presidential power in the contexts of administration, personnel, and public policy. Additionally, he focuses on campaigns and elections, legislative-executive interaction, and state and federal marijuana policy. He is the author of the 2016 book Marijuana: A Short History, which offers a unique, up-to-date profile of how cannabis emerged from the shadows of counterculture and illegality to become a serious, even mainstream, public policy issue and source of legal revenue for both businesses and governments. John holds a B.A. in political science and economics from the University of Connecticut and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from Vanderbilt University.
John Kagia
Executive Vice President, New Frontier Data
John Kagia applies his keen understanding of market research, business strategy and industry analysis to help high performing organizations achieve their strategic objectives. Leveraging his years of experience managing research studies for industry-leading clients including Accenture, Microsoft, The George Washington University, and the U.S. Department of State, Kagia brings a keen understanding of how market insights enable organizations to plan, grow, compete, and measure performance more effectively. His passion about issues such as disruptive innovation and new market opportunities, has brought him to focus on identifying strategic business opportunities in the fast-evolving marijuana industry. He received his MSc. in Marketing with a Market Research focus from Johns Hopkins University’s Carey Business School. He concurrently studied Japanese at the university’s School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He received an MA in Management from the University of Durham in the United Kingdom, and his B.A., Joint Honors, in Japanese and Management from the University of Leeds also in the UK.
Jon Jacobs
Owner, Jacobs Law Firm PLLC
Owner of Jacobs Law Firm PLLC, Jon D. Jacobs spent nearly 27 years in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance and the Office of Administrative Law Judges. He has earned an international reputation specializing in pesticide, toxic substances, and emergency planning issues. His insider knowledge of EPA, DOJ, and other federal and state agencies offers an extraordinary and perhaps unique understanding of how EPA and the federal government operate. He maintains well established relationships with many key players at EPA allowing him to develop innovative strategies, options, and solutions that many other “environmental attorneys” are unable to accomplish.
Kebra Smith-Bolden
CEO, CannaHealth
Kebra Smith-Bolden is the CEO of CannaHealth a Holistic Cannabis Health and Wellness Center, and the Market Leader for Women Grow CT, a networking organization that empowers Women to become entrepreneurs in the Cannabis Industry. Her memberships include The Connecticut Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, Connecticut Norml and The Minority Cannabis Business Association. In addition, Kebra is the President of the Connecticut Chapter of Minorities for Medical Marijuana. Kebra is also the CO-Chief Nursing Officer of the Steering Committee for Huerfano County, Colorado’s Faris Green Campus project to Fight Opiate Addiction with Cannabis.
Kristina Garcia
CEO, Women Grow
Kristina Garcia is the Chief Executive Officer at Women Grow. With more than 15 years of experience studying and designing systems that enable individuals to reach their full potential, Kristina is dedicated to exploring what makes people tick and how we can use that to our advantage. Raised in New Jersey, Kristina is a graduate of Cook College at Rutgers University. In 2002, she began her career with Apple. There, she learned branding, efficiency, and innovation from some of the best leaders in business, an experience that fueled her desire to create simple solutions to everyday problems. Kristina credits Women Grow Co-Founder Jazmin Hupp with teaching her about the powerful potential of social advocacy. Kristina moved to New York City in 2009, after Jazmin hired her at the independent Apple retailer Tekserve and encouraged her to relocate. In New York, she worked with Tekserve and an entertainment industry startup before joining Esteé Lauder Companies to focus on technology implementations within the Global Retail Channel.
Kyle Jensen
Associate Dean and Director of Entrepreneurship, Yale School of Management
Kyle Jensen is an entrepreneur, developer, and scientist. Before joining the Yale SOM faculty, he co-founded Agrivida, a venture-backed biotechnology company based in Boston; PriorSmart, a patent analytics provider (acquired by RPX, Nasdaq:RPXC); and Pit Rho, a leader in motorsport analytics. In addition to teaching, Kyle works with numerous Yale start-ups as Associate Dean and Director of Entrepreneurship. His research interests include entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and innovation.
Lauren Rudick
Partner, Hiller PC
Lauren Rudick is a Partner in the boutique business law firm, Hiller, PC, in Manhattan, New York. A “recovering litigator,” Lauren practiced commercial litigation for ten years, during which time she successfully represented clients in a wide variety of business, intellectual property, and Internet/media disputes, while contributing to the Firm’s land use and zoning practice. Lauren is also the co-founder of Hiller, PC’s cannabis law practice, and is a member of the legal team that brought a federal action against Attorney General Jeffrey Sessions and Chuck Rosenberg for, among other things, a declaration that the mis-classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug is unconstitutional. In 2015, Lauren was named a Rising Star among Top New York Metro Attorneys, as featured by Superlawyers.
Marvin Washington
Financial Advisor, William Small Wealth Management
Marvin Washington is a retired NFL player who played a total of eleven years with three teams: the New York Jets, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers. He was a member of the Denver Broncos 1998 Super Bowl winning team and was voted by Sports Illustrated as the 36th best N.Y. Jet of all-time. An advocate for all-natural, non-habit forming cannabis, Washington is speaking out on the topic of using cannabinoids as neuroprotectants as well as an avenue to alleviate the nation’s #1 health epidemic: prescription opioid abuse and addiction. He has also lobbied the NFL Players Association to push for changes in the sport’s drug policies. Washington is a graduate of Idaho University and a 2004 inductee into the University of Idaho Vandal Sports Hall of Fame. Marvin Washington now works for William Small Wealth Management Group as a Financial Advisor; primarily serving individuals with a select number of Professional Athletes in the NFL and NBA. He has 10 years of experience working in the financial Services field – more specifically in financial planning, retirement planning and estate planning.
Mauricio Agudelo
Managing Director, Dioscorides Global Holdings
Mauricio Agudelo is the Managing Director for Dioscorides Global Holdings, a New York Based private equity investment platform investing exclusively in the medical cannabis sector. Mauricio is also currently the Chief Corporate and Business Development Officer for Bedrocan International, a rapidly-expanding Dutch cultivator or medical cannabis that oversees cultivation facilities on two continents. Mauricio holds a B.S. in Finance and a B.A. English Literature from the University of Connecticut; a JD from Brooklyn Law School; an MBA from the Yale School of Management; and is a CFA Charter from the CFA Institute.
Mona Zhang
Founder & Editor, Word on the Tree
Mona Zhang is a freelance journalist and editor of Word on the Tree, a highly respected cannabis newsletter and website. Her cannabis coverage appears in Forbes, Vice, High Times, and more. Before jumping on the weed beat, she covered media and tech for Mediabistro and served as Social Editor for Adweek. Executives in the cannabis space and activists at national reform organizations have all expressed appreciation for her daily dispatches, which combine the best of cannabis journalism with a focus on the social justice issues at the center of the movement.
Nancy Whiteman
Co-Owner, Wanna Brands
Heralded as “The Queen of Legal Weed” by Inc. Magazine (May 2017), Nancy Whiteman is co-founder and co-owner of Wana Brands. Nancy founded Wana Brands in 2010, and now Wana Brands is ranked the No. 1 edibles producer in sales revenues in the highly competitive Colorado market according to BDS Analytics. Prior to founding Wana, Nancy was a principal with The Whiteman Group, a sales and marketing consultancy. Nancy 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. In November 2017, Nancy was named No. 1 most important woman in cannabis by Cannabis Business Executive, up from No. 4 in 2016.
Natalie Ginsberg
Policy & Advocacy Director, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)
Natalie Ginsberg is the Policy & Advocacy Director at the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS). MAPS’ primary focus is FDA-approved clinical research evaluating MDMA-assisted psychotherapy as treatment for PTSD. Natalie served as a Policy Fellow at the Drug Policy Alliance, where she helped legalize medical cannabis in her home state of New York, and worked to end New York’s racist marijuana arrests. Now at MAPS, and living in Oakland, CA, Natalie advocates for research to provide evidence-based alternatives to both the war on drugs and the current mental health paradigm. Natalie believes psychedelic research can help shift the current health and treatment paradigm to one focused on holistic healing, rather than numbing symptoms.Natalie holds an MSW from Columbia University School of Social Work, and a BA in History from Yale College.
Dr. Rachel Knox
Co-Founder, The American Cannabinoid Clinics
Dr. Rachel Knox, MD, MBA is one of four co-founders of the American Cannabinoid Clinics (The AC Clinics), a title she proudly shares with her mom, dad and sister: Drs. Janice, David and Jessica Knox. Dr. Rachel received her medical and business degrees from Tufts University after completing her undergraduate studies at Duke. She trained in Family and Integrative medicine before pursuing additional study in the areas of Functional, Cannabinoid and Cannabis Medicine, and is a current member of the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine. Dr. Rachel serves as the Attending Physician on the Oregon Cannabis Commission, as the Medical Chair for the Minority Cannabis Business Association, and is recognized as a Doctors for Cannabis Regulation Ambassador.
Ralph Risch
COO, Phylos Bioscience
Ralph Risch is Chief Operating Officer of Phylos Bioscience, an agricultural genomics company with headquarters in Portland, Oregon. Phylos uses modern molecular genetics and computational biology to better understand cannabis, the most important and least-studied plant in the world. Phylos genomics testing and breeding services are enabling this new industry to grow safely and sustainably. Ralph is a serial entrepreneur who has founded, grown and successfully exited multiple companies. He founded Portland-based TechTracker, Inc. and served as its President and CEO until it was acquired by CNET (now CBS Interactive) in 2007. Ralph has a BS in Engineering and Computer Science from University of Colorado, Boulder.
Scott Greiper
Founder & President, Viridian Capital Advisors
Mr. Greiper has had a highly successful 30-year career on Wall Street and in his own businesses, with a focus on helping to back and build emerging growth companies. He is the Founder and President of Viridian Capital Advisors, LLC, a financial and strategic advisory firm dedicated to the medicinal and legal cannabis market. Mr. Greiper is also the president and founder of Secure Strategy Group, which provides capital, strategic advisory, and M&A services to growth companies in the technology, security, and IT markets. Scott has been involved in raising more than $500 million in capital for emerging growth companies and has completed a range of M&A transactions. He attended the Executive MBA program at Columbia University and received his B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago.
Shanel Lindsay
Founder & President, Ardent Cannabis
Boston-based attorney and patient advocate Shanel Lindsay founded Ardent LLC and invented the precision medicinal cannabis tool, the NOVA™ Decarboxylator, along with Ardent’s suite of wellness and beauty products. Shanel drafted the state of Massachusetts’ adult use cannabis law and is founding member and co-chair of the Northeast Cannabis Coalition and counsel to the Massachusetts Patients Advocacy Alliance. She was recently appointed by the Treasurer to the newly-formed Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board, working with the Massachusetts government to develop and implement regulations for the medical and adult use markets. Shanel is dedicated to improving public understanding of cannabis’ medicinal benefits. Shanel completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania before receiving her JD from the Northeastern University School of Law.
Shannon O’Hearn
Clinical Researcher, MedReleaf
Shannon O’Hearn (MSc, CCRP) manages the Clinical Research program at MedReleaf Corp., one of the largest Canadian licensed producers of medical cannabis. She has been with the organization since its inception in 2014 and is currently responsible for the oversight of project planning, protocol development, regulatory and ethics submissions, clinical scientific writing, and all other aspects of clinical research initiatives sponsored by MedReleaf. She previously completed a Bachelor of Science with honours in Life Sciences through Queen’s University (Kingston, ON) and Trinity College Dublin (Dublin, IE), a Master’s of Science in Clinical Research Administration through Walden University, and achieved designation as a Certified Clinical Research Professional through the Society of Clinical Research Associates. She has also co-authored 11 peer-reviewed publications focused on the therapeutic applications of cannabinoid-based medicine.
Tahira Rehmatullah
Managing Director, Hypur Ventures
As Managing Director at Hypur Ventures, Tahira is responsible for portfolio company management as well as investment sourcing and execution. She has been named one of the most powerful women in the cannabis industry by Fortune Magazine and Complex, and has a passion for developing female leadership in the cannabis industry. Prior to joining Hypur Ventures, Tahira served as the General Manager of Marley Natural, where she was responsible for the brand’s launch and managing day-to-day operations of the company, and was an Investment Manager at Privateer Holdings. Prior to the cannabis industry, Tahira was a Portfolio Manager at City First Enterprises managing the community development investment portfolio. Tahira earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and holds a B.S. in Finance and Life Sciences from The Ohio State University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a Presidential Scholar.
Todd Mitchem
Managing Partner, TMC Partners Government Affairs
Todd Mitchem is an entrepreneur, seasoned senior leader, speaker, and author. Starting in 2013, he was invited to guide companies in the emerging cannabis industry as they built new and hyper-fast moving start-up companies. His successes include: helping develop the largest brand in the space (over 1,600% growth in 12 months), and building the world’s first global social network unique to the cannabis consumer which grew from zero users to over 300k in less than a year. Todd also built the world’s first cannabis job fair after legalization called, “CannaSearch” which saw over 3400 job hopefuls who filled over 1000 new jobs in Colorado alone. He also leads the industry as the first person to speak to Attorneys General on the need for standards in marijuana tracking, production, and business leadership.