Jimmy Farrell is a manager in the Technical Committee Operations Division of ASTM International, one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world.
In his role, Jimmy has direct responsibility for the standards development activities within Committees C04 on Vitrified Clay Pipe, C13 on Concrete Pipe, C28 on Advanced Ceramics, and D37 on Cannabis. Jimmy manages the technical committee that addresses the development and maintenance of standards and guidance materials for cannabis and its products and processes by bringing together producers, users, testing labs, regulators, lending and insurance experts, and all others with an interest in the cannabis industry through Committee D37. With a focus on the development of test methods, practices and guides for cultivation, quality assurance, laboratory considerations, personnel training, industrial hemp, devices, packaging and security, sustainability and financial services and insurance.
Jimmy earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications Journalism from Shippensburg University.
Named one of NCIA's “Top 10 Influential Women to Meet” in 2018. I bring a strategic, integrated approach to the marketing ecosystem in order to support and help drive customer engagement and meet revenue goals. A firm believer that every brand interaction is important and should be experienced in an authentic, meaningful way by the audiences who matter most.
Specialties: cannabis, CBD, tourism, real estate, destination, brand building, media relations, influencer relations, community outreach, message development, crisis communications, social media strategy, content development, business development, digital marketing
Michael Correia is director of government relations for the National Cannabis Industry Association. His focus is raising awareness and building support for the cannabis industry’s issues on Capitol Hill. In addition, Michael works with other national organizations to increase the cannabis industry profile nationally. Prior to joining NCIA, Michael spent many years working on Capitol Hill, including working for Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), who retired in 2010, and the House Committee on Resources, serving three different Chairmen. Previously, he was director of federal affairs for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and senior project manager for the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget. In both positions, he advocated for policies in Congress. A campaign veteran, he has worked and volunteered on numerous political campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels over the past two decades. Michael is a graduate of the University of California, San Diego. A native of San Diego, he resides in Washington, D.C.
Alena Rodriguez is a consultant in the cannabis industry with a passion for standardization. She has expertise in business operations, laboratory testing, Quality Management Systems, and regulatory compliance. Alena has an M.S. in biomedical sciences and a B.S. in biology from Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Before entering the cannabis industry, she worked in molecular biology, analytical chemistry, and neuroscience laboratories at FAU, Envoy Therapeutics, and the University of Colorado Anschutz doing drug discovery research. Alena is currently the chair of the Laboratory Subcommittee of ASTM International’s Committee D37 on Cannabis and an executive member of the National Cannabis Laboratory Council (NCLC). She is also a member of AOAC CASP’s Microbiology Working Group and a current member and former chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Scientific Advisory Committee. She most recently worked at Rm3 Labs, an analytical cannabis testing facility in Colorado, where she held several positions including Lead Microbiologist, Quality Manager, and Managing Director. For almost 7 years, Alena managed the lab’s daily operations, worked with regulators, developed contaminant testing methods, and led the lab's efforts to achieve and maintain ISO 17025 accreditation.
David Kessler is Chief Science Officer at Agrify, the most innovative provider of advanced cultivation and extraction solutions for the cannabis industry. He has 20+ years of cannabis cultivation experience including 10 years of CEA (closed environmental agriculture) indoor farm design. David’s focus on the application of technology to optimize process & workflow while reducing operational costs are a common theme throughout his prolific industry publications. David has written for such companies as Sunlight Supply, Maximum Yield Magazine, Botanicare, and Hawthorne Gardening Company. David also regularly lectures at many cannabis industry events including MJBizCon Las Vegas, Cannabis Science Conference Baltimore, and Michigan’s Cannabis-Aid.
David has also worked as a consultant to Universities and the Hollywood film industry, working on several blockbuster Hollywood films including: The Hunger Games, The Divergent film franchise, and Marvel’s Black Panther.
David’s decades of experience with horticultural lighting have allowed him the opportunity to be a product tester for companies such as Sharp Electronics and the Horticultural Lighting Group. David has worked with independent 3rd party laboratories to provide unbiased testing data comparing the performance of a multitude of horticultural lighting manufacturers.
Additionally, David is the proprietor of Willowbrook Orchids, an orchid nursery specializing in Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums.
As urban-gro's Executive Vice President of Business Developments, Sam Andras brings decades of architectural and engineering design experience to the urban-gro executive team. Previously, Mr. Andras was the senior principal and partner at MJ12 Design Studio, Inc. and 2WR + Partners prior to the firms’ acquisition by urban-gro in 2021.
As the son of a general contractor, Sam has built an architectural career focusing on long-term quality. His experience working in his family business as a young professional has given him a strong understanding of construction means and methods far beyond a typical architect. His expertise has helped urban-gro become the first fully integrated architecture and engineering design firm focused on Controlled Environment Agriculture.
Sam continues to develop the Company's Controlled Environment Agriculture facilities across North America and Europe. Sam holds a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture from Florida A&M University and continues to support urban-gro in advancing design, engineering, and integrating complex environmental equipment systems into high-performance facilities.
As the CSO and co-founder of Vertosa, Dr. Harold Han spearheads the development of industry-leading, customized active ingredients for infused product makers, offering pre-suspended aqueous solutions to create incredibly homogeneous, stable products while maximizing bioavailability, clarity, and taste. His work at Vertosa combines his storied background in emulsion chemistry and science with curiosity and fascination in the rapidly growing cannabis industry. Developing nano and micro emulsions his entire career, Harold holds a Ph.D. in Surface Chemistry from NYU and is the author of two patents in emulsion chemistry. Before founding Vertosa, Harold was the senior emulsion scientist at Bio-Rad Laboratories, where his team scaled emulsification oil and supplied products to over 90 countries.
Daniel Sondheim is the Director of Medical Platform Initiatives at SōRSE Technology, working with groups interested in the medical application of cannabinoids, providing guidance and information on applications that require further evaluation than that of nutritional supplements and food. In his time at SōRSE, Daniel has also developed intellectual property and worked with attorneys to file patent and trademark protections. He is a member of the AOAC advisory panel helping to develop standards and testing methods for the cannabis industry.
Prior to SōRSE, Daniel worked at the University of Washington as a Research Scientist Engineer for GU Cancer Research. He supervised a team of two pre-clinical researchers and created protocols that adhered to regulations for simultaneous preclinical studies. He also served as the team leader for tissue acquisition necropsy for the Prostate and Bladder Cancer Donor program.
Former commissioner, Deborah Miran, was a member of the Natalie M. LaPrade Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission from 2013- 2016. While serving on the commission, she was also a member of the executive committee, policy, and research subcommittees, and was chair of the education subcommittee. She was responsible for developing education programs for doctors and patients, and was also an integral part of crafting the current regulations. Prior to the commission she was president and founder of Miran Consulting, Inc. There she advised both brand and generic drug makers on the FDA approval process. Ms. Miran was senior director of regulatory affairs for Alpharma, a generic drug manufacturer, where she directed the submission activities for new and abbreviated new drug applications to the FDA. She has spent over 30 years in the US pharmaceutical industry. Ms. Miran received her bachelor of science in chemistry from Iowa State University.
Joe, an experienced litigator, is a partner in the firm’s Business Litigation practice group. He represents clients in state and federal courts in a broad range of commercial and civil matters, including complex litigation. His experience encompasses many areas of litigation including claims involving product liability as well as general, professional, real estate and medical liability. He is committed to working closely with clients to develop effective strategies and solutions to achieve their goals. Joe also counsels clients with respect to federal and state regulation related to the cannabis industry, including marijuana, hemp, and CBD products
Dr. Kristofer Marsh serves as Chief Scientific Officer at Green Scientific Labs, a commercial cannabis and hemp testing laboratory with locations in Florida and Arizona. Since 2017, Kris has worked in the cannabis testing industry in roles of increasing responsibility. Kris has presented at numerous cannabis industry conferences on topics ranging from infused beverages to delta-8 THC and is also a member of the National Cannabis Laboratory Council as well as ASTM Committee D37 on Cannabis. Dr. Marsh received his B.S. in Chemistry from Towson University and his Ph.D. in Materials Chemistry from UCLA.
Mr. Patel leads the strategic vision, financial health and global growth of PathogenDx, a Scottsdale, AZ based company which provides disruptive DNA-based pathogen testing technology and solutions for the cannabis, botanical, food and agricultural industries.
Previously, Mr. Patel spent over 25 years working with large public, small private and entrepreneurial companies in numerous fields from the life sciences, to biotechnology, to government services and the automotive industry. Milan served as COO/CFO of GMSbiotech. He also was CFO of 2020 Company, LLC, a leading premier professional services firm that delivered business and technology solutions to the government, in the areas of health, education and science.
Mr. Patel also worked at Intel Corporation in Sales & Marketing, Finance and Manufacturing. He has extensive experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, business strategy and planning, infrastructure and organizational development, and controls, compliance and audit and has led several company exits.
Milan earned his BS in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy; a MS in Biomedical/Medical Engineering, University of Michigan; and a MBA in Finance and Marketing, University of Detroit Mercy.
Elisabeth Berry is the Chief Operating Officer of PSI Labs, a multi-state cannabis testing laboratory with operations in Michigan and California. As COO, Elisabeth oversees the lab’s finance, human resources, compliance, and central operations teams with a focus on guiding the company’s strategic planning and expansion. Prior to joining PSI Labs, Elisabeth led operations and growth initiatives across diverse industries (including venture capital, food and beverage, tech and healthcare M&A), supporting organizations to scale strategically and sustainably. Elisabeth’s passion for early-stage companies has led to participation on a number of investment review committees as well as board roles across private and not-for-profit organizations, including her current board position with the Autism Alliance of Michigan, and role as a founding member of the National Cannabis Laboratory Council (NCLC). Elisabeth holds an MBA from George Washington University, a graduate certificate in public health from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan
Christa McNally has been stimulating consumer behavior through Trade, Customer Marketing, and Sales for over 25 years. She provides strategic guidance across all sizes of entrepreneurial and established enterprises. With her cross-functional expertise in Retail, Logistics, Consumer Insights, Product and Packaging Science, she consistently brings the voice of the shopper and marketplace storytelling to corporate strategy. Christa spent a decade working overseas on 3 different continents, perfecting the art of learning through observation and trendspotting. She worked with dunnhumby Insights in Ireland and Turkey (Tesco) and marketing for the #1 retailer in Australia, Coles Supermarkets. She has driven double-digit growth for household brand names such as Colgate Toothpaste and SKYY Vodka and is now the Senior Brand Manager of a $.5Billion portfolio of beverages at Niagara Bottling, including new product development
Allison has spent almost two decades building and leading global teams to produce award-winning advertising and marketing campaigns for some of the world’s most beloved brands, including Ziploc, Bacardi, YouTube, Special K, Cheez-It, and Johnson & Johnson.
As a Founding Board Member and Creative Lead for the Cannabis Media Council (CMC), Allison focuses on channeling the power of media to educate, elevate, and normalize cannabis use for the benefit of the industry. In collaboration with ambitious council members and partners, the CMC navigates the uncertainty of the rapidly evolving media landscape to create breakthrough campaigns and thoughtful business strategies that generate real value for member organizations.
Allison is vocal about her belief in the power of brand marketing and creativity to advance the cannabis industry and her views have been featured in Forbes, Ad Age, High Times, Green Entrepreneur, MJBiz Magazine, Muse by Clios, and more.
Allison earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and her BA in Communications from Michigan State University. She is also an Officer on the Marketing and Advertising Committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association, and Executive Board Member for the Center for Disability and Elder Law.
Andrew Freeman is a recruiter who has specialized for more than 6 years in the fulfillment of leadership roles in the global cannabis industry. He has placed leadership talent for cannabis businesses seeking new cultivation, extraction, manufacturing, human resources, marketing, tech, sales, finance and other functional leadership to help achieve more sustainable success across the entire cannabis ecosystem. He has gained valuable insight into the specific human capital challenges that exist in the cannabis industry and looks forward to sharing them in a meaningful way to the cannabis community.
Howard Lee has led the SōRSE team since 2016, which to date has tripled in size. He has brought SōRSE to the international marketplace through licensing agreements with The Valens Company and FCM Global and into the medical space through a cancer research partnership with Pascal Biosciences.
Howard brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the tech industry and enterprise world, having served as CEO and founder of multiple start-ups where he was responsible for raising seed funding; Series A, B, C funding; and growth equity rounds.
Mr. Kelley is Senior Operating Partner for Merida Capital Partners where he has helped build cannabis operations across the country. He is a board member of Brytemap and Nautilus Botanicals. Kelley also serves on the editorial board for Cannabis Dispensary Magazine and the Cannabis Business Times Conference, and is a frequent contributor to both.
Prior to Merida Mr. Kelley served as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of LeafLine Labs. Additionally, he has held management roles at Dun & Bradstreet, Investors Bank & Trust, Wind River Capital Management, and Fresenius Medical Care. He has consulted to the SAP Business Incubator and the Civilian Research & Development Fund. Mr. Kelley earned his BSBA in Management and Finance from Bryant University in Rhode Island.
Prior to her current position as the Chief Licensing & Regulatory Officer with one of the California’s pioneering vertically integrated cannabis and hemp operators Eden Enterprises, Inc., Pamela was the Founder of Green Wise Companies – Green Wise Legal & Green Wise Consulting, California’s premiere full-service cannabis consulting company and law firm, providing a range of legal, consulting, business development and application permitting services to every facet of the cannabis industry. Pamela’s diverse background, inclusive of legal, land use, and environmental work, placed her in a unique position to lead and advise her clients and the cannabis community in general.
Pamela has become known as a fearless advocate for local cannabis businesses along the supply chain guiding them through the ever-changing legal and regulatory landscape. Recognized as an expert in her field, Pamela serves as a featured speaker, providing energetic and compelling commentary focused on topics such as land use and zoning, regulatory compliance and environmental issues. Pamela’s mission is to advance industry and foster stability and growth.
Pamela is a trusted resource for local governments looking to effectively regulate cannabis within their jurisdictions and has served as the Special City Attorney for the City of Hollister regarding their Commercial Cannabis Ordinance. She is proud to serve as current President of the California Cannabis Industry Association’s ("CCIA") Board of Directors.
Sarah Otis is the Director of QA and Special Projects for Anresco Laboratories in San Francisco, California. Sarah is an analytical chemist with over a decade of experience in the cannabis industry spanning multiple legalized States. Sarah’s expertise is in quality assurance and regulatory compliance, and for the last 7 years she has been focusing her skill set and efforts on advancing regulatory and R&D testing and laboratory operations for cannabis and hemp testing laboratories. Her experience and knowledge also branch into other aspects of the industry such as licensing, cultivation, extraction, and cannabis infused product formulation and production.
Lezli Engelking is the Founder and CEO of the Foundation of Cannabis Unified Standards (FOCUS), located in Scottsdale, Arizona. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communications and Statistics from Arizona State University. Ms. Engelking brings over two decades of experience in the healthcare and nonprofit sectors. Her keen understanding of the pharmaceutical industry gained during her 12-year tenure with Eli Lilly, prompted her to pivot and apply her expertise to the burgeoning cannabis industry.
Ms. Engelking has been an executive leader in the cannabis industry for nine years, opening the first chain of vertically integrated medical cannabis operations in Phoenix, Arizona. During her two and a half years in that role, Lezli realized the critical need for cannabis specific quality and safety standards. This compelled her to found FOCUS, the International Cannabis Health and Safety Organization, in 2014. With a progressive and intuitive approach, Ms. Engelking has helped shape local and international cannabis policy, including coordinating and developing cannabis specific standards and educational content for the FDA, Department of Agriculture, and the National Environmental Health Association. Most recently, Ms. Engelking participated in the 2018 United Nations and World Health Organization meetings on the global rescheduling of cannabis.
Bio coming soon
Mark Anthony Flores is an accomplished marketing strategist with 20 years of CPG experience. Being in the cannabis industry for the last 7 years, he has developed multiple cannabis and dispensary brands, integrated campaigns for MSOs, and experiential work that has all driven brand engagement, equity, and tied to increased sales. Three years ago, Flores was a founding member of a cannabis specific creative boutique agency but has since moved to AE Global where he is launching a Creative Services integrated agency with the packaging giant to streamline client processes and create more efficiencies in the consumer experience through marketing and packaging.
Chris served as the founding editor of MJBiz during the company’s launch in 2011, becoming the first journalist in the United States to focus exclusively on covering the business of cannabis. As CEO of MJBiz, he now guides the strategic vision of the company while educating mainstream industries about the marijuana and hemp sectors. He’s also the host of the podcast Seed to CEO. Chris has been quoted as one of America’s foremost cannabis industry analysts by dozens of media outlets, including Harvard Business Review, CNBC and the New York Times. He earned an MBA in international business from Regis University.
I'm a career environmental & risk professional supporting organizations, businesses & communities in implementing new systems, structures, technologies and thinking critical to advancing an equitable, protective and promising life-sustaining future. I seek to serve vision-guided innovative companies and non-profits in growing and scaling delivery of their products and services. My vision is to create a world that works for everyone. This means influencing new ways living today that is inclusive, equitable, and just in meeting society's current needs while stewarding ecological systems while securing the needs and civil structures for future generations. Every action matters that changes individual behaviors and fosters understanding to make better choices for our collective future.
As the former head of U.S. Marketing Communications at AB InBev, Lisa traded her crown as “Queen of Beers” for a new moniker: “The Cannabis Publicist.” She established Trailblaze to bring a more sophisticated, disciplined “big CPG” approach to cannabis brand storytelling and help new players in this nascent industry find their way into the mainstream. (Plus, the “Bud Girl” pun was irresistible).
With over twenty years of experience working inside some of the world’s most admired companies, Lisa has earned a reputation for building culturally relevant consumer brands through creative campaigns and flawless execution within high-stakes, regulated environments.
Under her leadership, Trailblaze has become a go-to marketing communications agency for Fortune 500 companies entering the burgeoning cannabis industry, as well as start-ups looking to put their brands on the map.
If my career could be summed up in a sentence, I am a creator, problem solver, and solutions provider across verticals and on a national and international level. With 30 years of legal, business, and public service experience, I have enjoyed serving as a federal prosecutor, presidential appointee, and US delegate and worked as a corporate attorney, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and turn-around expert. I also have been engaged in mentoring and philanthropy most of my adult life. These experiences give me a unique and well-informed perspective which I bring to the nascent cannabis industry.
In my business life I have acquired and operated companies steeped in chaos and tangled in regulatory and financial difficulties and restored them to fiscal health and compliance, creating jobs along the way. I have insisted on the highest ethical standards for the many businesses I have owned, led, or advised. And, most of all, I am an expert in making order out of chaos and navigating change, with the deep understanding of the disruption inherent in any transition.
20 plus years of beverage experience. Lead growth teams and had executive-level leadership positions and some of the fastest-growing CPG brands in the country. Josh lives in Hingham, MA with his wife and three children.
Diana Eberlein is the VP of Sales and Marketing at SōRSE Technology; she generates strategy for the sales team and creates digital and experiential marketing campaigns including events, PR, and advertisements. Diana is a seasoned strategist with over 15 years of experience, including six years in the cannabis sector.
Diana specializes in brand development, thought leadership, strategic partnerships, and entertainment marketing. Her past client experience includes BlackBerry, Crayola, Harman International, Club Med, and more. Diana was recently elected President of the Cannabis Beverage Association and also serves on the Forbes Agency Council.
Hennesy oversees Wana Brands’ R&D program, new product design, educational training content and partnerships with emerging cannabis technologies. He led the team in creating Wana’s new line of fast-acting Quick gummies, that rank in the top 10 best-selling edibles in Colorado, and use an innovative encapsulation technique to increase the bioavailability of cannabinoids and take effect quickly. Hennesy directed the development of Wana’s unique proprietary terpene blends. He also created Wana’s online interactive training program that covers the science of the endocannabinoid system. Previously, Hennesy managed Wana’s sales team of seven, where the quickly growing business proved demanding but rewarding as his team expanded Wana’s shelf presence in the vast majority of Colorado’s dispensaries with a three-year growth rate of 203%. In 2021, Hennesy graduated from the nation’s first Master’s Program for Cannabis Science and Therapeutics at The University of Maryland’s School of Pharmacy.
Aly LeNoble is the Director of Marketing for Willow Industries, the leader in cannabis kill step and post-harvest decontamination technology. With a passion for branding and innovative campaigns within unique, fast-paced industries, she entered into the cannabis industry in 2018 in MJBizDaily’s Marketing and External Communications departments, focusing on conference experience and partnership expansion.
In 2020, Aly joined Willow Industries in conjunction with the launch of its proprietary, patented machine, WillowPure 360. Bringing her love for authentic connection and branding full circle, Aly is dedicated to empowering cultivators with dynamic educational content around microbial contamination and quality growing practices. Through Willow’s Clean Cannabis mission, she also works to bridge the gap between patients, consumers, and cultivators with expanded access to plant education.
Aly is a proud member of the Women in Cannabis (WINC) Marketing group. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies at Loyola University, New Orleans, where she worked with music festival production companies in brand activations and artist management. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, she worked in television programming as well as nonprofit management for Recapturing the Vision, building out their Teen Vision Magazine and producing the Teen Empowerment Summit.
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).
Jocelyn Sheltraw is the CEO of Budist, a cannabis product reviews and ratings platform launching soon. Prior to Budist, Jocelyn spent 4.5 years as the Head of Industry Relations at Headset, the leading data and analytics company for the cannabis industry.
Jocelyn currently serves on the Board of Directors of the California Cannabis Industry Association, the Advisory Board for American National Standards Institute, and lectures at StartSe University, an international business school. She is a recognized industry thought leader, influencer, and public speaker, as well as one of the creators of the ‘CannaPac’, a monthly meetup for cannabis founders and executives.
Prior to the cannabis industry, Jocelyn spent 10 years working in mobile advertising and technology developing advertising and monetization strategies for apps including: Flipboard, Spotify, SoundCloud, Pandora, and Uber to name a few.
Elizabeth Corbett, VP of Sales for AE Global, is on a mission to build sustainable packaging & supply chain programs for Cannabis and CBD companies that honor their brand identity, drive revenue growth, protect the product, and do so cost-effectively. “CannaBeth”, as she is fondly known, entered the Cannabis industry more than eight years ago after spending the first part of her career developing packaging solutions for significant players in the retail and health & beauty markets such as Starbucks, Tiffany, and Estee Lauder. Based in Seattle and Miami, Beth is passionate about finding environmentally responsible and sustainable solutions no matter what the form or substrate.
