Facilitators
Cree Robinson | Cofounder, touCanna
Cree is a Detroit-based tech entrepreneur and social justice advocate within the cannabis industry. She co-founded touCanna, a full scale operations management software for dispensaries and consumption lounges with her co-founder Louie Masensi. She is passionate about social equity and ensuring that those harmed by the war on drugs achieve ownership within the industry. She is currently investing her time into building programs around supporting social equity applicants after they have been awarded licenses.
Louie Masensi | Cofounder, touCanna
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Louie is a passionate member of the legacy market. He co-founded touCanna, a full scale operations management software for dispensaries and consumption lounges with his co-founder, Cree Robinson. He has worked on a number of large-scale technology projects and is passionate about workforce development and employee training within the cannabis industry.
Jane West | Founder & CEO, Jane West
Jane is currently the Founder and CEO of Jane West, the largest female owned cannabis brand in the world. She is the voice of the brand, passionate about building a real company that changes the way the world sees cannabis. She has an eye for talented people, builds strong teams, and nurtures their success. In 2014 Jane founded Women Grow, the biggest professional network in cannabis.
James E. Jackson III | Global head of cannabis, Mark Edwards Insurance
Mr. Jackson is a NJ native and graduate of Howard University. James has built an industry presence with big picture vision, focused on enterprise change. James instinctively empowers results through strategic planning, insight and analytics. Trusted in leadership with a credible business acumen, James has built long term reputable relationships with executive and c-suite professionals to improve performance and ensure accelerated revenue growth with a focus on personal client service.
As a former Vice President AON, Mr. Jackson offered a broad range of Risk Consulting solutions to middle-market, private and publicly-traded companies. His substantial book spreads across a variety of industries including minority-owned businesses, large nonprofits, manufacturing, and real estate development verticals. Mr. Jackson’s expertise is in Directors and Officers, Property & Casualty Insurance, Product Liability Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Health & Benefits. In 2018, James initiated the commercial risk sector for medical and recreational Cannabis, where he was responsible for establishing and expanding relationships with some of the largest U.S. Hemp and Cannabis companies.
Cassondra Khadijah Adams | Founder, Girl Get That Money
Cassondra "Khadijah" Adams is originally from Sugar Land, Texas. She started her first business while raising four sons as a single mother. Khadijah Adams has been a full-time entrepreneur since 1997. Khadijah entered the cannabis industry in 2014 by way of the Colorado market. She began investing in cannabis-related companies shortly thereafter and formed MIPR Holdings where she served as the founder and senior managing partner for 3-1/2 years and was responsible for consulting and connecting accredited investors to viable investment opportunities in the space.
In June 2017, MIPR, LLC, and MIPR Holdings, LLC was later acquired by C. E. Hutton, LLC, a business development and management firm in Denver, Colorado where Ms. Adams currently sits on the Board of Managers as the Vice President. She is also the Founder of The GreenStreet Academy, an online educational platform that teaches the basics of investing in the marijuana industry, and the co-author of The Minority Report, annual marketing analysis of Minority-owned companies in the cannabis and hemp industries. On May 1, 2020, Ms. Adams launched Khadijah Adams, LLC dba Girl Get That Money, a business empowerment coaching, and consultancy movement focused on women in business and women aspiring to be in business.
Kristin McFarland | Founder & CEO of The Source Marketing Group, Creator of Market Like A Badass
Kristin founded The Source Marketing Group in 2018 to empower female- and minority-owned businesses. Prior to founding her own agency, she ran marketing for Fortune 200 and SaaS companies in over 29 states and globally. She directed over 200 field marketing events in one decade, providing her with the experience to turn digital marketing and events into a revenue generating machine.
Now, she runs a cannabis and craft beer marketing agency focused on top-of-the-line WordPress websites, email marketing and automations that actually make money, and of course, special events. What’s the beer and cannabis community without the great people to enjoy it with?!
Outside of the office, she is committed to serving her community by volunteering for local non-profits and special events such as the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and Arise Music Festival.
JEHAN CRUMP-GIBSON, ESQ. | Managing Partner, Great Lakes Legal
Attorney Jehan Crump-Gibson is the Managing Partner at Great Lakes Legal Group PLLC, where she concentrates her practice in probate and estate planning, business and commercial matters and government affairs. Prior to joining Great Lakes, Jehan served as Managing Member of C&G Solutions PLC (dba C&G Law). Founded in 2009, C&G operated as a specialized firm providing legal and consulting services.
Jehan has successfully represented clients through judgment in a variety of civil matters. She has also assisted a multitude of entities- both for-profit and nonprofit- with employment, compliance and operational issues, as well as performed legal and policy analysis on local municipal matters; including zoning approvals, government-sponsored tax incentives programs and contracts. Jehan regularly works with families on the preparation of important estate planning documents and legal issues concerning estate administration. She has served as Faculty for the National Business Institute and the Institute of Continuing Legal Education concerning business, nonprofit, probate and estate planning matters. After earning dual bachelor degrees in Political Science and English from Michigan State University, Jehan obtained her Juris Doctorate from Wayne State University Law School. Strongly committed to ethics and professionalism in practice, Jehan has been recognized five times by the Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine as a Rising Star.
John Mackewich | Business & Cannabis Attorney, Marshall & Melhorn
John Mackewich is an experienced cannabis attorney with years of experience assisting licensed operators, investors and suppliers within the cannabis space. As a member of Marshall & Melhorn’s cannabis practice group, John helps new operators enter the cannabis industry and existing operators grow and expand their business. As legal counsel, he guides them through the evolving complexities within the cannabis space to ensure compliance across all legal aspects of their businesses. John has drafted and obtained cultivation, processing and dispensary licenses around the country for licensed operators since 2012.
Diana Morris | Clarity Coach at dianaramorris.com
Diana Morris is a clarity coach, speaker and author who empowers individuals to make decisions and take action with clarity and intention. Through her coaching and signature Define, Align, Decide framework, she gracefully guides her clients and students through the journey of self-discovery so that they can confidently answer the question of “what now?” without being stuck in the “how” and “why” of things outside of their control. Diana’s coaching style has been described as Oprah meets Iyanla Vanzant, which she finds most flattering. For more information on Diana and her work, visit www.dianaramorris.com.
Koral Fritz | Professor of cannabis business, Lake Superior State University
Koral C. Fritz is a licensed attorney in Michigan and a professor at Lake Superior State University, where she instructs students majoring in cannabis business. In addition to cannabis business courses, Koral teaches business law, collective bargaining, and labor law. She also serves as an advisor for the student-run Cannabis Studies Club on campus.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Michigan and both a Juris Doctor and a master's degree in Food and Agriculture Law and Policy from Vermont Law School.
Koral grew up in Muskegon, and she has spent time living in Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Sault Sainte Marie. She is deeply invested in helping cannabis businesses find success in the Michigan market.
Darrell Clay | Sales, Weedmaps
Darrell Clay is a plant advocate who has been working in the canna-tech space, as a Client Partner at Weedmaps, for the last 5 years.
Over the years, Darrell has had the privilege of consulting with 100’s of cannabis brands and retailers across the country on launch strategies, strengthening customer acquisition, creating general brand awareness, generating overall consumer awareness and providing best tips and practices for Marketing on WeedMaps. Darrell has managed $10M + in sales and marketing budgets from Cannabis companies across the country.
Darrell currently works with both MLO and MSO cannabis operators, mostly based out of California, on go to market strategies and techniques to differentiate themselves from competing businesses in the space.
Cam Carter | Advisor, Calyxeum
Cam was born and raised on the southside of Chicago. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2011 with a pilot's license and B.S. in Latin American Studies. He served as a Diversity Admissions Advisor and Congressional Liaison, followed by four years as a Contracting Officer in Italy, Colorado, and Kyrgyzstan.
Cam separated as a Captain in 2016 and received a Graduate Certificate in Finance from Harvard in 2017. As a civilian, Cam has negotiated over $10B in combat aircraft and robotic combat vehicle contracts and helped his family business secure three airport concessions in Reagan Airport, Washington DC.
Cam received his MBA at Yale and serves on the advisory board of Calyxeum.
Rebecca Colett | CEO, Calyxeum
Rebecca is an Experienced Entrepreneur, Technology Professional, Cannabis Advocate and Native Detroiter. She is the CEO of the first African American women owned and operated Cannabis Cultivation Brand in the midwest. She also leads a Cannabis consulting firm and community Nonprofit based in Detroit. She is the Founder of The Detroit Cannabis Project.
Rebecca has over 5 years of experience in the Medical Cannabis Industry. She has worked alongside the Bureau of Cannabis Control in California, The Michigan Regulatory Agency and the City of Detroit during the development of their Social Equity and Detroit Legacy Program. She has served on the State Board of NORML, National Board for the NCIA and has written community plans for applicants in Los Angeles and Maryland.
Rebecca is an Experienced Entrepreneur and has launched a successful gym franchise, thriving technology consulting firm, and an End to End Cannabis incubator platform. Rebecca has also been featured at countless National Cannabis Conferences and has lobbied on Capitol Hill in DC, and the State Capitols for Michigan, Georgia, California and Maryland for Equity in Cannabis as well as Veteran Access to Medical Cannabis.
Rebecca hold a B.S in Business from Florida A&M University, a MBA from Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago as well as a Masters in Supply Chain from Georgia Tech.
Akele Parnell | Head of Equity Partnerships, Lantern
Akele Parnell is Head of Incubator Partnerships at Lantern, where he leads the company’s incubators and social equity strategies and initiatives. He is also an owner of a dispensary and craft cultivation business in IL. Akele sits on the board of directors of Chicago NORML, and the Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition where he co-led the negotiation and implementation of the cannabis industry’s first community benefits agreement (CBA). He is a member of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force of the Cannabis Trade Federation. Previously, Akele was an in-house counsel for Green Thumb Industries.
Sherman Taylor | Founder, S James Taylor Associates
Sherman J Taylor JD CPA received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in Accounting and Taxation from Grand Valley State University in 2008. From there, he moved to Washington D.C. to begin working with Truist, Inc. (now Frontstream) a technology company which leverages technology to facilitate corporate giving. Inspired by altruism, he began volunteering with local non-profits in the Washington D.C., area before managing the low-income taxpayer clinic at Howard University. He leveraged his tax and volunteer experience as a public interest law student at the University of District Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. Upon graduating, he accepted an offer to work for a boutique CPA firm focused on providing valuation and litigation support services. As a senior staff accountant, he led numerous engagements focused on projecting cash flow and forecasting sales trends to evaluate the worth and viability of both budding and established enterprises.
His work with Michigan Cannabis companies began in 2017 – assisting several firms in the application process and beyond. Since then, he has continued to provide accounting, tax, and legal services to several cannabis companies in and around the state of Michigan. He’s given multiple lectures on cannabis taxation and wrote numerous periodicals including, “When money grows on Michigan Trees, The Taxation of Medical Marihuana under the Michigan Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act,” published in the Oakland County Bar Journal in 2018.
Lindsay Feehan | Owner, Emerald Secure Transportation
After bouncing from one career to the next after college, Lindsay landed in Michigan as the co-owner of Emerald Secure Transportation. For over two years, she and her husband have navigated constantly changing markets, regulations and obstacles within the industry. She has a Bachelor's of Science in Advertising from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Her education, sales experience and customer relations background has proven to be immensely beneficial in such a growing space here in Michigan. She and her team pride themselves on providing top notch service to their clients, sharing experiences and knowledge with those who are new and continuing to improve by building relationships.
Michael Malcolm | Founder, WeedTravelFood
Over the past 4 years, Michael has been traveling the United States visiting multiple cannabis cultivation, processing, packaging and retail facilities. Advising operators on issues from product development and community engagement efforts to creating digital media content for social media and standard operating procedures. He is also a social equity applicant and currently have 10 dispensary license applications under review by the state of Illinois. In December 2020, he became an equity partner of the “Cronja Culture” cannabis brand. His partners have social equity distribution, manufacturing and delivery licenses based out of Los Angeles, California. They currently have ancillary products for sale online and in LA and Chicago dispensaries launched a cannabis line of products on California shelves in December 2021.
In March 2021, he also created a syllabus and course about cannabis marketing and branding for the City of Chicago College, Olive Harvey College. He is currently an Adjunct faculty member teaching weekly classes and sits on the City of Chicago College's Cannabis Advisory Council. In January 2022, he joined JC RAD Inc (a tier 1 social equity distribution company) full time as Bulk & Wholesale Account Executive in downtown Los Angeles. He is a member of Chicago NORML, Illinois Cannabis Equity Coalition, and The National Cannabis Industry Association.
Jeffrey Sebastian| ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, Metro Welding supply
Jeffrey Sebastian is an experienced industry professional with a wealth of knowledge across multiple facets of the cannabis industry. Jeffrey is a metro-Detroit native whose professional cannabis journey started in New York City building one of NYC's first and largest CBD brands, Hemp Garden. After facilitating the growth of New Jersey's largest CBD brand and one of the first cannabis-related businesses in the Garden State, The Green Room, he decided to take his talents back to Michigan and focus on the emerging regulated cannabis market in his home state. In 2020, Mr. Sebastian pioneered the delivery experience for New Standard, creating one of the largest delivery services in the area servicing all of metro-Detroit; a first of its kind during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, Jeffrey works as a sales account executive and inside sales coordinator for Metro Welding Supply and its subsidiaries - specializing in cannabis related needs such as hydrocarbons for extraction and CO2 supply for cultivations.
Raymond Guns| Founder, 1st Choice cpa
Ray is an experienced CPA professional with national and international companies within the fields of audit, accounting, financing, and tax. His niche firm, 1st Choice CPA, exclusively service’s business’s that are operating in the blooming cannabis industry.
After graduating with his Masters, obtaining his CPA license, and rising through the corporate ranks for 8 years he saw a need within the cannabis niche and started his own accounting practice. Ray has had a passion for the cannabis space since his youth when his family members started to grow for the industry. With his 8+ years of corporate experience, and 4+ years managing his own CPA firm, he has developed the professional but flexible skills needed for serving the ambiguous and uniquely challenging cannabis industry.
Colton Griffin| CEO, FLOURISH SOFTWARE
Colton is CEO of Flourish Software, a leading supply chain management and seed to sale tracking software solution for the cannabis, CBD, and hemp verticals. Prior to Flourish, Colton was a consultant at Manhattan Associates, a market leader in best-of breed supply chain software. There he specialized in business intelligence and data analytics for supply chain applications, helping dozens of companies optimize their operations. He moved onto Genuine Parts Company (Fortune #177) where he built and managed a reporting platform deployed to dozens of distribution centers as well as corporate inventory optimization and trade management systems. He started a consulting practice focused on this discipline and ultimately founded a startup to build a SaaS analytics platform for distribution center operations.
Flourish was born from this endeavor. He graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a BS in Industrial Engineering.