-
Reach Out to Us – Any Time
We welcome your questions, comments and suggestions.
Dr. Lakisha Jenkins
Founder and CEO of The Kiona T Jenkins Foundation of Natural Health
Dr. Lakisha Jenkins holds a Doctorate in Naturopathy and is a Professional Member of the American Herbalist Guild. Her core competencies include utilizing herbs as the basis of nutrition to help combat the symptoms of a myriad of illnesses. Additionally, through research and consulting practicum, Dr. Lakisha become proficient in identifying
the active constituent and cannabinoid profiles in botanicals and integrating those profiles together in herbal compounds.
She is founder and CEO of The Kiona T Jenkins Foundation of Natural Health (Kiona Foundation Inc, 2003), a 501(c)(3) holistic health nonprofit organization. The Kiona Foundation and its subsidiary, The Farm’acy – a nonprofit agricultural cooperative, operate a natural health cooperative outlet in Pleasanton, CA. Dr. Jenkins has provided
holistic health services Northern California, since 2010. The Farm’acy Cooperative recently expanded its reach into international territory with opening an extension in Kingston, Jamaica (2018).
Dr. Jenkins is a Founding Member and the first elected President of the California Cannabis Industry Association and also served on the Board of the National Cannabis Industry Association and their Minority Business Council. Additional community service credits include serving on the Health, Hunger and Wellness Coalition Board of Directors for the City of Patterson (California) and Certified Leader with the University of California agricultural Extension 4-H Program through Alameda County (California).
Aubyn Hill
CEO of Corporate Strategies Ltd. and Jamaica’s Economic Growth Council
Aubyn Hill is Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Strategies Ltd., a management consultancy firm he established in 2005 that has done work for many of Jamaica’s biggest corporations. With over 35 years working of experience in the private sector, he has lived in nine countries and done business in more than 115. In October 2017, he was chosen as the CEO of Jamaica’s Economic Growth Council.
In early 1980s, Hill led a start-up team to open a branch of American Express International Banking Corporation (AEIBC) in Sri Lanka, and success there led to promotion to Amex Bank in Bahrain. During his 21 years as a banker in the Middle East, Hill assisted in and led the restructuring of two major banks, Burgan Bank in Kuwait and the National Bank of Oman, where he served as CEO. He also led the management team that completed the successful turnaround of one of the largest banks in the Caribbean, National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited (NCB).
In March 2016, Prime Minister Andrew Holness appointed Hill to the Senate — Jamaica’s Upper House of Parliament — and he was subsequently elected as Deputy President of the Senate. In April 2016, Aubyn Hill was appointed chairman of both the National Water Commission and the National Irrigation Commission, as well as Special Invest Ambassador to India in April 2016. He also served as the Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance from March 2016 to September 2017.
Mr. Hill sits on various corporate boards, including that of Jamaica Broilers Group Limited (the largest food processing company in the Caribbean), Salada Foods Jamaica Limited, and the PetroCaribe Development Fund. He also serves on the University Council, which governs four campuses of the University of the West Indies. Hill speaks on finance, business management and economics at international conferences and seminars in a number of countries including Trinidad & Tobago, Bahamas, Antigua, the USA, Sri Lanka and India. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Elvira Guzman
Founder and President, Elvie G PR
Elvira Guzman is founder and president of Elvie G PR, one of the fastest- growing, full-service boutique PR and branding firms serving Hollywood and beyond. Her firm has represented 35 celebrities, participated in over 20 award shows, landed several major branding deals, and has produced many television and radio shows.
Elvira’s career began in her late teens when she worked two jobs at the companies of the comedian, actor and radio host Steve Harvey while earning degrees (with honors) in Political Science and Law & Society at the University of Southern California. By her early twenties, she was the director of publicity for Harvey’s companies. For nine years, she worked on significant projects with Harvey and his production company, NuOpp Inc. Elvira quickly rose through the ranks, holding titles of executive producer, segment producer, stage manager, event coordinator, and chief web developer. By the time she departed Harvey’s companies to start her own, Elvira had held the titles of PR & Branding Director for Steve Harvey, The Steve Harvey Radio Network, and The Steve Harvey Suit Collection.
The achievements of Elvie G PR have been recognized by the media, including Success Magazine, The Source Magazine, and INC. Magazine. Elvira has been featured in Latina Magazine as one of “The Future 15 Latino Entrepreneurs.” She is also the first Mexican-American to be featured in a reality show on BET for her client’s show, “Being Terry Kennedy.” Elvira has also published books that contain valuable lessons from her inspirational experiences. Elvira will soon be a co-host on a national TV show to motivate and inspire others to chase their dreams.
Henry Muñoz Vallejo
CEO and Founder, Cannabis Colombian Lawyers; General Manager of ExpoMedeWeed
Henry Muñoz Vallejo is an attorney specializing in criminal law and is CEO and founder of Cannabis Colombian Lawyer, a pioneer in the medicinal cannabis industry in Colombia and Latin American. He legally advises the Association of Latin American Physicians, medicinal cannabis experts in the city of Cali and internationally, and is the creator and producer of ExpoMedeWeed, the first medical cannabis conference and expo in Medellín.
Henry earned his law degree specializing in criminal law and cannabis law in Colombia from the University of Santiago of Cali, and later became a professor there. He was also a former official for Colombia’s attorney general’s office.
Delano Seiveright
Senior Advisor/ Strategist – Government of Jamaica
Delano Seiveright is senior advisor and communications strategist to Jamaica’s Tourism Minister and Corporate Stakeholder Management and communications consultant to several local and international companies. He is a director for several Government of Jamaica boards including Jamaica Promotions (JAMPRO), which promotes business opportunities in export and investment to the local and international private sector and the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA), which regulates Jamaica’s legal ganja and hemp industry.
Prior to this, Delano held several board directorships before, including the National Insurance Fund (NIF), Jamaica Information Service (JIS), the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo), the Postal Corporation of Jamaica , the National Family Planning Board, Wigton Windfarm Ltd., the Trade Board, the Jamaica Bauxite Mining/ Bauxite Alumina Trading Company (BATCO) and the Public Relations Committee of the Air Jamaica board of directors.
His leadership and advocacy, which have cut across Jamaica ’s renowned partisan lines, have resulted in the Jamaican government’s move to reform antiquated and repressive anti-cannabis laws. This resulted in Decriminalization legislation being passed in Parliament and the establishment of a system permitting medical, therapeutic and scientific use of cannabis.
Delano holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of the West Indies (Jamaica) and a Master of Science degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of London. He is a former current affairs morning radio talk show host and has a son, Bryson.
T’Shura Gibbs
Entrepreneur and Business Leader
T’Shura Gibbs is CEO of Zimmer and Co., a health and wellness distribution company based in Montego Bay, which holds licenses from the Ministry of Health for the importation and distribution of its medicinal cannabis products. She is also managing director of Montego Bay real estate firm Northwest Development.
Prior to becoming CEO of Zimmer and Co., T’Shura served for almost 20 years in the airline industry, starting at AJAS Limited, she quickly ascended to the leadership of Avianca Airlines where she served as general manager for Jamaica. In 2003, she joined US Airways where she served as station manager for several Caribbean Islands including Jamaica, which experienced a fivefold increase in flight activity under her leadership. Always challenging herself, T’Shura moved on to Jamaica’s sole electricity distributor, JPS, where she started out as parish manager for St. James in 2012 and was promoted to regional director shortly thereafter with responsibility for almost half of the island.
T’Shura sits on Junior Achievement Jamaica’s Operations Board and Canex Jamaica’s Advisory Board and is the executive director of the I Love MoBay Foundation. She also served as president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry from 2017 to 2018.
Boaz Wachtel, M.D., MBA
Medical Cannabis Activist, Inventor and Business Leader
Mr. Boaz Wachtel, M.D., MBA has more than 25 years of experience in the medical cannabis industry and is a pioneer Israeli medical cannabis activist. He is a co-founder of Creso Pharma Limited and has been its non-executive chairman since 2017. He is also co-founder of Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies Ltd and serves as its executive director and strategic consultant. He is co-founder of MMJ-Phytotech Ltd. and International Medical Cannabis Patient Coalition. He served as Head of International Business Development at MMJ Phytotech Limited until August 2015 and served as its managing director.
Mr. Wachtel is a founding member of “Israeli foundation for drug law reform” (1994) and an initiator of medical cannabis efforts in Israel (1995). He formulated and assisted the Ministry of Health with the implementation of the National Medical Cannabis Program – one of only four national programs in the world – and served as the Assistant Army Attaché’ at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C. Since 2006, he has been a Member of the Board of the Israeli AIDS committee, the leading anti-AIDS NGO in Israel.
Mr. Wachtel was also the founding member of the Medical Cannabis distribution center in Abarbanel Hospital (2009) and was founder and chairman of The Green Leaf Party focused on Civil Rights, Ecology, Harm Reduction and Legalization of Cannabis. He is the inventor of irrigation by condensation (named one of NASA Tech Brief magazine’s Technologies of the Month) and root zone heating and cooling, which are Root’s core technologies. He has published author and frequent lecturer on agricultural technology, water issues and sustainability, drug policy, medical cannabis and ibogaine. He is a frequent lecturer and adviser to governments, national committees, business and NGOs on medical cannabis program formulation, grow operations, international laws and UN drug convention compliance.
Mr. Wachtel is a certified manager of clinical trials and earned his MA degree in Management and Marketing from the University of Maryland.
Hilary V. Bricken
Attorney
Hilary V. Bricken is a partner at Harris Bricken in Los Angeles, California. Licensed to practice law in California, Washington and Florida, she is one of the premier cannabis business and regulatory attorneys in the United States. As chair of Harris Bricken’s Regulated Substances practice group, which includes the Canna Law Group, she helps cannabis companies of all sizes with their cannabis related legal issues.
Based on her work in the marijuana industry, The Puget Sound Business Journal named Hilary one of seven Deal Makers of the Year in 2013. She was named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers Magazine for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2017. She also earned a spot in The Puget Sound Business Journal’s 2015 “Top 40 Under 40” list for business and leadership, and was named one of the American Bar Association’s 2017 Top 40 Under 40 “On the Rise” attorneys in the U.S.
Hilary also authors a weekly column for Above the Law which features content on marijuana policy and regulation, and is the editor and a regular contributor to her firm’s Canna Law Blog.
Jalani A. Niaah
Researcher and Author
Jahlani Niaah holds a BA History and Political Science from the University of the West Indies, Mona (UWI), an MA in Modern International Studies from University of Leeds, UK and a PhD in Cultural Studies from UWI. He is currently located in the Office of the Principal at UWI Mona campus where he coordinates the Rastafari Studies Centre as well as the recently established Centre for Ganja/Cannabis Research at UWI.
Niaah’s research interests include Ganja as Sacrament, popular African culture, Indigenous Leadership and Knowledge Systems: African Diaspora Praxes, Rastafari Cosmology and pedagogy. He has also been actively engaged with working on the issues of Reparation for African Slavery and the phenomenon of Rastafari repatriation to Ethiopia. He has coedited two books and published book chapters and journal articles in leading publications in the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Europe. Niaah is an active member of the Rastafari community and coordinates various local and international outreach initiatives within the community targeting marginal and potentially at-risk groups.
Daniel Shortt
Canna Business Attorney
Daniel Shortt is a business attorney who works extensively with entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. He is an authority on legal issues relating to CBD and hemp laws and has been invited to speak on those topics at events across the U.S. and overseas. Daniel also assists clients with their corporate formation, transactional, licensing, regulatory and litigation needs. Daniel writes for the award-winning Canna Law Blog and he regularly provides media outlets with his perspective on legal issues in marijuana and hemp.
Daniel graduated from the University of Washington School of Law, where he worked extensively with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to fund and establish the Cannabis Law and Policy Project (CLPP). He then served as the editor of the CLPP blog and as a Hazelton Fellow researching cannabis law. He also interned for Justice Richard Baldwin of the Oregon Supreme Court and for the Seattle City Attorney.
Jeanine “Nini” Martin, FHIMSS, FACHE
Global Healthcare Strategist, Nurse Advocate & Clinical Informatician
Jeanine “Nini” Martin is a Global Healthcare Strategist, Nurse Advocate (T.I.G.E.R. Champion for 15+ years) and Clinical Informatician by trade. She currently consults with two global cannabis/CBD companies: C3 Global Biosciences (pioneers of the first CBD formulated doctor’s program product line that is API Certified/Pharma grade, and New Frontier Data (leaders in global legal cannabis data analytics, market analysis and reporting). She is also a former Olympic-level athlete, former marketing advisor for the first Women’s NFL, and Council Member of Athletes for Care to advocate CBD for therapeutic purposes as part of a holistic approach to Health, Wellness & Fitness.
Jeanine graduated from San Rafael High School where the cannabis industry coined the International term “420” on her campus. She has B.S. in Business Economics from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and now is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a Fellow of the Health Information Management & System Society (FHIMSS).
She was funded by Dr. Farzad Mostoshari, Chair of the ONC for Health IT for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services during President Obama’s tenure to attend the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to study Clinical Informatics. She is a Gates Fellow who spent a decade working under the leadership of Bill Gates and Steve Balmer as a member of Microsoft’s Global Healthcare Strategy Committee, which assessed investments, strategy, vision, innovation, solutions with clinical workflow relevancy (across 300+ software products) and partnerships (350+ health IT vendors). She helped the team build the first U.S. Health & Life Sciences software/services industry business unit into a $2.5B practice.
Jeanine is also a Founding Officer of the Tennessee HIMSS Chapter and the National Health IT Summit (now Summit of the Southeast) which showcased the first RHIOs (now HIEs) in the country along with dignitaries such as Newt Gingrich, Senator Bill Frist, Governor Phil Bredesen, Dr. David Brailer (former ONCHIT Chair), Dr. John Halamka/MASS RHIO, and John Casillas/Medical Banking Project which helped coin Nashville as the “Silicon Valley of Healthcare.”
Dr. Stephen D. Barnhill
Chairman and CEO of Doc’s Place International, Inc. and Apollon Formularies, Inc.
Dr. Stephen D. Barnhill is a physician, Fellowship trained in Laboratory Medicine and Board Certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Doc’s Place International, Inc., the first Global Center of Excellence for Medical Cannabis Therapy in Negril, Jamaica, as well as Chairman and CEO of Apollon Formularies, Inc., the parent company of Apollon Formularies Jamaica, Ltd.
Dr. Barnhill has most recently been Founder, Chairman and CEO of a U.S. publicly-traded international biotech company, which he took from inception to profitability. In addition, he was founder, Chairman and CEO of BCL laboratories, LLC with operations in southeastern U.S. which was acquired by Corning–MetPath, now Quest Diagnostics, the largest clinical laboratory in the world. Dr. Barnhill served as a Medical Director for Quest Diagnostics for approximately five years after the acquisition. He was also founder, Chairman and CEO of National Medical Specialty Labs which was acquired by Horus Therapeutics Inc.
Dr. Barnhill is a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI) machine learning (pattern recognition algorithms) and an inventor on more than 40 patents including neural networks and support vector machines including the Hallmark SVM-RFE technique now cited by more than 10,000 publications. His patents were part of the intellectual property portfolio that won 1st Place out of 1600 publicly-traded companies and was awarded the MICO award from MDB Capital for the most disruptive intellectual property portfolio. Dr. Barnhill’s neural network patents were acquired by Johnson & Johnson. He is also an inventor on patents related to laboratory developed tests and tumor markers. His work includes expertise in the clinical laboratory including clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, blood banking, toxicology and immunology, as well as, diagnostic test development relating to cancers of the prostate, pancreas, breast and ovary, cytogenetics, flow cytometry, FISH and imaging in digital mammography, funduscopic analysis of macular degeneration (AMD) and was part of the team that launched the first iPhone app using SVM for melanoma detection.
Dr. Barnhill has negotiated and executed deals with many companies including Pfizer, Corning-Metpath, Quest Diagnostics, Clarient (now GE Healthcare), LabCorp, NeoGenomics, Abbot, Bruker and others. He has published many peer reviewed papers with academics including those from MD Anderson Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, Stanford University Medical Center and others. He is a frequently invited speaker to medical conferences in the U.S. and internationally. He has raised millions of dollars in startup and ongoing financing for both private and public companies.
Dr. Barnhill is or has been a Member or Fellow of the American College of Physician Inventors, the American College of International Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American College of Physician Executives, the American Association of Artificial Intelligence, the American College of Managed Care Medicine, the Association of Clinical Scientists, the American Society of Contemporary Medicine and Surgery, the American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, the Southern Medical Society, the American Federation for Clinical Research, the National Federation of Catholic Physicians and the Society of Cannabis Clinicians.
Rick Ross
Board Member of NDICA, Cannabis Advocate and Social Philanthropist
As one of the most famous drug dealers in history, Freeway Rick Ross is now a free man after serving over 20 years in federal prison for the sale and distribution of drugs. Illiterate until he was 28, Rick learned to read in prison and became a jailhouse lawyer, eventually winning an appeal to get his sentence reduced. Today his mission is to teach literacy to those whom educators find the hardest to reach, and support people of color, diversity, social justice and equity, and ownership in the cannabis industry.
Rick acknowledges the terrible damage crack created, especially in African American communities, and is now trying to give back. He is the newest board member for the National Diversity Inclusion & Cannabis Alliance (NDICA), which aims to create an ethical and fair market to reduce barriers contributing to the lack of representation of minorities and marginalized community members. This aligns with Rick’s mission to create awareness so that people of color can have ownership in the billion-dollar cannabis industry.
Rick made his debut in the fashion industry with his infamous tee shirt which read, “The Real Rick Ross is Not a Rapper,” followed by an autobiography with Cathy Scott called Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography and then the release of the 2016 Emmy nominated film, Freeway: Crack in the System on Al Jazeera. He is currently touring the U.S. on his Official Freeway Ricky Ross Book Tour through 2018.
Ambassador R. James Woolsey
Former CIA Director and National Energy and Security Specialist
Ambassador R. James Woolsey was the Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1993 to 1995. He’s been appointed by presidents to positions of leadership during the administrations of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and is widely respected on both sides of the aisle.
A national security and energy specialist, Ambassador Woolsey chairs the U.S. Energy Security Council. He is also a Venture Partner with Lux Capital and is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group of the Paladin Capital Group, a multi-stage private equity firm. During his twelve years of government service, in addition to heading the CIA and the Intelligence Community, he was Ambassador to the Negotiation on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe from 1989 to 1991, Under Secretary of the Navy from 1977 to 1979, and General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services from 1970 to 1973.
Ambassador Woolsey was appointed by President Reagan to serve in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1983 to 1986 as Delegate at Large to the U.S. Soviet Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) and Nuclear and Space Arms Talks (NST). As an officer in the U.S. Army, he was an adviser on the U.S. Delegation to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT I), in Helsinki and Vienna, from 1969 to 1970.
From July 2002 to March 2008, Ambassador Woolsey was a Vice President and officer of Booz Allen Hamilton where he focused principally on energy and security. Previously, he was a partner at the law firm of Shea & Gardner in Washington, DC, now Goodwin Procter, where he practiced for 22 years in the fields of civil litigation, arbitration, and mediation. He has also served as a member of boards of directors of a number of publicly and privately held companies, generally in fields related to technology and security, including British Aerospace, Inc., Martin Marietta, Fairchild Industries, and Yurie Systems, Inc.
Ambassador Woolsey received his B.A. degree from Stanford University, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa; an M.A. from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar; and an LL.B from Yale Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Yale Law Journal. In 2009, he was the Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University; and from 2010 to 2011 he was a Senior Fellow at Yale University, where he taught in the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.
Michelle Dumay
Advocate for Medicinal Cannabis Governance, Risk and Compliance
Michelle Dumay is the mother of Fatima, a terminally-ill child born with a rare brain abnormality that required nearly half of her brain to be removed when she was less than a day old. Among other medical conditions (cerebral palsy, blindness and quadriplegia), Fatima suffers from four types of seizures. As a trained chemist, she first turned to conventional-pharma for the treatment of Fatima’s seizures. Then she learned of the medicinal value of cannabis and its efficacy in mitigating seizures. With great success, her daughter has been using cannabis for two years.
Michelle is no stranger to medical/hospital settings having taken Fatima to more than 1200 appointments. Her experience as a caregiver and medical advocate has allowed her to serve on patient advisory councils for two children’s hospitals (Los Angeles and Phoenix) and one insurer (Mercy Care). Along with advocacy, learning has been a huge part of this journey.
Having experienced first-hand the benefits and efficacy of its use to mitigate her daughter’s seizures, Michelle wanted to petition her insurance companies to cover the cost of the cannabis medicine. She quickly learned that this was a lofty aspiration for a huge unforeseen reason (besides prohibition): medical cannabis dispensaries are not HIPAA-compliant and as such, cannot partner with insurance companies to serve cannabis patients. Working to solve her own problem and the looming problem of millions of cannabis-using patients, she entered into the world of cannabis governance, risk and compliance.
Montel Williams
Medicinal Cannabis Advocate, Former TV Host, and Founder of Lenitiv Scientific
Montel Williams is one of the highest profile advocates for medical cannabis in the U.S. He has used medical cannabis products to effectively manage the symptoms of his Multiple Sclerosis (MS) since he was diagnosed with the disease in 1999.
Williams began his professional career in the United States Marine Corps. He was the first black Marine selected to attend the Naval Academy Prep School to go to graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy and be commissioned as a Naval Officer. He earned a degree in general engineering and a minor in international security affairs. Over the course of his 22-year military career, Williams earned three Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy Commendation Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, and other military awards and citations. Williams was also given a Meritorious Service Award for his positive portrayal of the military throughout the 17-year run of The Montel Williams Show, an Emmy Award winning television show. Alongside his TV career, he’s become an inspirational speaker, author, entrepreneur, and advocate for patients worldwide.
At the height of his TV career, in 1999, Williams experienced his first symptoms of MS—a sharp and 24-hour neuropathic pain in his feet and legs. When pharmaceuticals proved ineffective, his doctor recommended medical cannabis as part of his treatment. Ever since, Williams has been using cannabis products as a medication to manage the debilitating symptoms of his MS.
Williams became an early advocate of medical cannabis law reform in the U.S. Back when he started as an advocate, as patients were being dragged out of their homes in wheelchairs by the police for using cannabis to treat their pain, Williams became one of the few high-profile voices on Capitol Hill fighting for their rights. Over the past two decades, he has worked to pass medical cannabis legislation in key states and led the push for military veterans to access medical cannabis without the threat of losing benefits.
When Williams first began using cannabis, there was little research into its medical uses. Williams sought out the latest in cannabis manufacturing technologies and research and worked closely with a formulator to ensure that his medicine was the highest quality available. As founder of Lenitiv Scientific, Williams remains dedicated to delivering high-quality and consistent products to patients—like himself—who rely on cannabis as medicine.
Larisa E. Bolivar
Pioneer and Entrepreneur / Founder of Grow Green Cannabis Company
With 16 years of cannabis-related experience, Larisa Bolivar, M.A. is a recognized pioneer in the cannabis industry. Noted by The Washington Post as “one of the city’s [Denver] most well-known proponents of decriminalizing marijuana nationally,” and by Sensi Magazine as a cannabis industry trailblazer, she is a cannabis entrepreneur and the first Latina recreational cultivation license holder in Colorado and founder of cannabis production and wholesaler, Grow Green Cannabis Company.
Larisa is also executive director of the Cannabis Consumers Coalition, a nonprofit cannabis consumer watchdog organization known for pushing for standards and laws regarding issues such as the use of pesticides and consumer safety concerns. She also runs a cannabis-related management and business development consulting firm and is a board member of Colorado NORML and on the planning committee for Mother’s High Tea, an annual event in Denver honoring women in cannabis. She holds a B.S. Psychology from the University of Phoenix and a M.A. in Public Policy from Regis University. She is a highly sought after public speaker and has spoken on and moderated panels on a variety of cannabis culture and business-related topics.
Karel Janeček
Czech Mathematician, Financier/Investor and Philanthropist
Karel Janeček is a world-renowned mathematician, financier, philanthropist, visionary, and passionate athlete and parachutist. He is founder of the investment firm RSJ, the biggest trader on the London Stock Exchange Derivatives Market – NYSE Liffe, and one of the three biggest traders of the CME Group. In September 2009, it was the first Czech company to become a member of the Eurex Exchange in Frankfurt.
Karel started out studying specialized mathematics in high school and earned a degree from the Charles University in Prague, majoring in theory of probability and mathematical statistics. At the same time, he studied in the U.S. where he obtained an MBA from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and a Ph.D. Degree in Mathematical Finance from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. From 2004 to 2005, he worked as a researcher in the Austrian Academy of Science. He taught at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University in Prague for several years. He is currently a member of the Scientific Council of the Faculty of International Relations of the University of Economics in Prague.
In 2010, Karel founded Neuron, formerly the Karel Janeček Benevolent Fund for Support of Science and Research, which supports research projects in mathematics, economics and medicine. In 2011, he co-founded the Anti-Corruption Endowment Fund that supports projects unmasking corruption in public administration, then later the Evolution Waves project and Democracy 21, which promotes an effective and fair electoral system and has influenced the adoption of a similar framework by other institutions around the world.
Jose Belen
U.S. Army Combat Veteran and Advocate/Mentor for Fighting PTSD
Jose Belen is a decorated United States Army Combat Veteran who was part of the initial invasion into Iraq in the spring of 2003 ultimately serving 14 consecutive months of combat in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 and 2. After he was Honorably discharged in January 2005, he became one of the top direct insurance professionals in the U.S. for nearly a decade. Despite his success, Jose silently battled post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which drove him to become a mentor and advocate for others suffering as well as to deter PTSD suicide.
Jose speaks first hand on overcoming the challenges one faces juggling their personal and professional lives while battling what could be a crippling disorder that claims more than 8,000 lives a year. His mission is to reduce this number by creating a community of support that leaves no man left behind. Jose speaks use his dynamic story to inspire others to unlock the power to achieve a life without limitations.
Uma Dhanabalan, MD MPH FAAFP MRO
Founder and CEO of Global Health & Hygiene Solutions, LLC; Creator of the TotalHealthCareTHCmodel
Dr. Uma Dhanabalan is a highly respected physician trained in Family Medicine, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, specialized in heavy metals, a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, a Cannabinoid Medicine Specialist and Medical Review Officer. She is the Founder/CEO of Global Health & Hygiene Solutions, LLC established in 2006, with a mission to promote wellness and prevent illness.
Dr. Dhanabalan created the TotalHealthCareTHCmodelTM in which she “Educates, Embraces, Empowers” patients and promotes cannabis as a treatment option at Uplifting Health and Wellness in Natick, Massachusetts. She is an advocate, activist and educator and speaks globally about cannabis as a plant medicine. Her mission is to change the stigma regarding cannabis and for the world to know about the endocannabinoid system through education.
She states, “Cannabis is not for everyone, yet is should be a first line option, not the last resort” and “Cannabis is not an entrance drug; it is an exit drug from pharmaceuticals narcotics and alcohol.”
Dr. Dhanabalan completed her Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors from Rutgers University and Medical degree from the University of Medicine & Dentistry in Newark, New Jersey. She completed a Family Practice Residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina and then her Master’s in Public Health and Occupational & Environmental Medicine Residency and Fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. She is also certified by the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine and by the Medical Review Officer Certification Council.
She has received awards from the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine for her research project, “Occupational & Environmental Exposure to Lead in South India;” from The 7th World Ayurveda Conference & Arogya Expo for her presentation, “Cannabis & The Therapeutic Uses;” and the Educational Achievement Award presented by Clover Leaf at The Cannabis Business Awards 2017.
She worked for Kimberly Clark as Regional Medical Director for Asia Pacific, and for the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, the largest and most complex cleanup projects in the world where plutonium was manufactured for the first nuclear bomb detonated in Japan.
Dr. Bob Clifford
General Manager of Marketing, Shimadzu Scientific Instruments
Dr. Bob Clifford is General Manager of Marketing at Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, a company that provides a broad range of analytical instruments indispensable for research, development, and quality control, including cannabis testing solutions that range from potency testing to pesticide screening.
Bob received his bachelor’s degree from Rowan University, his master’s degree from Villanova, and his Ph.D. from George Washington University. He has published and presented over 125 papers in the fields of food, pharmaceutical, environmental, energy, geology, material science, photonics, and cannabis. He has worked at Campbell Soup Company was formerly a chemist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Diane Edwards
President and CEO JAMPRO
Diane Edwards is the President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) – the national investment and export promotion agency. Possessing a wealth of knowledge and experience in international marketing and business development, Ms. Edwards is committed to developing and advancing Jamaica’s business brand.
During her time at JAMPRO, she has led its transformational development to serve as a catalyst for wealth creation through increased customer focus and more effective marketing communications programmes, and has promoted a culture of innovation to facilitate and support the development of new industries in Jamaica. She has also been a strong advocate for transformation of the nation’s business environment.
Dan Rowland
Principal Consultant, 420 Advisory Management
Former Director of Public Affairs, City and County of Denver, Colorado
As principal consultant at 420 Advisory Management, Dan Rowland helps provin¬cial and local governments craft sensible regula¬tions to ensure the successful implementation of legal markets in Canada. He also consults with private companies re¬lated to the cannabis industry that are seeking ex¬pertise on operations, investment opportunities, compliance, community engagement, govern-ment relations, policy reform and opportunities to help shape what cannabis legalization looks like across the country.
Prior to working with 420 AM, Rowland spent more than three years with the City and County of Denver’s Office of Marijuana Policy where he led implementation efforts for the first major city in the world to develop a fully legal, commer¬cial industry for cannabis. He directed communications and marketing and was the spokes¬man and director of media relations and public affairs for the city’s business licensing efforts and first-in-the-world implementation of legalized marijuana regulations.
Before joining the City of Denver, Rowland worked for the Boulder County (CO) Commissioners’ Office, the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and The Denver Post. He has a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Colorado Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Arizona State University.
Bonita Money
Founder of Women Abuv Ground (WAG) and Co-Creator of That Glass Jar™
Bonita “Bo” Money is a “cannapreneur” and one of the few women of color in the emerging, billion-dollar cannabis business. She’s the co-creator of That Glass Jar™,a cannabis-infused topical cream that cures Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and founder of Women Abuv Ground (WAG), a professional networking organization dedicated to educating and empowering minority women in the emerging cannabis industry.
Born in Seoul, Korea and raised in Monterey, California, Money became interested in the cannabis industry, especially as the legalization of medical marijuana was picking up steam in various states across the U.S. She wanted to be on the ground floor of a new frontier in alternative medicine – that is, a “woman in weed” on a Wall Street level.
Starting with its Los Angeles chapter, WAG aims to cultivate cannabis leaders to work and serve America’s minority communities as well as build its reach across the country. The organization offers monthly meetings, workshops and leadership retreats to connect its members to key industry leaders and resources beneficial to the growth of the weed business.
Dr. Andrés López Velasco
Managing Director, Colombia’s Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes (National Narcotics Fund)
Dr. Andrés López Velasco is the managing director of Colombia’s Fondo Nacional de Estupefacientes (National Narcotics Fund, or FNE) and the former advisor on drug policy for the nation’s Ministry of Justice.
López Velasco is a chemist at the National University of Colombia with a Master of Science – Chemistry from the same university, and an expert in drug regulation and drug policy. With more than 10 years of experience, he has specialized knowledge in international legislation for the control of narcotics and psychotropics, regulation and markets for cannabis, innovation in drug policies, and international monitoring and review scenarios for drug policy.
Wilbert “Billy” Tauzin
Advisory Board Member for Lenitiv Scientific, LLC
Former U.S. Congressman from Louisiana
Wilbert J. “Billy” Tauzin in an American lobbyist and politician. He was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1973 to 1980, where he was recognized as one of “Louisiana’s Ten Best Legislators” and quickly rose to the position of Chief House (Majority) Leader and Chairman of the important Natural Resources Committee, with jurisdiction over both Energy and Environment.
He then became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Louisiana’s 3rd district (1980-2005), and also became the first and only U.S. Congressman in American history to hold leadership positions in both major political parties. In 2005, Congressman Tauzin became President and CEO of PhRMA, a trade association representing the drug discoverers who had saved his life after being diagnosed with a rare form of intestinal cancer.
Since retiring from this post in 2010, Congressman Tauzin began serving on the Boards of Directors of Entergy Corporation and LHC Group, a multi-state provider of home health and hospice care, as well as on the Advisory Board for Lenitiv Scientific, LLC, an innovative medical cannabis company.
Derwin A. Wallace
Founder CannaInvestor Magazine
Derwin Wallace is the founder of CannaInvestor magazine, currently the only interactive digital publication providing expert advice about investments in the cannabis business sector.
With more than 15 years working as an investor relations profesional at companies including Home Depot, Cox Cable, First Data, and ResCare, he has extensive experience communicating with and educating institutional investors, retail investors, research analysts, and financial media, including those interested in the medical cannabis industry.
In 2014, he decided to bring his investor relations experience to the cannabis sector and assisted in creating the Cannabis Investor Conference. Mr. Wallace has an MBA in Finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University, and a Bachelors of Science in Accounting from DeVry.
Andrew Forrester
Chief Executive Officer FIC Global Advisors
Andrew Forrester is founder and CEO of marketing firm FIC Global Advisors based in Palm Beach, Florida. FIC Global helps B2B businesses achieve faster returns on their marketing and sales investments. Born and raised in Jamaica, Andrew has 23 years of sales and marketing experience having held senior management positions in global sales, marketing and strategic alliances at Qwest Internet Solutions, IDT and OutsourceWorld, a Florida-based conference event company. In 2018, FIC Global Advisors became the official marketing firm for the CanEx Jamaica Business Conference & Expo.
Vicente Fox
Former President of Mexico 2000 – 2006
Vicente Fox Quesada served as President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. He was the first candidate from an opposition party to be elected president. He studied Business Administration at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and later he received a Top Management Diploma from the Harvard Business School.
In 1964, he joined the Coca-Cola Company in Mexico and started from the bottom; through his perseverance he became President of the company for Mexico and Latin America. Today, he is actively involved on encouraging leadership and creating opportunities for the less favored people through his organization, Centro Fox.
