LEADERS IN CANNABIS + LICENSING

If you are thinking about obtaining a license to cultivate, process and/or distribute cannabis as New York is preparing for its adult use market, you should start planning now.

Getting a license for a marijuana business is one of the most difficult early steps in doing business in the evolving cannabis industry. Our experts are here to discuss what’s coming to the NY adult use market and offer their stories on what makes an application stand out.

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Q&A will happen after each speaker. Questions will be answered via Twitter. Please use the hashtag #ONTHEREVEL to post your question.

Speakers:

JASON STARR

Assistant Counsel to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (NY)

DR. CHANDA MACIAS

Owner + CEO / National Holistic™ (DC)

Chanda Macias, MBA, PhD is the Chairwoman of the Board of Managers and CEO for Women Grow. She is also the CEO and the owner of National Holistic™ a cannabis and hemp healthcare enterprise. National Holistic™ Healing Center is the leading medical marijuana dispensary in Washington DC, while National Holistic ™ Healthcare proudly produces CBD and cannabinoids as an alternative and natural product. Dr. Macias also expanded her footprint through Ilera Holistic Healthcare which partnered with Southern University -one of two cultivation/processing facilities in the state of Louisiana. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Minority Cannabis Business Association and is a proud member of Americans for Safe Access.

Dr. Macias earned a PhD in Cellular Biology from Howard University focusing in cancer research. She earned her MBA from Rutger’s University in Supply Chain Management. As a Research Scientist, Dr. Macias investigated oral diseases and possible treatment options at Colgate-Palmolive Company, a Fortune 500 Company. She contributed to the launch of several billion-dollar brands. Her innovations have resulted in numerous scientific achievements including publications, compilations, U.S. and Global Patients (World Intellectual Property Organization). Dr. Macias has four children and resides with her husband in the Washington D.C. metro area.

ASHLEY PICCOLO

Founder, Point Seven Group (CO)

Ashley Picillo entered the regulated cannabis market in late 2013 after holding positions in corporate finance, logistics and marketing. Shortly thereafter, Ashley joined one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis businesses in Colorado as the Head of Marketing, Operations and Sales. In that role, Ashley oversaw day-to-day operations including five dispensaries, a high volume extraction facility and a 23,000 square foot cultivation facility. She developed, documented and implemented the vast majority of the Company’s standard operating procedures (SOPs), created detailed forecasting models and calculating the facility’s overall production capacity.

Ashley recognized that Colorado was quickly becoming the model for other States and founded Point7 in 2015 to offer support services to new operators facing the daunting learning curve she had experienced just two years prior. Since then, Point7 has rapidly expanded with offices in Ohio, Denver, Los Angeles and Boston (2019). The team has supported Clients in 56 markets worldwide, offering a breadth of services including marketing, licensing, general consulting, facility design, brand development, market research, product development and post-licensure operational support.

Ashley is also the author of Breaking the Grass Ceiling: Women, Weed and Business, published in 2017 and released at SXSW (2017). She earned her B.S. in Business from Northeastern University and her Master of Arts degree in Education.