What Company do you currently work for?

Painted Rooster Cannabis Co

Why are you running for The Cannabis Alliance Board?

After spending the last 10 years in the recreational cannabis market, both in Washington and as a consultant nationally, I want to be a part of directing my home state toward an equitable and profitable place for cannabis businesses to operate and expand from.

What hopes do you have for The Cannabis Alliance in the next three years?

I would like to see the group accomplish a few things. First and foremost I would like to work toward reducing excise taxes on cannabis products so that producers, Processors, and retailers can be on a level playing field with each-other and with other recreationally legal states. Second, I would like to expand the ability of growers to utilize their waste streams and capture carbon consistent with sustainable nature of the crop we produce. Third I would like to work toward improving consumer education to get more buy in to the regulated market and steer consumers away from untested/unsafe products available in the illicit market

The Cannabis Alliance Board is a working board, how will you balance board commitments with other demands on your time?

I use organizational tools to manage my own time, and trust in the team I have built over the past 2 years as CEO to gracefully complete their work and provide value to our retail partners and consumers.

What unique talents, experience, and expertise do you bring to the board table?

I have been a cultivator since 2010, and have worked hands on as a scientific director in post processing technologies since 2015. I hold a B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Washington, and have served as an expert witness numerous times regarding pesticide contamination of cannabis products. I also have experience testifying before house and senate committees here in our state, and have the ability to be respectful and concise in communicating with bureaucratic entities as well as the general public.

Do you have personal aspirations that could be enhanced by board service?

My overarching goal is to improve the ecological outcomes for our planet through cannabis. Serving as a board member would hopefully add additional gravitas to my CV. I want to provide the knowledge I have earned during my cannabis career to others so that they can make informed decisions about how to apply the plant to the greater wellbeing of both humans and the planet we inhabit together.

What is your motivation for being involved in the cannabis industry?

I got reintroduced to cannabis after abstaining due to a failed guerrilla grow with my friends in 1999. My mother, Wendy, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 and I had some friends that were working in the medical space that said “you should check this out.” I did some research and ultimately got my medical card in order to assist with my mothers treatment. She decided that she did not want to even try cannabis, but by that time I had seen first hand the impact this medicine had on other people. I transitioned from the medical market to the recreational market in 2014 while still finishing my degree, and in 2015 moved from retail work to cultivation and processing which at the time was underperforming on quality and consistency. I began working with a CBD processor out of California in 2015 in addition to the Washington recreational market, and knew that alternative compounds outside of the psychoactive were going to play a key role in the future of the industry. I have stayed this long because of the outcomes that I have observed first hand in patients, and I am dedicated to working toward providing the safest possible products for consumers and patients as the market continues to grow.

What Company do you currently work for?

Leafline Capital

Why are you running for The Cannabis Alliance Board?

(1) to have a more substantial connection to the community; (2) to have a intimate understanding of the concerns of the community; and (3) to develop a ruptation as a reliable problem solver.

What hopes do you have for The Cannabis Alliance in the next three years?

I hope to work toward reshaping the regional cannabis ecosystem so that it rewards the pioneers, enterpreneurs, and investors for their development of the industry. For the cannabis industry to prosper, it must attract capital and talent. Both talent and capital move toward successful ecosystems.

The Cannabis Alliance Board is a working board, how will you balance board commitments with other demands on your time?

Yes.I have the flexibility to set my schedule.

What unique talents, experience, and expertise do you bring to the board table?

I’m the founder of LeaflineCapital.com.

Do you have personal aspirations that could be enhanced by board service?

Yes. I want to develop LeaflineCapital.com as the premier financial services company for the cannabis industry. I assume the best way to do that is to develop a reputation for being an active and meaningful member of the community, help solve business problems, and get to know people.

What is your motivation for being involved in the cannabis industry?

I have a general intellectual interest in Emerging and Frontier systems. Cannabis is still a globally emerging market system. Also, I’m 43 years old, so I remember when the idea of legalization of cannabis was a fantastic proposition. it’s been amazing to see that liberation of the plant.I lived in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco so I’m familiar with the activists who fought hard for the cannabis plant’s liberation.

What Company do you currently work for?

Mountain West Distributors

Why are you running for The Cannabis Alliance Board?

I am choosing to run for the board because I think I can help further the cause and bring value to the organization.  

What hopes do you have for The Cannabis Alliance in the next three years?

I hope to see the Cannabis Alliance continue it’s work building a strong foundation for a fair, equal, and sustainable cannabis industry. And help break down the stigma and prejudices of the past. I would like to see cannabis treated like medicine and patients not having to pay tax on their medicine. I don’t believe people should still be in jail because of this plant, and we all should be able to grow at home.

Cannabis needs to be treated as an agricultural product.  A Cannabis Commission would not only help achieve this goal, but it would enhance the entire industry and help Washington become the state of reference for the nation.

The Cannabis Alliance Board is a working board, how will you balance board commitments with other demands on your time?

As a founding member and current board member I am very aware of the demands this role entails.  And my schedule is open to a certain level of flexibility if the need arises.

What unique talents, experience, and expertise do you bring to the board table?

This is always an uncomfortable question for me. So, I will try to keep this short. It’s all about perspective. And from my experiences below, and many life lessons, I can see many perspectives.

Currently, I am the Board President of The Holly Beach View Community Club. (Volunteer elected position) The group is comprised or 31 lot owners on Hood Canal. I have to juggle all of their needs along with managing the facility and the grounds.

My day job as an account manager for an electronics and home automation distribution company is another balancing act in herding a few hundred cats. And when it’s done right, it can flow like a ballet.

During my long career, I have worked retail, distribution, and consulted for manufacturing. Most of those years have been in sales and sales management. Helping solve problems and bringing people to consensus is a big part of my life.

Do you have personal aspirations that could be enhanced by board service?

 No, none that I can think of.

What is your motivation for being involved in the cannabis industry?

My original motivation prior to regulation was to help heal, and it still motivates me today.  On an emotional level the war on drugs has hurt us all.  And so many are still paying the price, and that needs to change.  

From a business stand point, I became involved because I wanted to see an industry that was open to all.  And help create an even playing field for all those involved.  The cannabis industry, in my opinion, can help change, and heal the world.  Leading by example, the cannabis industry can rewrite the rules of business and lead with purpose and compassion, and not simply greed.

What Company do you currently work for?

Gleam Law

Why are you running for The Cannabis Alliance Board?

To contribute my knowledge and skill set, along with my law firm’s capabilities, for the benefit of our cannabis industry and the laws that regulate our industry.

What hopes do you have for The Cannabis Alliance in the next three years?

Our continued and ever-increasing voice in the future of the Washington cannabis industry.

The Cannabis Alliance Board is a working board, how will you balance board commitments with other demands on your time?

Reduced sleep.

What unique talents, experience, and expertise do you bring to the board table?

20 years of work in the politics, laws, and policy of the cannabis industry, along with substantial experience representing a large swatch of cannabis companies in Washington and around the world.

Do you have personal aspirations that could be enhanced by board service?

I would hope that together, we can create a cohesive marketplace that is regulated in such a way as to be beneficial to both the industry members as well as the consumers without stifling business.

What is your motivation for being involved in the cannabis industry?

I love the people, I love the work, and I love the benefits of the plant.