Group photos at Jue Lan Club by Sam C. Long
Their persuasion can build a nation - or at least, an industrial revolution. The women of New York’s cannabis community have indelibly shaped the direction of the movement from the beginning. After all, the Big Apple was the country’s cannabis consumption capital even before legalization. We paid tribute to some of the East Coast’s ganja goddesses in an epic photo shoot, saluting their diversity of background, brilliance and bravery. Meet the women who laid the framework for legal cannabis businesses; those who figured out how to heal themselves and others with the plant; warriors who fight for an equitable future and BIPOC justice; the innovators, communicators and entrepreneurs making it their mission to uplift fellow Amazons. Plus the truth is that we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface. In a world where the numbers of women executives are still shockingly small, let these pictures stand as a reminder that the present and future are female. Here’s to the ladies who lead.
Gia Moron @gia_vm
Who She Is
Founder/CEO of GVM Communications and President of Women Grow
Why We Love Her
Gia translated over 25 years of experience in public relations, including overseeing various business areas at Goldman Sachs, to launching her own firm, GVM Communications, and mentoring countless women entrepreneurs through Women Grow, the nation’s largest professional organization for women in the cannabis industry. Among her many feats, Gia is making the business landscape more equitable for women and people of color. In 2019, she helped organize the Business of Cannabis Summit at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Brooklyn’s largest Black parish, the first time in New York that cannabis businesses had teamed up with a religious organization.
Click to learn more about Gia!
Wise Words
“We no longer want to hear how cannabis companies claim to need more women and then do nothing. We want to see women and WOC at every level; in the C-suite, on boards, in managerial and entrepreneurial roles. If you see all men [on your team], then you need to diversify. If these men are having a hard time finding talented women, let us be that helpful resource! [Women Grow functions] as the gateway to connect phenomenal people in and out of this industry.”
Solonje Burnett @solonjeburnett
Who She Is
Co-founder/CEO of Humble Bloom
Why We Love Her
Culture Curator Solonje Burnett serves her community in every way as an event producer, artist, consultant, and political activist. It is her mission to give underrepresented communities a seat at the table within the cannabis industry and by extension all global business. With Danniel Swatosh, Solonje is a co-founder of Humble Bloom, where her production and storytelling talents enable events, education and opportunity to merge for the public good. Never missing a chance to speak out for equality, Solonje has been called “resolute in [her] resistance of the corporate takeover and commercialization of the industry, and [sees] diversity and inclusivity in cannabis as a stepping stone to healing systemic oppression and injustice.” As a private consultant to businesses and organizations, she also creates innovative workplace designs and programs to implement diversity and inclusivity. A member of the Equity First Alliance Steering Committee, Solonje was recognized as one of 15 Women to Watch in the CBD Industry in Marie Claire and Culture Magazine’s Five Cannabis Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2019, with features in publications and podcasts including Vogue, VICE, Cheddar, Women & Weed, and more.
Click to learn more about Solonje!
Wise Words
“Curating with intentionality and advocating for equity, we created a space that amplified small BIPOC/femme/LGBTQ+ business owners allowing safe interaction and engagement with attendees and the plant. Reflecting the diverse community we want to see in our rapidly blooming industry… We use cannabis as an opportunity for connection, collaboration, community building and for all of the different ways that you can utilize the plant to come together and intersect.”
Chenae Bullock @netooeusqua
Who She Is
Managing Director of Little Beach Harvest, Founder of Moskehtu Consulting, and Co-Chair of the Indigenous Peoples Day NYC Committee
Why We Love Her
An enrolled Shinnecock Indian Nation Tribal Member and descendant of New York’s Montauk Tribe, Chenae Bullock is a pioneer. A cultural preservationist for Indigenous traditions, she is also the author of the book 50 Plant Medicines: Indigenous Oral History and Perspective, which helps readers better understand how plant-based healing has guided humanity for thousands of years. Chenae created her own consulting firm, Moskehtu Consulting, to educate institutions and corporations on cultural competency, cultural sensitivity and the right way to partner with Indigenous peoples. She is currently managing director of Little Beach Harvest – a brand-new cannabis business entirely owned by the Shinnecock Nation partnering with established cannabis company TILT Holdings. Based in Southampton (Long Island), New York, the operations take place entirely on Shinnecock sovereign land and will ultimately include cannabis cultivation, processing, dispensary and consumption lounge facilities. With Honeysuckle and friends, Chenae has helped bring historic campaigns around the recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day and the role of Indigenous cannabis entrepreneurs to life.
Click to learn more about Chenae!
Wise Words
“Being in this business is not about the profit, it's about the change. We’re talking about a sacred plant. Sometimes when we talk about the business of cannabis, we leave out the conversation of the sacredness of the plant, as well as the fact that the people who have cultivated the plant, those who understand the uses and have words in their language to describe those uses are us: Indigenous peoples. And that’s something that we don’t want to lose sight of.”
Kristina Lopez Adduci @kristinaadduci
Who She Is
Founder/CEO of House of Puff
Why We Love Her
This New Jersey-born Puerto Rican serial entrepreneur is an expert at combining art and business. She conceived the Latina-led and women-owned House of Puff after experiencing the benefits of medical cannabis, envisioning a lifestyle brand that could help people normalize their cannabis use with fashionable, art-inspired consumption devices and through their omnichannel content network. In a nod to Kristina’s passion for social justice, House of Puff often highlights designs by women and Black and Latinx artists in their product offerings. Kristina founded the online art zine Art Zealous in 2015 and remains Editor-At-Large for the publication; she has also curated art for New York’s Workville coworking boutiques. While working for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Kristina co-chaired their Young Professionals group. She is currently a member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, the Drug Policy Alliance, and NORML. And lest we forget, she can roll some expert joints!
Click to learn more about Kristina!
Wise Words
“New York will set the tone for Northeast legalization - it's the nightlife capital, the fashion capital, the media capital, and diversity is the heartbeat of NYC. It will be the new ‘cannabis industry H.Q.’ We're optimistic that New Jersey and New York seem to be centering equity in their legalization strategies, and we're also excited to see a lot of female and POC investors who have been waiting for New York to go online to start deploying capital into the cannabis space.”
Mary Pryor @iammarypryor
Who She Is
Co-founder of Cannaclusive and Chief Marketing Officer of TONIC CBD
Why We Love Her
Mary has founded multiple companies, including co-founding Cannaclusive, one of the major collectives that provide resources for BIPOC-owned cannabis businesses. The Cannaclusive team operates Inclusivebase, a database of BIPOC-owned companies in the industry; the largest collection of BIPOC stock photography in cannabis; and The Accountability List to help everyone hold each other accountable for achieving diversity aims and reparations. Mary recently became a board member and advisor at The Parent Company, which owns several high-profile cannabis brands including Jay-Z's Monogram. She's also a leader of Cannabis for Black Lives, a coalition of businesses to amplify Black voices in the cannabis space; the Chief Marketing Officer for Tonic CBD, one of the leading national women-owned CBD brands; the founder of Fit For Us, a wellness company to improve the health of minorities around the world; and of Breaking Bread NYC, which helps feed the homeless. Across all of these roles, Pryor is consistently active in expanding the possibilities for Black and brown people in an industry built on the backs of victims of the War on Drugs, while holding those complicit in their continued erasure accountable.
Click to learn more about Mary!
Wise Words
“I'm a person in the space that is aware of where things really need to shift. Consumers need to take more power into buying from entities and brands that actually are supporting the work of melanated people, and or comprised of melanated people. And if we don't make that important so that people see it as a bottom-line problem, either because they never give a damn or they found a way to co-op it, then we're going to keep having issues where accountability just isn't going to matter.”
Kristin Jordan @kristin2473
Who She Is
Founder/CEO of Park Jordan and Executive Director of the Asian Cannabis Roundtable
Why We Love Her
Over her past decade of involvement in New York’s cannabis movement (and eventually the national and international industries), Kristin has been a major force in bringing people together. An attorney and real estate expert, she was a founding member and the first Executive Director of the Cannabis Cultural Association, a nonprofit that works to provide resources for marginalized communities in the space, and proudly focuses her company Mannada on producing events that highlight professional networking groups who have historically been overlooked, such as roundtables for Latinx and Asian entrepreneurs. Kristin particularly wants to encourage Asian representation in the cannabis industry, as she feels many more stories from that community and those like her with Asian heritage can add a richer understanding to the history and future of cannabis. Among Mannada’s landmark events are the Cannabis Law Summit and the Cannabis Media Summit, the latter being the first of its kind in the sector to center on journalists and broadcasters. Kristin, formerly Director of Real Estate for Acreage Holdings, was distinguished in 2019 as one of Forbes’ “Fifteen Powerful and Innovative Women in Cannabis Right Now.” In 2021 she founded the commercial real estate and advisory services firm Park Jordan, which concentrates on the cannabis industry. She is also an advisor to the management consulting firm Skip Intro Advisors.
Click to learn more about Kristin!
Wise Words
“I started an education platform because I wasn't seeing women and people of color as subject matter experts [but I] knew that there were women and people of color who were educated in these areas and just needed a platform… What I learned from that is because all the big real estate firms are publicly traded, they’re not serving our industry. That lack of talent and expertise is sorely missing in cannabis… Park Jordan is the first Black and Asian-owned real estate business serving the cannabis industry.”
Tanya Osborne @grooovie725
Who She Is
Founder/CEO of The CannaDiva and Director of Community/Digital Production, Women Grow
Why We Love Her
Tanya Osborne is a true Renaissance woman! The common theme in her resume is connection: from being a champion for women in the music industry, sharing the importance of women investing in and for their future, coaching women entrepreneurs and now contributing to changing the stigma of the plant and bringing awareness to the role of women in the cannabis industry. She founded The CannaDiva, a brand committed to supporting women in the space, including hosting canna-events and shining a spotlight on women entrepreneurs with the weekly show “Women in Cannabis Wednesday” She is also the Director of Community and Digital Production for Women Grow. A passion for entrepreneurs, diversity, and women has led Tanya to the cannabis industry; her goal is to educate, connect and support women leaders.
Click to learn more about Tanya!
Wise Words
“We’ve had people murdered over the smell of cannabis. That’s not going to happen anymore.”
Danniel Swatosh @dannielswatosh
Who She Is
Co-founder/Chief Marketing Officer of Humble Bloom
Why We Love Her
Danniel co-founded the creative cannabis collective Humble Bloom with Solonje Burnett. Her background spans from art to plants, people and entrepreneurship, having launched an artist in residency program as well as a raw juice and tincture company with a cult following. Her approach to brand strategy, as she says, is “Creative and cross-pollinating; with care and collaboration at the core, I tell stories rather than sell.” Danniel continues to work in art and also co-founded a non-profit called Breaking Bread: Feed the Community Fuel the Movement. She sits on the Cannabis Control Industrial Advisory Committee at Excelsior College with Solonje.
Click here to learn more about Danniel!
Wise Words
“Cannabis touches on all things, is intrinsically intertwined with our evolution, and is an opportunity to create real change, flipping paradigms. We have to act fast though, once federally legalized, and we have interstate commerce, big corporations with their distribution, manufacturing, production, land, politicians and so on. Their hands are already in their pockets.”
Laura Eisman @herhighnessnyc
Who She Is
Co-founder of Her Highness NYC
Why We Love Her
An award-winning creative director and several-time entrepreneur, Laura most recently co-founded Her Highness NYC, a cannabis lifestyle brand focused uniquely on women. Her Highness reimagines cannabis with female-friendly formulas and high-end design to create products in sync with the way women live. Prior to that she was a founding partner of Women's Media Lab, a consultancy to help woman-led companies launch and succeed — including branding, business and marketing strategies, and fundraising. Laura may be best known for founding Girlshop, which became the premier destination and authority for trend-making style at a time when investors couldn’t believe people would actually buy clothing on the Internet. The brand laid the foundation for online shopping as we know it today.
Click here to learn more about Laura!
Wise Words
“When I was first interested in cannabis and the legal market, I was trying to find my place… like which products really spoke to me, and none of them really did. There were products I enjoyed, but none were saying ‘I was made for you.’ And so all of [the Her Highness] products are really made with the motivation to help women and make them feel joyful and comfortable and happy.”
Holly J. Hager @hollyjhager
Who She Is
Principal/COO of House of Puff
Why We Love Her
Holly Hager is an entrepreneur and a principal of House of Puff. She honed her entrepreneurial skills at Curatious, an art platform she founded to expand the art market through accessible art education. Through her eight years at Curatious, she developed an extensive network of artists, many of whom she personally mentored in the business side of art. The startup world has allowed Holly to build on her core strengths of research, writing, and analysis while capitalizing on her willingness to continually step out of her comfort zone. Startups also let her leverage all the arcane knowledge she’s developed over the years in legal, human resources, compliance, finance, data, art, and fashion. This culminated in her decision to become involved with House of Puff, where she manages all aspects of content marketing, product development, growth strategy and daily operations for a woman- and Latina-led company.
Click to learn more about Holly!
Wise Words
“I’d love to see everyone in the US do a year of mandatory and paid community service when they graduate high school. I think it could be an antidote to the social inequity that plagues us. We’re all about freedom, and, of course, that’s really important. But our freedom has been more for some of us than for all. Mandatory community service would instill a stronger sense of commitment to the common good by getting us all out of our bubbles and highlighting the values we share. In the long term, our sense of duty to each other would expand our freedom.”
Lulu Tsui @hyperlicious
Who She Is
Co-founder/Chief Experience Officer of Ontherevel
Why We Love Her
Lulu and her co-founder Jacobi Holland have been bringing industry and cultural figures together for meaningful conversations around cannabis through Ontherevel’s projects since 2015. Both had experience in tech and cannabis from out west, with Lulu hailing from Washington and Jacobi from Colorado. But as New York City residents, they felt local events were lacking quality and access for on-the-ground operators. Ontherevel was formed to celebrate the diversity not only of New York's burgeoning cannabis industry, but also as a testament to the overall power of the community. Today Ontherevel produces both live and digital events to highlight the business opportunities in cannabis, particularly the Revelry conferences to showcase avenues for legacy entrepreneurs. Recently, Ontherevel launched its Dope People community on Discord, where every Tuesday through Friday at 12PM EST, special programs are offered so that members can interact with industry experts.
Click to learn more about Lulu!
Wise Words
“There was a cannabis industry way before it went medical or adult-use, created from the sweat and sacrifice of many people who look like us. The existing ‘legal’ industry does not. We want to ensure that the people who built the existing cannabis industry in New York are able to participate in a meaningful way as legalization moves forward.”
Kymberly “KymB” Byrnes @highitskymb
Who She Is
Co-founder/Chief Marketing Officer of TribeTokes and President/Co-founder of the Conscious Cannabis Project
Why We Love Her
From working in cannabis for over 20 years, KymB is an extremely passionate activist with a strong desire to educate all consumers on a healthier way of living through holistic remedies that will enhance life’s experiences. What we put on our skin, ingest, and clean our households with impacts our personal wellbeing; that’s why she co-founded TribeTokes, which creates luxury CBD and D8 vape, skincare and wellness products for the next generation cannabis consumer. KymB has had pivotal roles in shaping numerous businesses, advocacy groups and movements that have formed the basis for East Coast cannabis. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo and the New York City Cannabis Parade and Rally, and is the New York City Ambassador for Women Grow.
Click here to learn more about KymB!
Wise Words
“We definitely need to support women in cannabis more. The gender pay gap is discriminatory and unacceptable. I love Women Grow! As a long time Ambassador of the NYC Chapter, it’s an honor and privilege to serve our community of both men and women.”
Dr. June Chin @drjunechin
Who She Is
Founder of MedLeaf RX
Why We Love Her
Dr. Junella “June” Chin is a fascinating medical practitioner in the cannabis space today. Why? Because her focus is integrative medicine, an area which examines health and wellness holistically. This focus leads to the discovery of alternative treatments. It paves the way for cannabis to be worked into patients’ routines. This leads to a new way to treat patients, alongside traditional methods like pharmaceuticals and chemotherapy. As a teenager growing up in the Bronx, June was diagnosed with the debilitating spinal disease ankylosis spondylitis. She suffered from chronic pain and could barely stand while doing her rounds in medical school. Finally, cannabis oil helped her manage her chronic pain. June is currently the Chief Medical Advisor for the acclaimed online medical cannabis news source CannabisMD. She is also involved with New York’s Artemis CBD retail shop, an award-winning luxury CBD brand, Saint Jane Beauty, and the renowned 1:1 brand Bloom Farms. This is all in addition to treating countless patients on both coasts.
Click to learn more about June!
Wise Words
“I believe that integrative medicine is the definition of true healthcare. So when we look at cannabinoid science and how we’re pushing for cannabis legalization… it’s reframing the way we think about medicine and healthcare in the future.”
Miriam Aristy-Farer @bodycare_herbas
Who She Is
Founder of Herbas Bodycare and Health and Environment Committee Chair of New York Community Board 9
Why We Love Her
Miriam Aristy-Farer champions a plant-based and cannabis-friendly lifestyle that is both sustainable and accessible for the Latinx community in her neighborhood of West Harlem. A branding, sustainable design and beauty industry expert who is also a medical cannabis patient, she founded the plant-based CBD bodycare company Herbas using herbal practices that have been part of her family traditions for generations. Before immigrating to New York, Miriam’s parents lived in farming communities in the Dominican Republic, which she often visits. Her heritage laid the foundation for her gardening and inspired her to remain in her Harlem neighborhood where she could give back to the local Latinx community. She makes all of her small-batch products by hand and prioritizes the availability of cannabis education and dosing cards in both English and Spanish. Miriam is well known as a community leader for her advocacy in education and equity issues; she currently serves on Manhattan’s Community Board 9, chairing the Health and Environment Committee and is a member of the Youth and Education Committee. Previously Miriam was President of the Community Education Council for District 6, representing 24 elementary and middle public schools in West Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. She is also the Vice President of New Yorkers for Students’ Educational Rights and lead plaintiff in the organization’s case against the State of New York, which builds upon a landmark ruling that the state's school finance system under-funded New York City public schools and denied its students their constitutional right. Miriam continues to be an advocate for justice in all its forms.
Click to learn more about Miriam!
Wise Words
“When you talk about [cannabis] as a plant and as healing, it’s no longer taboo. [For] communities who have been left out, there’s a lot of skepticism to new things. They assume it's expensive, not for them and not affordable; all it takes is a conversation about how you can do this… You have to put your hand back and help your people. If I succeed here, as a Dominican woman, maybe I can start opening the conversation in my country.”
Barbara “Bobbi” Koz Paley @balco_partners
Who She Is
Founder/CEO of Balco Partners
Why We Love Her
Bobbi is a changemaker with a proven track record of identifying cultural shifts, investing early, and creating connections across multiple industries and sectors. She has been on the cusp of myriad cultural trends in her lifetime, establishing herself as an early player in real estate, art, cannabis, and now the industrial hemp space, before they were asset classes. A pioneer in design and ecosystem thinking, she has consistently embraced innovation and opportunity to create value. Bobbi founded Balco Partners to combine her investments and thought leadership with a ring of leaders who are creating the new model for wellness worldwide by standing up the industrial hemp industry. Balco unites key stakeholders with shared resources/scientific rigor/medical/patient education and data. The company’s most ambitious project thus far, under Bobbi’s leadership, is to bring new regenerative agriculture initiatives to the Berkshires. Through the Berks Forward project, Balco will lead in remediating the local climate with hemp plants and open vectors for new equitable and cultural opportunities around sustainability.
Click to learn more about Bobbi!
Wise Words
“I care very much about having a tremendously diverse industry. Because if we have that, then we have something that’s for the long-term… It’s not a male, stale, pale world.”
Elizabeth Santana @lizziej8xo
Who She Is
Co-founder/CEO of The Stone Age Experience
Why We Love Her
An experiential guru, Liz Santana launched LeapStarr Productions in 2011 at the age of 25, an event design and fabrication agency with a client roster that included Disney, Facebook, Verizon, P&G, Canon and more. After years of advocating for women and minorities to take their rightful place as leaders in business management, Liz is excited to combine this passion with her new love for plant medicine. She and her business partner Sasha Perelman founded The Stone Age, New York’s first immersive, multi-sensory pop-up cannabis experience, in 2021 to create a sense of empathy and education on various understandings of the plant.
Click to learn more about Liz!
Wise Words
“Women Grow is an organization that I have deep admiration and respect for. As a female business owner for the past 15 years, I know how critical it is to have women in decision making roles, especially in an industry that requires strength, determination and compassion in order to take its rightful place in the business world. I look forward to becoming a part of this group and doing whatever I can to amplify their efforts.”
Jeanne M. Sullivan @gianna212
Who She Is
Chief Investment Officer of Arcview Ventures
Why We Love Her
There can be no discussion of women in cannabis without mentioning Jeanne M. Sullivan. A true industry pioneer with over 25 years of experience as a venture capital investor, Sullivan is renowned for her fierce and infectious enthusiasm. Her familiar rallying cry to fellow investors to “Get your PhD in cannabis!” has led to millions upon millions of dollars raised across all areas in the space. A co-founder of a successful tech investment firm in New York City, Sullivan claims she is “on a mission to fund and fuel women CEOs (and a few good men).” She serves on the Board of Trustees of ASTIA, an organization that invests in women-founded companies in tech and life sciences. Particularly known in the last several years in cannabis for her achievements as an investor, advisor, connector and keynote speaker, Jeanne builds investment platforms for The Arcview Group. She is a passionate advocate for legalization and regulation in the industry, and is a key leader in Arcview’s Member Managed Fund created by Viridian.
Click to learn more about Jeanne!
Wise Words
“One of the big changes is that now I feel the marketplace has really organized itself in a very powerful way. It went from people who had no idea what they were doing to a lot of people as business owners, investors, entrepreneurs, advocates, healthcare professionals [who] have really turned ideas and projects into real companies and businesses. I’m fascinated by that as an investor. I love meeting these dynamic business owners who started from scratch.”
Kassia Graham @msgoodegg
Who She Is
Director of Community and Strategy, Cannaclusive
Why We Love Her
An experienced digital strategist and content director, Kassia not only heads up community initiatives for Cannaclusive, but runs daily operations for Cannabis for Black Lives (CfBL), a coalition of cannabis companies dedicated to amplifying Black voices in the space. CfBL focuses on accountability measures, corporate hiring, and support for community organizations that make a tangible impact. Launched in November 2020, CfBL raised $118,290 for social equity initiatives and Black-owned operations in its first year. Kassia is also co-producer and Social Media Director for the Black X Film Festival.
Click to learn more about Kassia!
Wise Words
“We need more laws to protect the people that use the plant, just knowing that there are still people getting arrested in recreational states… It makes sense profit-wise for prisons, but going off of what is right and what should be done… It doesn’t make any sense [at all].”
Debra Borchardt @borchardt100
Who She Is
Co-founder, CEO and Executive Editor of Green Market Report
Why We Love Her
Debra is an award-winning journalist and cannabis industry entrepreneur, having launched the financial news website Green Market Report in September of 2017. She has covered the industry for seven years and is considered to be very knowledgeable about the cannabis universe. Previously a Vice President at Bear Stearns and with over twenty years of experience in the financial and business reporting worlds, Debra spent eight years working as a senior producer on TheStreet.com with Jim Cramer. She has appeared on The Today Show, CNBC, CNN, Cheddar TV and countless other media outlets, conferences, and panels. In addition to the Green Market Report, she is a co-founder of the cannabis executive women's networking group, Industry Power Women, She is also a board member of the cannabis newswire AxisWire.
Click to learn more about Debra!
Wise Words
“I started Green Market Report because I wasn't seeing the kind of cannabis journalism that I wanted, so I created it... As [the industry] becomes less stigmatized, I would expect you're going to start to see more reporters having cannabis as a beat."
Tremaine Wright @tremaine4ny
Who She Is
Cannabis Control Board Chair, New York Office of Cannabis Management
Why We Love Her
A Brooklyn native and longtime attorney before her career in government, Tremaine Wright couldn’t be a better fit for her position with the Office of Cannabis Management. Also a small business owner, Tremaine is a former New York State Assembly representative for the 56th District and has served as Director of the Office of Financial Inclusion and Empowerment for the NYS Department of Financial Services. With the appointment to the OCM and Cannabis Control Board, Wright became one of only a small number of Black women nationwide to hold a position in cannabis regulatory oversight leadership for a governmental organization. She has had a long history of fighting for cannabis legalization in New York.
Click to learn more about Tremaine!
Wise Words
“We at the OCM [and] CCB are tasked with putting structures in place to support our small businesses, our new businesses, our social equity applicants with technical assistance, financial planning, and just regular business assistance as they're moving forward. This excites us because this is how we build an industry. The larger players don't need us to participate, [but] our newer entrants to the business, smaller businesses, our businesses that are growing their capacity. [Those] will be the folks that are hiring 25, 50, 100 people locally. Those are the businesses that need us, and we're really excited that we have actually been mandated to support them.”
Charlotte Hanna @rebellecharlotte
Who She Is
Founder/CEO of Rebelle
Why We Love Her
Charlotte Hanna is the founder of Rebelle, a new cannabis brand that enables those directly impacted by the criminalization of marijuana to benefit from a now-legal, lucrative industry. A serial entrepreneur, Charlotte founded Community Growth Partners in 2018 and established the first woman-and-minority-owned vertically integrated cannabis company in Massachusetts. Previously, Charlotte worked for 30 years in real estate, finance, and philanthropy and was the VP at Goldman Sachs and the principal at Charlotte Hanna Design. Throughout her career, she has helped launch sustainable urban farming initiatives, and similarly innovative economic development programs around the country, as a grantee of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 2019 she was named one of the Seven Women in Cannabis to Watch by Entrepreneur Magazine.
Click to learn more about Charlotte!
Wise Words
“I believe we are one of the most socially innovative enterprises in the cannabis space today… Our mission is to offer a lifestyle and the cannabis plant in all forms to people that want it. In doing that business, we also want to help bring people up who have been marginalized by the criminalization of the plant.”
Geraldine Hessler @geraldinehessler
Who She Is
Chief Marketing Officer/Creative Director of Rebelle
Why We Love Her
Geraldine is an award-winning New York based conceptual creative director specializing in developing and executing comprehensive brand stories. She has 20+ years experience across editorial, brand and agency. In the editorial world she re-branded titles such as Glamour, Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, creating memorable editorials that tapped into the zeitgeist of fashion and celebrity culture. The Reinvention of every aspect of each title expanded brand awareness, increased advertising revenue and triggered an uptick in consumer sales. As VP Creative Director at Full Beauty Brands she oversaw all creative for a $650 million account. She led digital-first omni-channel marketing campaigns, which at the top of the funnel, drove awareness and new customer acquisition, and at the bottom of the funnel drove record-breaking conversion. As Creative Director at Totem, Geraldine spent two years at the creative helm of Lord and Taylor and was charged with elevating and rebranding the creative aesthetic of the heritage department store. Her brand and creative initiatives have led her to work with Target, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, People, Nylon, and more. Now with Rebelle and Community Growth Partners, Geraldine is turning her storytelling focus to what most needs to be told - the social justice narratives behind breaking the stigma around the plant.
Click to learn more about Geraldine!
Wise Words
“I think cannabis really opens the door to creativity. It changes the way you look at things around you, which changes the way you think, which changes the way you create, so it really is all tied together.”
Ronit Pinto @honeysucklemagazine
Who She Is
Founder/Publisher of Honeysuckle Media
Why We Love Her
Do you really have to ask? We couldn’t make this list without Honeysuckle’s very own Boss Lady! Visionary extraordinaire Ronit Pinto’s background of filmmaking and journalism came together in Detroit, where she merged her interests in grit, extremism and intellectual curiosity, to form Honeysuckle – a cultural publication with high visual impact. Dedicated to exploration, timely topics and personal expression, Honeysuckle encompasses deep dives into everything from environmental advocacy to social taboos, art, spirituality and beyond. As cannabis became an increasing area of concentration, Pinto turned a small opportunity into an historic moment: She created a campaign to put the first cannabis brands on Times Square, which has become a cycle of advocacy initiatives that increasingly break the stigma on subjects from Indigenous representation to psychedelic healing. Identified by such outlets as The Bluntness as one of the “badass women leading the charge in cannabis innovations,” while continuing her filmmaking and other creative projects, Pinto embodies the very source of hope and courage she wants audiences and writers to express in her platform.
Click to learn more about Ronit!
Wise Words
“I am keenly aware that not all women – nor people for that matter – have the same advantages and access to resources, which is due to socio-economic factors and race. Honeysuckle is striving to illuminate those sensitivities through personal testimonies, as we all have unique challenges in life. As a dreamer, I recommend to try for your dreams. If something is important to you, go for it. The worst you can do is to fall. And then you can dust yourself off and try again. Women are often conditioned in ways that are not beneficial to us in doing what we need in life. Be aware of how your conditioning might be holding you back. Femininity is a beautiful thing. People might feel threatened by it. Don’t let it stop you, but you’re better off being aware of it.”
Elana Frankel @indigoandhaze
Who She Is
Founding Editor in Chief, book author of Women and Weed and founder of Indigo + Haze
Why We Love Her
Sometimes what seem like cruel twists of fate become perfect opportunities for success. Entrepreneur Elana Frankel found this out the hard way when an accident left her with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The TBI initially left her bedridden and having difficulty communicating, only for treatment with CBD oil to open a whole new world. As she healed, Frankel was inspired to reach others who could benefit from CBD, and she developed Indigo & Haze, a brand of infused bath and body care products designed for “the high thread-count hippie.” CBD sugar cube scrubs, teas both drinkable and for the tub, and an irresistible hemp-based body lotion are among the most popular items; Indigo & Haze has become a cherished favorite for those in the know. But by 2018, Frankel wanted more – drawing on her long background in publishing and creative marketing, she developed a biannual magazine that would explore the unique role of women pioneering the cannabis industry. Elana serves as the founding Editor-in-Chief of Women and Weed, a biannual magazine sold on mainstream newsstands that focuses on the power of personal narratives to bring a better understanding to complex cannabis issues. She is the author of the book Women and Weed and a cannabis yoga teacher, 200-hours with Nosara and continuing training with Lit Yoga, as well as a meditation mentor. She is an activist and frequent public speaker on cannabis/wellness and consults regularly with companies who value creative thinking. Elana’s previous work as a creative director, editor and writer has appeared in the Wall Street Journal’s Off Duty, The New York Times and The New York Time’s magazine, New York Magazine, Architectural Digest and Martha Stewart Living, among others.
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Wise Words
“Listen, learn, help then lead. I LISTEN to those who have been in the industry/movement before me. I LEARN from scientists, researchers, innovators, activists and educators. When asked, I HELP those who need it and find ways to be of service. I LEAD through example: When an activist becomes an entrepreneur, you champion advancement for all combined with business savvy and advocacy.”
Chef Ali @thechefali
Who She Is
Founder of HiFive Edible Wonders
Why We Love Her
A legacy chef when it comes to working with food and beverage infusions, Chef Ali founded HiFive Edible Wonders, which officially made its public debut in late 2021 at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo. Chef Ali is one of the original divas from the CannaDiva community, helping to create and organize activations centered around women in the cannabis industry. Since her business’s public launch, she has been extremely busy serving up delicious treats at the hottest cannabis events in New York. And when she’s not working in cannabis, you can find her contributing to her community’s local town halls.
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Wise Words
“The MRTA has made room for social equity programs that will allow our legacy market to rise and thrive in the regulated marketplace, and it is our duty and responsibility to make sure we are heard and ensure that there is room for all to sit at the table.”
Penelope Nam-Stephen @rebellepenelope
Who She Is
Chief Commercial Officer of Rebelle
Why We Love Her
Penelope Nam-Stephen is the Chief Commercial Officer at Rebelle and Community Growth Partners, a woman-and-minority-owned cannabis company dedicated to empowering communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization. She came to the cannabis space after a lengthy career in fashion, during which she authored a bestselling guide to fashion buying. Transitioning first into cannabis consulting, she was Chief Merchandising Officer at Ascend Wellness for a time before encountering Rebelle. Recently, Penelope partnered with New York’s LIM College to help shape and launch its curriculum in the business of cannabis.
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Wise Words
“I want to see decriminalization on a national level. You hear about people sitting behind bars for life for having an ounce of cannabis on them. And there’s no reason why that needs to be when there are so many people from different demographics increasing their net worth by running cannabis companies. That’s the biggest injustice in this business.”
Imani Dawson @imanidawson
Who She Is
Founder/President of TCC Media and Executive Director of Cannabis Education Advocacy Symposium & Expo (CEASE)
Why We Love Her
An award-winning content creator who wears many hats, Imani is a digital strategist committed to mission-driven social change. Since launching her company, TCC Media, a MWBE-certified boutique communications and branding agency specializing in political strategy, progressive social issues and legal cannabis, Imani has championed diverse audiences by building community, creating meaningful multi-channel content, and creating impactful events. She has 20 years of experience creating and curating award-winning content across print, linear and digital platforms for major media outlets, including MTV, BET, VH1, Fuse, and the Associated Press. Her recent notable work includes leading the communications strategy for Flora Buffalo, a planned cannabis campus combining best-in-class industry business practices, innovation and meaningful social impact. Her efforts transformed local conversation around the project, bolstering community interest and engagement and the "Faces of Fair Legalization" campaign for the New York Chapter of the Drug Policy Alliance, leveraging trusted voices around the state in support of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act proposed by New York state Sen. Liz Krueger and New York State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes. Imani also led communications efforts for Mount Vernon Mayor-elect Shawyn Patterson-Howard, whose historic victory made her the first woman of color elected to mayoral office in Westchester County. Imani is the co-founder of the Community Education Advocacy Symposium and Expo (C.E.A.S.E.), a nonprofit organization with a mission to promote inclusion, equity and justice in the cannabis community by increasing awareness and educating consumers, particularly those marginalized by prohibition, about the medical and economic benefits of the plant. Globally, the organization looks to cease misconceptions and to enhance consumer understanding by providing a strong platform for informed cannabis industry thought leadership, innovative brand exhibition and education on the evolution of the cannabis plant across equity-centered policy reform, wellness education and business.
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Wise Words
“I am particularly excited about our legislation [in New York], which I believe is the gold standard… As someone who was amongst the coalition of advocates who supported Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Liz Krueger and their 8 year-long fight to legalize in an equitable way, I feel the real opportunity for us is to continue to advocate to ensure that the regulatory framework that’s created for the Office of Cannabis Management and Cannabis Control Board follows the spirit of the legislation [and] the future we’re trying to create.”
Chica Cruz @kreakyproducts
Who She Is
Founder of Kreaky Products
Why We Love Her
Chica founded Kreaky Products, a small-batch plant-based company featuring apparel, accessories, beauty and wellness items with a feminine vibe, in 2016. Using her experience in plant cultivation and medicine to help her grandmother manage chronic pain, Chica realized that she could aid many more people in getting access to wellness products and education; thus Kreaky was born. She is a fixture in the cannabis community and an advocate for entrepreneurs of color, particularly legacy operators and those from communities harmed by the War on Drugs. New Yorkers can regularly find Chica speaking at high-impact educational events such as the New York Cannabis Parade and Rally; the Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference; the Cannaware Society; Own Your Grow; the WomenCrush NYC Concert Showcase and more. Chica has been named a Black cannabis entrepreneur to watch by Bustle, and hosts an annual giveback program through Kreaky every year where items are donated to poverty-fighting charities such as the Bowery Mission.
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Wise Words
“In NYC, the market needs to make sense across the board. It needs to cater to those who have been affected the most and those who actually drive the underground market. I say that because there is so much to be said about the ‘black market,’ but really, without it there would be no market. Legal Cannabis in NYC has a lot of work to do because passing laws and distributing licenses sound great in hindsight, but I feel that it's going to take a few rounds of discussions and trials to get this thing right. Also, laws change often; who's to say this will all be in the favor of social equity five years from now?
I am wary of the quality of cannabis and the people who have the money to play big in this space. Let's be honest, I've visited a few legal states and the cultivars in these dispensaries just don't compare to what you find on the streets. The bottom line is, that can never be the case in NYC because no one is going to pay for it. This is why I support home grow all day, because not only does it offer the people an opportunity to grow their own supply but it also gives us, the people, another option.”
Colleen Mairead Hughes @colleenmairead
Who She Is
Deputy Director of NYC NORML, Founder of Creative Consulting Consortium and the HEART Program
Why We Love Her
A cannabis industry veteran, Colleen has consulted for and worked in nearly every department of three different vertically integrated multi-state operators in New York. Her passion for cannabis activism was ignited in the mid-1990s when she met Jack Herer at a signing of his book The Emperor Wears No Clothes; Colleen firmly believes in making the plant accessible to all people and in its myriad benefits for health, society, ecology and economy. Prior to her work in cannabis, Colleen spent over a decade in the beverage industry and was the Executive Director for a vertically integrated multi-national wine company in the Hudson Valley. Today she primarily focuses on dismantling unjust systems and works to maximize universal opportunities for the growth of society. To that end, Colleen founded the Return to Rise, HEART Program, a Legacy to Legal workforce development program, with aspirations to create a national equitable framework to reinvest in communities most harmed by the War on Drugs. Colleen has spoken on numerous panels about medical cannabis, social equity, and as the counterpoint on anti-cannabis roundtables. She serves as the Deputy Director of NYC NORML, on the DEI Committee for National NORML’s Reciprocal Mentoring program, on the social equity committee for the New York City Cannabis Industry Association-Hudson Valley Cannabis Industry Association, and is a member of many cannabis industry workgroups.
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Wise Words
“Legal cannabis in NY to me can mean a host of things. On the one hand, it's the end of an era that I was very much a part of. It's also the beginning of a new age where small businesses have a chance at the American Dream after losing the foothold in their communities over the last 100 years to corporate greed at the expense of the people. My hope is that NY will lead the nation in equitable industry, beginning with cannabis and growing through each industry. How NY will effectively legislate, and regulate cannabis while providing much-needed resources to the communities most impacted by not just the drug war, but from systemic oppressive institutions that perpetuate inequality. NY can and should be the standard that can be adopted by other intersectional industries and I hope we have the right people in the places that matter the most to see this initiative through.
For a fledgling industry, there is much to be wary about, unfortunately. As an advocate for over 20 years and someone who has worked with corporate cannabis for the last 8 years, I have witnessed and experienced firsthand a lot of situations that would give anyone pause. I am most wary about disingenuous people and businesses, saying one thing, and doing another. Folks that misrepresent what they're trying to do in the space, folks that lie about their credentials, experience and skills to try and prey upon others who are literally breaking their necks for their advocacy work. I'm also concerned that most of the MSOs are so focused on buying and selling each other that the patients, employees and communities most harmed continue to be yet another casualty of corporate greed.”
Annette Fernandez @Afernandezny
Who She Is
Founder of the Uptown Cannabis Coalition, Founder of the Washington Heights Women's Walking Crew, and member of the Uptown Gun Violence Prevention Task Force
Why We Love Her
Born to a Dominican father and Puerto Rican mother and raised in Washington Heights, NYC, Annette Fernandez is a community activist who founded the Women’s Walking Crew during the global pandemic as a way to build bridges and is part of the Uptown Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and co-founded the Uptown Cannabis Coalition in December 2021. As a mom, she considers herself a child of the Heights raising a child of the Heights. Professionally, Annette has spent the last six years in finance working for a Prime Broker, and was able to obtain a Series 24/supervisory principal's license after only two years in the business. Prior to her career in finance, she spent almost twenty years in the specialty retail industry working for world-premier brands including Gap and Victoria's Secret. In her retail career, Annette built teams and businesses that drove millions of dollars in sales and profits. Becoming an operations subject matter expert who could run operationally sound and efficient businesses, Annette taught others how to operate their stores, but more importantly she learned how to provide a consistent, highly engaged client service experience. Throughout her professional career, the dream of opening a business in Washington Heights has never stopped nagging her. The focus on changing the trajectory of her family, community and eventually the world because of this work is relentless and she believes cannabis to be the unlocking factor for restorative justice and economics in communities like the Heights all over NY.
Wise Words
"Being a Latino woman and retail dispensary license hopeful, along with my business partner Beck Hickey, and advocating for social equity in NY for the impending launch of the adult use cannabis market, is not for the faint of heart. My passion, vision and dedication to the community I’ve lived in for 47 years and the love I have for the mutual aid community that has formed as the Uptown Cannabis Coalition gives me the energy and the confidence to keep going. This is a historic moment in our lifetimes and we intend to help seize the opportunities for BIPOC folks that have been harmed by the War on Drugs."
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Featured image: Left to right: Gia Moron, Solonje Burnett (kneeling), Chenae Bullock, Kristina Lopez Adduci (seated), Laura Eisman, Holly J. Hager, Lulu Tsui, Kymberly Byrnes, Mary Pryor (seated), Dr. June Chin, Kristin Jordan, Tanya Osborne, Danniel Swatosh (seated)(C) Sam C. Long / Honeysuckle Media, Inc.
A version of this article first appeared in Honeysuckle's 420 print edition, featuring Lil Wayne and Young Money. Get your copy now.
