NCIA Director of Communications Bethany Moore checks in with what’s going on across the country with the National Cannabis Industry Association’s membership, board, allies, and staff. Join us every other Thursday on Facebook for NCIA Today Live.
NCIA is accepting applications for eligible candidates to apply for its board of directors now through Thursday, September 30, 2021.
The National Cannabis Industry Association is a nonprofit organization run for and by its membership, so we hope you’ll consider this opportunity to apply for a seat on the NCIA Board.
Serving on NCIA’s Board of Directors is no small task. Board members are responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the largest and most influential cannabis industry organization in the country. Board Members are also responsible for building membership, fundraising, and ensuring that NCIA continues to be the strongest force advocating for the fair and equal treatment of the industry on Capitol Hill.
Current NCIA members in good standing are eligible to apply for a seat on the board. NCIA members who are interested and qualified to serve on our board are encouraged to submit an application for review by our nominating committee before the September 30 deadline.
Candidates may apply directly for a board position during the open application process. The application form asks for information about the candidate’s professional background, unique talents, skills, and viewpoints, and ability to contribute or raise financial resources for NCIA.
To be considered for a seat on the board, a candidate must be a fiduciary (e.g. owner, president, CEO) of a current dues-paying member business at any level of membership and must submit an application online by September 30.
Board members serve two-year terms and are responsible for overseeing the association’s overall strategy and budget, assist in the development of strategic relationships, and as ambassadors of NCIA, they represent nearly 2,000 member businesses. In general, the NCIA board meets in person twice and conducts 2-3 video conferences per year.
Once the application period closes, NCIA’s Nominations Committee will convene to carefully review and score all applications. The committee will ultimately select a slate of nominees to fill eight (8) available board seats that are best suited to bring additional talent, resources, and diversity to our growing organization, based on their qualifications.
Our Nominating Committee will be comprised of the chairs of our 14 member committees as well as a select number of current board members whose terms are not expiring this year. Once the Nominating Committee selects the slate of eight, members will be notified later this year.
The results of NCIA’s 2021-2023 Board of Directors nominations process are in!
We are appreciative to have received so many very thoughtful and impressive applications from dozens of NCIA members seeking to fill six available seats. Congratulations to the incoming members, and thanks to everyone who applied for a seat this year.
Please welcome four new members and two re-elected incumbents.
Becky Colett, CEO of Calyxeum
Seun Adedeji, Founder and CEO of Elev8 Cannabis
Kimberly Cargile, Executive Director of A Therapeutic Alternative
Cody Stross, CEO of Northern Emeralds
Kris Krane, President of 4Front Ventures
Taylor West, Partner at Heart + Mind Media
The slate will be joining board members Narbe Alexandrian, Cody Bass, Omar Figueroa, Liz Geisleman, Ryan Hurley, Chris Jackson, Khurshid Khoja, and Manndie Tingler at the board’s next (virtual) meeting scheduled for January 27.
NCIA is accepting applications for eligible candidates to apply for its board of directors now through Friday, September 27, 2019.
The National Cannabis Industry Association is a nonprofit organization run for and by its membership, so we hope you’ll consider this opportunity to apply for a seat on the NCIA Board.
Serving on NCIA’s Board of Directors is no small task. Board members are responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the largest and most influential cannabis industry organization in the country. Board Members are also responsible for building membership, fundraising, and ensuring that NCIA continues to be the strongest force advocating for the fair and equal treatment of the industry on Capitol Hill.
To ensure that the board makeup best reflects our membership, NCIA no longer requires board candidates to be Sustaining Members; all current NCIA members, at any level, are eligible to apply for a seat on the board. NCIA members who are interested and qualified to serve on our board are encouraged to submit an application for review by our nominating committee before the September 27 deadline.
Candidates may apply directly for a board position during the open application process. The application form asks for information about the candidate’s professional background, unique talents, skills, and viewpoints, and ability to contribute or raise financial resources for NCIA.
To be considered for a seat on the board, a candidate must be a fiduciary (e.g. owner, president, CEO) of a current dues-paying Member business at any level of membership and must submit an application online by September 27.
Board members serve two-year terms and are responsible for overseeing the association’s overall strategy and budget, assist in the development of strategic relationships, and as ambassadors of NCIA, they represent nearly 2,000 member businesses. In general, the NCIA board meets in person twice and conducts 2-3 video conferences per year.
The new process allows any fiduciary (e.g. owner, president CEO) of a member business to apply to serve a two-year term on the Board of Directors.
The selection process will now be overseen by a Nominations Committee and a slate of candidates will be chosen. Candidates not chosen during the selection process may seek an independent nomination to go before a vote of the NCIA membership.
Once the application period closes, NCIA’s nominating committee will convene to carefully review and score all applications. The committee will ultimately select a slate of nominees to fill eight available board seats that are best suited to bring additional talent, resources, and diversity to our growing organization, based on their qualifications.
Our nominating committee will be comprised of the chairs of our 13 member committees as well as a select number of current board members whose terms are not expiring this year.
NCIA Members will then be notified of the slate and provided instructions for obtaining an independent nomination. Independent candidates must get the signatures (electronic) of 5% of the membership in order to qualify for the ballot.
If no qualified independent candidates are received by November 27, the slate of nominees recommended by the Board of Directors shall be declared members of the Board of Directors and shall commence their term in January 2020.
If one or more qualified independent candidates qualify, all candidates will be presented to the membership for an election which will take place during the month of December.
National Cannabis Industry Association members have voted in the association’s annual board of directors election and nine candidates have been elected to serve on the board for the 2018-2020 term.
Congratulations to the winners, and thank you to all of the candidates for their commitment to NCIA!
2018 Board Election Winners:
Troy Dayton – The Arcview Group
Etienne Fontan – Berkeley Patients Group
Aaron Justis – Buds & Roses
Kris Krane – 4Front Ventures
Jaime Lewis – Coldwater Consulting
Mark Passerini – Om of Medicine
Ean Seeb – Manna Molecular
Michael Steinmetz – Flow Kana
Taylor West – COHNNABIS
Six board incumbents were re-elected this year and three new board members will be joining the leadership team following the election:
Michael Steinmetz of Flow Kana, one of California’s most innovative companies dedicated to sustainability and empowering craft cannabis farmers.
“We are thrilled to be part of the NCIA board to ensure that the United States does not fall behind in the growing global cannabis conversations. With the continued end to prohibition throughout the country, it is imperative that all the legalized states come together to help bring clear policies to the federal level.”
Mark Passerini of Om of Medicine, a long-time NCIA member and the first board member to be elected from Michigan.
“It is an honor to serve this industry and movement in the capacity of NCIA board member! NCIA will have a tremendous amount of influence on the growth and direction of the cannabis space over the next few critical years. I am humbled to be a part of this community and will vow to do everything I can to make this industry the most successful, ethical, respected, and innovative it can be! I look forward to representing the Midwest as we tear down the wall of cannabis prohibition brick by brick.”
Taylor West of COHNNABIS, leading public relations professional and former NCIA deputy director.
“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to help guide NCIA into the future. I know first-hand how hard NCIA works on behalf of its members. Together with the staff and the other incredible leaders on the board, we’re going to keep building the organization to its fullest potential, both as a powerful voice for the industry and as a valuable business community.”
The new board members-elect will join the NCIA executive director and the nine other elected members at the next board meeting.
Members can contact us any time for more information about the board election results or the election process.
If your business is not yet a part of the movement, please join NCIA today.
NCIA’s 2018 Board of Directors election is officially here! We’re offering new ways for candidates to tell their stories and for NCIA members to get the information they need to cast their votes. Watch the videos below to get to know some of the candidates in this year’s election. Videos are posted in the order in which they were received.
(Ballots with unique links have been sent to NCIA member companies by Monday, April 30. If you are an NCIA member wishing to vote in the 2018 Board of Directors but have not received your ballot, please contact the Membership Department at Jeremy@TheCannabisIndustry.org)
The election closes at 11:59 PM EDT on Thursday, May 31.
Ian Stewart, Esq. of Wilson Elser Law Firm
Taylor West of COHNNABIS
Michael Minardi of Minardi Law
Olivia Mannix of Cannabrand
Kris Krane of 4Front Ventures
Gary Cohen of Cova
Gregg Steinberg of Growcentia
Michael Steinmetz of Flow Kana
Kimley Svendsen of Waterstone Staffing Holdings, LLC
Mark Passerini of Om of Medicine
John Davis of Northwest Cannabis
NCIA is now accepting nominations for eligible candidates to run for its board of directors through April 21, 2017.
As the cannabis industry’s only national trade association, the National Cannabis Industry Association is a nonprofit organization run for and by its members, so we hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to get involved in NCIA’s annual board of directors election cycle.
Any representative of an NCIA Sustaining member business may run for a seat on the board through any other NCIA member’s nomination. Representatives of Basic or Sponsoring level member businesses who are interested in serving on the Board are encouraged to contact us at info@thecannabisindustry.org or (888) 683-5650 to convert to a Sustaining level membership before seeking nomination. More information on NCIA’s membership tiers can be found on NCIA’s website.
Log into our member portal and complete this form to nominate a board candidate through April 21, 2017.
Important notes about the board election:
If you are a member of NCIA and don’t have access to your login information, please contact us at info@thecannabisindustry.org and we’ll reset your login credentials.
NCIA’s board is made up of 22 elected directors and the executive director. Elected members serve two-year terms, and elections are staggered, with 11 seats open each year. Board members are responsible for overseeing the association’s overall strategy and budget, and as ambassadors of NCIA, they represent more than 1,200 member businesses.
NCIA’s weighted-voting system means that each member business can cast one ballot, voting for up to 11 candidates. Each ballot is then weighted according to the voter’s membership tier, so that a Sponsoring member’s vote carries twice the weight of a Basic member’s vote, and a Sustaining member’s vote is weighted at five times that of a Basic member.
After the close of the nominations period, NCIA will provide all member businesses a Voter Guide, including information about all qualifying board nominees. A secure online election ballot will be open to all current NCIA members starting Thursday, April 27 until 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, May 22.
Please participate. Only you can ensure your voice is heard, so speak up to nominate a qualified board candidate to help steer NCIA’s direction in 2017 and beyond.
Board Member Requirements: All board members shall maintain a current Sustaining membership during their term, in addition to contributing no less than $10,000 annually to NCIA, its Political Action Committee (PAC), or other funds as determined by the executive director. Board members may be exempt from the additional financial requirement if they raise the equivalent revenue through recruitment of new members as defined by the executive director within one calendar year.
For questions regarding NCIA’s Board election, please contact Meredith Bower Holt, Director of Membership & Development, at Meredith@TheCannabisIndustry.
by Alex Cooley, Solstice
The Life of a Cannabis Grower – 10 years from the first plant
When asked to write for the NCIA blog, I first thought I’m not sure if anyone really wants to read my ramblings via an open blog format. So I thought about where most of my cannabis conversations start and end. More often than not, I am asked how I started out, what it has been like, and where I think the industry, Solstice, and myself are headed. Recently I celebrated 10 years cultivating the cannabis plant and I figured this format is as good as any to rehash (pun intended) the last decade of my life.
In 2006 at the ripe age of 21, I took my first step into the cannabis cultivation world for two reasons; an act of civil disobedience, and so that my friends and I could have the best cannabis around. I was given a few seeds and a light from a close friend and in a rather paranoid fashion I began my journey in a small closet in my one-bedroom apartment in Seattle. I read everything I could get my hands on and constantly experimented with the plant. Faster than I had imagined, I was through several harvests and quickly converting my bedroom into a grow room. As the size of my grow increased, so grew my paranoia and I determined I could no longer risk my future by illegally growing cannabis.
Within days of deciding to stop growing I was introduced to the realities of medical cannabis and that I could cultivate legally with a doctor’s recommendation. Receiving my first recommendation was a massive catalyst of learning and consciousness. As a person who dealt with chronic pain for most of his life and as a respite care provider, my world was forever improved. I realized that I personally could massively benefit from the medical values of the plant and as a care provider I could help to provide these values to others. Upon that realization I jumped head first into the pool and rented my first grow house.
All the while I was growing medical cannabis for others and myself, I never planned on doing it forever. During this time I was going to college to obtain degrees in education and I never saw “Elementary Teacher’s Marijuana Grow House Discovered by Seattle Police Department” as being a good headline or one that would help me further my career as an educator. It was planned that I would stop growing at the scale I was when I finished college, but it turned out that the universe had different plans for me. My world changed forever when Seattle Public Schools went on a hiring freeze and I was told it would be years before I could get a job in Seattle.
At that point I was lost and if it were not for a good friend, Trek Hollnagel, who I had taught to grow, opened my eyes to the reality of a career in the new world of the cannabis industry. To say the least in those early days we had little to no clue what we were doing. We went from moving to California, to deciding to “revolutionize” medical cannabis in Washington by starting four companies from dispensaries to merchant services. Of course we attempted to do all of these at once. After a few years of being pulled in 1,000 directions I decided to bow out and begin a new adventure. It was then in early 2011 I founded Solstice with Will Denman and hoped to only be pulled in 100 directions by focusing on cultivation.
Will and I started Solstice with the goal of helping to legitimize and normalize medical cannabis by being a public cannabis cultivator that was transparent about what we did and why, with everyone from law enforcement to patients. Simply put, we wanted to take the plant from what marijuana was to what cannabis can be. This was a rather crazy concept at that point in Washington’s history, but we took Steve DeAngelo’s charge of “out of the shadows and into the light” to heart. When the first Times article came out about how we were building the state’s first fully permitted cultivation facility, my paranoia was elevated to say the least.
Fortunately, instead of being cast out of society and thrown in prison we were embraced and celebrated. This gave us a platform to further our goal of helping to legitimize/normalize and we were welcomed in by legislators and regulators to craft what the world of regulated cannabis was going to look like. It was then that we successfully helped to write and pass our first ordinance for cannabis at the city level. From there under the Solstice flag we have helped to craft countless pieces of legislation and regulation from the neighborhood micro level in the SoDo District to the international stage at the United Nations and everything in between. Though we spend a lot of our time working on policy (I’m currently on a plane to DC to lobby Congress with NCIA!) we actually grow a good amount of cannabis.
At Solstice we have done so much with the plant and a have stellar team that has grown the business beyond my wildest dreams. It’s crazy, we’ve gone from starting the company in the downstairs of my house to building multiple state of the art facilities and working with sun-grown partner farms with canopy exceeding acres and acres of cultivation in both the medical and adult uses systems. We are also very proud to have the distinction of being the first cannabis brand in the first fully legal state. Along the way, we have grown cannabis that has won countless awards, stopped children from having seizures, at a high point employing 75 people, and had a lot of fun along the way.
Looking back ten years to that day I propagated those first seeds in my closet, I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I have been so incredibly fortunate to get to learn so much, grow a business, manage to succeed while failing a lot, make life-long friends, and some say, change the world. Going from not planning to do this for that long to not even being able to comprehend doing something else with my life; it’s been quite a ride. In truth for me, cannabis is my life’s work.
Here’s to at least 10 more years!
Alex Cooley
Vice President & Co-Founder
Solstice
For more information about my story, please check out the Solstice Company Story video:
In order to cast a vote, you will need to log into NCIA’s secure member ballot using your member company login. Only ONE ballot can be submitted per member company.
If you do not remember your password or are having trouble logging in, please contact us at info@thecannabisindustry.org or (303) 223-4530.
Please be sure to download and review our complete Voter Guide (PDF) before casting your vote.
by Etienne Fontan, Director of Berkeley Patients Group
In the early days of Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), we had visions of a mature, responsible industry that would provide affordable, high quality medicine to everyone who needs access. We envisioned a future where truth and science trumped fear and lies. We dreamed of an industry with quality and testing standards and favorable banking regulations. And we did everything in our power to push this agenda forward with courage, integrity, and the patients at the center of everything we do.
Look how far we have come.
Today, many of our early visions have come to fruition. Through our hard work and relentless drive, we live in world that is far more tolerant to cannabis than ever. We live in world where more than half of America lives in a state with some form of legal cannabis. But there is still an incredible amount of difficult work to be done.
Throughout my tenure at BPG, I have worked tirelessly to innovate and question our own thinking and overall direction. I have been instrumental in constantly redefining (and occasionally disrupting) the industry. These efforts have driven positive change for our business and our industry alike.
“Change is the law of life.
And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”
— President John F. Kennedy
After 23 years in this industry, my focus continues to be on our very bright future. We are in a time of great progress and rapid development; visionary leadership at the helm of the NCIA is integral to further legitimizing and solidifying our nascent industry.
When you cast your vote by May 16th, please cast your vote for innovation, progress, and integrity. I look forward to continuing to serve all of you.
In order to cast a vote, you will need to log into NCIA’s secure member ballot using your member company login. Only ONE ballot can be submitted per member company.
If you do not remember your password or are having trouble logging in, please contact us at info@thecannabisindustry.org or (303) 223-4530.
Please be sure to download and review our complete Voter Guide (PDF) before casting your vote.
NCIA’s annual board of directors election is now open for all members looking to help select the leadership of the cannabis industry’s only national trade association!
If you are a member of NCIA, we hope that you will take some time to consider the great candidates vying for a seat on the board and cast a vote between now and May 16, when the online election closes.
For NCIA members:
In order to cast a vote, you will need to log into NCIA’s secure member ballot using your member company login. Only ONE ballot can be submitted per member company.
If you do not remember your password or are having trouble logging in, please contact us at info@thecannabisindustry.org or (303) 223-4530.
Please be sure to download and review our complete Voter Guide (PDF) before casting your vote.
Not yet a member of NCIA?
If you are not a member of NCIA but want to participate in the election, join today and we’ll provide you access to the online ballot. Your membership will also support the industry’s only unified and coordinated effort to reform federal marijuana laws as well as provide other member benefits enjoyed by the nearly 1,000 responsible cannabis businesses that make up NCIA’s network.
A few other important items about the board election:
There are eleven open board of directors seats and 22 nominated candidates (including ten current board members seeking reelection). Please refer to your voter guide for information on all the candidates and for more information on board election logistics before casting your vote online.
2016 Board Candidates:
Caela Bintner – Faces Human Capital Management
Brian Caldwell – Triple C Collective
Alex Cooley – Solstice
John Davis (incumbent) – Northwest Patient Resource Center
Troy Dayton (incumbent) – The ArcView Group
Etienne Fontan (incumbent) – Berkeley Patients Group
Steve Janjic – Amercanex
Neil Juneja – Gleam Law
Aaron Justis (incumbent) – Buds and Roses Collective
Brendan Kennedy – Privateer Holdings
Kris Krane (incumbent) – 4Front Ventures
Neal Levine – LivWell Enlightened Health
Jaime Lewis (incumbent) – Mountain Medicine
Randy Maslow – Ianthus Capital
Norris Monson – Cultivated Industries
Lance Ott (incumbent) – Guardian Data Systems
Erich Pearson (incumbent) – SPARC
Glenn Peterson – Canuvo
Tom Quigley – Gluu
Ean Seeb (incumbent) – Denver Relief Consulting
Bryan Sullivan – DANK
Scott Van Rixel (incumbent) – Bhang Corporation
Participation in NCIA’s board election is one of the most important ways to engage as a member of your trade association, as it ensures that your values are represented within NCIA’s leadership. NCIA’s elected board is responsible for approving the organization’s budget and strategic plan as well as contributing to the organization financially and through developing membership.
Thank you for your membership and commitment to working together to build the responsible, legitimate, and sustainable industry that we envisioned at the founding of NCIA.
Nominations for NCIA’s annual Board of Directors election are now open to any representative of an NCIA Sustaining Member business looking to serve as a leader of the cannabis industry’s only national trade association.
NCIA prides itself on the democratic system we employ to select our Board of Directors, who are tasked with overseeing the organization’s budget and strategic plan, as well as acting as ambassadors for the association. Board members also support NCIA and the NCIA-PAC through financial contributions and member recruitment.
Any representative of a current NCIA Sustaining Member business may run for a seat on the board with the nomination of any other NCIA member. Nominations for board candidates are being accepted through this online form until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on April 27.
NCIA’s Board of Directors is made up of 22 elected positions and the executive director, who reports to the entire board. Elected members serve two-year terms and elections are staggered with 11 of the 22 seats open this year. A list of current board members is available online.
The online ballot will open to all NCIA members on Saturday, April 30, and online voting will be open until until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, May 16.
NCIA utilizes a weighted voting system. Each member business can cast one ballot, voting for up to 11 candidates. Each ballot is then weighted according to membership status. A Sponsoring Member’s vote carries twice the weight of a Basic member’s vote and a Sustaining Member is weighted at five times that of a Basic member.
If you are not yet a member of your industry’s trade association but want to participate in the election as either a voter or a candidate, contact NCIA’s Laurence Gration at laurence@thecannabisindustry.org or (303) 223-4247. We are also happy to answer any questions you have about the election or upgrade your membership so your vote will carry more influence.
**NOTE: Board candidates may not nominate themselves or have someone else from the same member business nominate them. If you or someone at your company would like to run for the board, please contact a colleague at another NCIA member business to request a nomination. **
More information about the board election, including a voter guide with candidate information, will be made available to our membership by e-mail in the weeks ahead.
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