The cannabis community has seen an influx of female entrepreneurs and leaders laying the groundwork for the future. Whether they’re advocating for reasonable legislation, engineering extraction techniques, or hacking the crazy world of cannabis marketing, the cannabis industry continues to boast a higher percentage of female leadership than the national average – with even more room to grow. As a significant part of America’s fastest growing industry, the women of cannabis are determined not to be left behind.

Make sure you don’t miss meeting these prominent female cannabis industry leaders at this year’s 6th Annual Cannabis Business Summit & Expo.

1. Lisa Jordan

Vice President of Marketing, Canna Advisors
Panel: Cannabis Reform Stops Short: Why We Can’t Let Social Justice Get Lost

Throughout her extensive career, Lisa has led large-scale corporate campaigns and has made a visible impact on premier organizations in the nonprofit sector. Her dynamic approach allows her to grow and shape organizations from the ground up. Lisa’s work has won numerous awards, including local ADDYs, national awards for predictive analytics, and a Bronze Lion at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Read More About Lisa Here

2. Maureen McNamara

Founder & Chief Facilitator, Cannabis Trainers
Panel: Today’s Key State Regulation Trends & Issues Across the Nation

Maureen has 25+ years of professional training experience; she is the Founder and Chief Facilitator with Cannabis Trainers™. She has led thousands of workshops and inspires cannabis industry professionals to create and sell products compliantly and professionally. She has combined her skills and expertise with Food Safety and Responsible Alcohol Service into a comprehensive, engaging program to ensure the responsible, knowledgeable and safe sale of cannabis: Sell-SMaRT™.

Read More About Maureen Here

3. Kim Wilson

Executive Director, Global Cannabis Partnership
Panel: How to Be a Great Corporate Citizen in the Cannabis Industry

Kim brings her many years of social responsibility expertise, including participation in numerous and international CSR bodies and community boards, to her role as Executive Director. Prior to joining GCP, Kim spent 11 years at Atlantic Lottery Corporation (ALC) as Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility. During that time, Kim led, developed, prepared and executed ALC’s CSR strategy, which included a focus on diversity and inclusion, health and wellness, volunteerism and responsible gambling. A seasoned media and public relations practitioner, Kim is a proactive and dynamic leader who gets things done.

Read More About Kim Here

4. Laura Wilkinson Sinton

Owner, Caligrown and Vox Advisory, LLC

Panel: Marketing Do’s and Don’ts in the Crazy World of Cannabis Compliance

Laura Wilkinson is an entrepreneur with over 35 years of experience in emerging industries building several companies from zero. She has successfully launched broadcast companies, precious metals recycling entities, an information security company and consumer product manufacturing for retail – all industries with substantial compliance requirements. Between those, she worked in Broadcast Radio and Television in San Diego and Fortune 500 Marketing Communications leadership positions in the energy sector.

Read More About Laura Here

5. Diane Myer Brown

CEO, iCre8t Digital Agency
Panel: Marketing Do’s and Don’ts in the Crazy World of Cannabis Compliance

Diane has over twenty years of leadership experience in digital marketing and advertising. As CEO of iCre8t Digital Agency, she has crafted award winning national campaigns for brands such as PetSmart Charities, Mizuno and Ferrari. Diane has led digital advertising campaigns for clients such as Kimberly-Clark, Coke, The Home Depot and BMW. Additionally, Diane has executed national social media campaigns to drive in store sales at Walmart for Central Garden & Pet. That campaign increased sales by more than 128% and solidified their vendor shelf-space with the large retailer while winning the 2011 Best Online Brand Experience through social media.

Read More About Diane Here

6. Kara Bradford

CEO, Viridian Staffing
Panel: Top 5 Pitfalls to Avoid While Navigating Wage and Hour

Kara has been an HR professional, specializing in Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Workforce Planning, Employer Branding, Compliance, Federal/State Employment Laws, and Organizational Design for over 15 years. Her career has spanned multiple Fortune 100 companies and start-ups in a wide variety of industries. More importantly, she has more experience recruiting in the cannabis industry than any other recruiter globally. In addition, she has built companies from the ground up and loves putting together perfect teams. Kara has an MBA in Human Resources & Organizational Behavior and is PRC, CIR, & CSSR Certified.

Read More About Kara Here

7. Heidi Quan

Attorney at Law, Murchison & Cumming
Panel: Top 5 Pitfalls to Avoid While Navigating Wage and Hour

Ms. Quan has experience representing individuals and businesses in a wide variety of matters, including areas of business litigation, general liability, professional liability, employment law, landlord/tenant, health law and product liability. Her clients have included owners of both small and large businesses, hotels, restaurants and bars, residential care facilities and nursing homes, security companies, national and international companies, and owners and property managers of shopping centers, commercial buildings and other properties. Ms. Quan also assists clients within the cannabis industry, as well as those affected by cannabis legalization.

Read More About Heidi Here

8. Lauren Mendelsohn

Associate Attorney, Law Offices of Omar Figueroa
Panel: Is Your Jurisdiction Ready for Social Consumption?

For the past several years, Lauren has been active in the drug policy reform movement as well as other progressive and humanitarian efforts. She is the former Chair of the Board of Directors of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), an international non-profit organization working to end the counterproductive “War on Drugs.” Currently, she sits on the Board of Directors of the Sonoma County Growers Alliance, an organization that advocates on behalf of local cannabis businesses.

Read More About Lauren Here

9. Laura Breit

Founder and Owner, Root Engineers
Panel: Designing Your Extraction Facility For Success

Laura is a professional mechanical engineer specializing in the design of HVAC, plumbing, and process systems for the cannabis industry. Using her experience in traditional engineering methods through Root Engineers parent company, ColeBreit Engineering, she applies her team’s depth of knowledge to create efficient and economically sound solutions for cultivation and processing facilities. Taking a custom approach to each project, Laura has experience working in the traditional design-bid-build method, as well as in the design-build arena.

Read More About Laura Here

10. Karen J. Bernstein

Managing Partner, Bernstein IP
Panel: Cannabis Packaging: Evaluating, Streamlining & Innovating

Before heading to law school, Karen was an executive in the advertising business, as well as having been a personal manager to a major recording artist. She also co-wrote of a Top-10 Hit song in Europe that also made Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100.

Today, Karen brings her unique background and skills to the practice of intellectual property and business law. Her firm is an active member of the National Cannabis Industry Association where Karen serves as Chair of the Packaging and Labeling Committee (PLC). Throughout the years, Karen has spoken at a number of NCIA meetings and other Cannabis industry conferences.

Read More About Karen Here