LEADERS IN CANNABIS + CAREERS

We couldn’t be more honored to have some of the most interesting and innovative leaders in cannabis sharing their stories at this event. Join us as they discuss licensing in the cannabis industry.

JASON STARR

Assistant Counsel to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (NY)

Jason Starr serves as Assistant Special Counsel to Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. In this role, he manages legal affairs for a broad portfolio ofcivil rights issues including housing, immigration, healthcare, andcriminal justice. He is also counsel to the Governor’s Council on Community Re- Entry and Re-Integration and the Joint Task Force on Worker Exploitation. Jason oversees all significant legal and policydeliberations in his portfolio including drafting and evaluation proposed legislation, supervising the implementation of laws and policies, formulating the State’s posture in affirmative and defensive litigation, negotiating the annual State Budget, managing outside counsel, and providing strategic counsel to press, public relations, and policy staff within the Executive Chamber and across more than 10 state agencies.

Prior to joining the Cuomo administration, Jason was a public policy counsel at the New York Civil Liberties Union where his practice focused on police reform, immigration integration, and privacy. He was also the principal advisor to the NYCLU’s senior staff and board on diversity, equity, and inclusion. His work in this area led to the first organization-wide equity assessment and an organizational restructuring that included the creation of a senior level role responsible for equity.

A recognized civil rights policy expert, Jason has a proven track record of collaboration with partners in the government, nonprofit, and private sectors and his work has been featured in various media outlets including the New York Times, NPR, the Huffington Post, the Guardian, and City & State.

ASHLEY PIcilLO

Founder / Point Seven Group (CO)

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

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

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

CONRAD MARTIN

Founder / Sky High Ventures (NY)

Network Editor Producer / Enterpreneur Media (NY)

Conrad Martin is a video producer, on-air host, and entrepreneur. For the past three years, he's served as the video producer and network editor at Entrepreneur Magazine, and currently hosts the Week in Weed segment. With over 10 years in both tv & music, his experience has spanned working with MTV, VH1, BET, Viacom, Will Smith, and FuseTV. He's also the founder and proprietor of the media umbrella, Sky High Ventures. 

TRESS CAPITAL - ANNUAL SPONSOR

Established in 2013, Tress Capital is a leading institutional-grade cannabis investment management firm embedded at the core of the cannabis industry, supported by a world-class infrastructure. With a unique industry network, unparalleled deal-flow pipeline, and experienced team with in-house niche expertise, Tress is the go-to for sophisticated investors seeking competence. Tress originates, guides, and manages investment for HNW, SFO, and institutional clients in both fund and bespoke SMA vehicles. Tress works closely with its companies and sector as an active value-add investor. Its portfolio includes industry leaders such as Headset, Baker Technologies, SC Labs, Cannabis Now, Infusion Biosciences, Grownetics and North Bud Farms.

MAGICALBUTTER® - ANNUAL SPONSOR

The MagicalButter machine is the world’s first countertop Botanical Extractor™, designed for creating fantastic recipes, infusing the essence of healthy herbs into butter, oil, grain alcohol, lotions, and more!

AON INSURANCE - SILVER SPONSOR

Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. Our 50,000 colleagues in 120 countries empower results for clients by using proprietary data and analytics to deliver insights that reduce volatility and improve performance.

POINT 7 GROUP - SILVER SPONSOR

Point Seven Group (Point7) is a tenured, global management consulting firm dedicated to the commercial cannabis industry. Our world-class team of experts, with direct hands-on experience in the regulated cannabis industry, is known for agility, speed and exceptional service. Our success is measured by that of our clients’ whether that’s winning licenses, creating global brands or expanding operations into new markets.

We’ve developed a holistic, seven-phase service offering that addresses our clients’ business needs from pre-application to operations, compliance, expansion and exit. We create a custom strategy and roadmap for each client, delivered with high-touch service to ensure that our clients hit every milestone, in every market, every time.

When our clients succeed, we succeed.

TONIC - SILVER SPONSOR

TONIC sells plant-based wellness solutions for mind, body and soul.

Handcrafted in NY, TONIC’s small batch CBD+botanical blends use organic, sun-grown hemp flower with purposeful ingredients to help you restore your essential balance and #FixYourVibe

COME BACK DAILY - BRONZE SPONSOR

Come Back Daily is the world’s first CBD wellness center and experiential retail shop committed to bridging the gap between the consumer and the product. We encourage conversation within the community to learn, educate, and experiment with the best products that are available on the market. Unlike a dispensary, vape or head shop, we create an atmosphere that welcomes and encourages people to understand their bodies and how CBD works within their endocannabinoid system, the system which keeps homeostasis for all other bodily systems.

Sourcing from only the highest-quality cannabis products, and providing them in an environment that meets the needs of today’s modern customers. We set a new standard for quality, comfort, and excellence.

WORD ON THE TREE - BRONZE SPONSOR

Word on the Tree is a daily cannabis newsletter from journalist Mona Zhang. Readers can view past editions of the newsletter on this site, along with cannabis news, drug policy analysis, product reviews, playlists, and more.

KMACCONNECT PR - BRONZE SPONSOR

kmacconnect pr helps brands join the conversation by creating and distributing content wherever connecting is happening: on your own assets, in traditional media, on social media and at events. The way media is consumed today requires that all businesses act as publishers – producing and circulating new and engaging content that is consistent, clear, concise, educational and entertaining.