
Lack of research stifles legal access to cannabis for veterans.
Lack of research stifles legal access to cannabis for veterans.
In honor of International Women’s Day, we are releasing our annual “Most Important Women in Weed” list for 2020. This list includes women in the industry that have collectively moved the industry forward with all of their hard work, continuous dedication and effort.
This year we opened up the list for nominations and received almost a thousand nominees. After consideration of each, we have developed what we feel is one of the most inclusive and carefully curated lists of the most accomplished and impressive women in the cannabis industry.
As we could not name them all, we would like to thank and celebrate all of the women who have dedicated their precious time to the advancement of cannabis globally.
It is because of each one of these ladies that this industry remains in the lead above all others as far as female leadership is concerned.
This list is in no special order. Each one of these women provide a great contribution to the cannabis industry in their own unique and badass way.
Thank you to every one of you for all that you do!
The “List”
Dr. Chanda Macias
Yvonne DeLaRosa Green
Mara Gordon
Rosie Mattio
Shawna McGregor
Lori Ferrara
Gaynell Rogers
Stormy Simon
Trista Okel
Lori Ajax
Amy Dawn Bourlon-Hilterbran
Kim Rivers
Amanda Soens
Dona Frank
Kat King
Sara Payan
Hannah Daphna
Sandra Castaneda
Erin Gore
Wendy Kornberg
Kristin Nevedal
Wendy Turner
Parisa Rad
Brittany Nicholson
Emily Paxhia
Jessica Billingsley
Gia Moron
Andrea Brooks
Tahira Rehmatullah
Tracey Mason
Lindy Snyder
Jasmine Rose Gunderson
Shannon Hattan
Adelia Carrillo
Karen Petersen
Wanda James
Barbara Blaser
Ophelia Chong
Amanda Ostrowitz
Pamela Nicole Epstein
Melissa Mentele
Jamie Cooper
Sarah Remesch
Jessie Gill
Erica Daniels
Lizzy Jeff
Lelehnia DuBois
Whitney Beatty
Dr. Michele Ross
Manndie Tingler
Chef Lauren Gockley
Kyra Reed
Jamie Evans
Kristin Jordan
Ellie Siegel
Sara Brittany Somerset
Linda Marsicano
Heidi Groshelle
Amber Senter
Nique Pichette
Jennifer Price
Molly Peckler
Bonita Money
Susan Hwang
Judy Yee
Julie Chiarello
Leah Heis
Leslie Andrachuk
Terra Carver
Nancy Whiteman
Luna Stower
Karen Paull and Wendy Robbins
Beth Stavola
Alison Gordon
Penny Green
Sara Gullickson
Dr. Lakisha Jenkins
Pamela Hadfield
Jessica Peters
Dr. Rachel Knox and Dr. Jessica Knox
Tiffany Bowden
Mary Jane Gibson
Michelle Janikian
Dr. Uma Dhanabalan
Taylor Blake
AC Braddock
Kerri Accardi
Heather Sobel
Betty Aldworth
Cathy Jordan
Suzanne Sisley
Nina Parks
Eliza Nova Maroney
Selena Xochitl Martinez
Angelika Penuela-Ruiz
Sarah Mitra Payan
Gretchen Gailey
Nikki Lastreto
Ann Lawrence
Sheena Shiravi
Christina Ianuzzi
Kassandra Frederique
Shannon Buyers
Celia Tapp
Kelly Archer
Katie Field
Randi Sether
Shannon Reed
Katrina Yolen
Ngiste Abebe
Brooke Westlake
Courtney Maltais
Katrina Tso
Anne Don0hoe
Alicia Rose Kelley
Dr. Jacqueline Harding, PhD
Mary Pryor
Dr. Uma Dhabalan
Olivia Mannix
Heather DeRose
Libby Cooper
Leslie Hoffman
Yvonne Perez Emerson
Again, thank you to all of the women who do so much in our industry day in and day out. Your work does not go unnoticed and is deeply appreciated.
Happy International Women’s Day to all women around the world!
Special shout out to our Green Market Report co-founders Debra Borchardt and Cynthia Salarizadeh on this day!
During the massive gathering of cannabis industry leaders at Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, the leading women came together to honor the achievements of their peers. The 2nd Annual Industry Power Women Awards, the ceremony aimed to recognize the accomplishments of women in the cannabis industry; from entrepreneurs and investors to influencers and advocates, commenced.
The award ceremony was hosted by the group Industry Power Women (IPW) and made possible with generous sponsors that included Dr. Robb Farms, High Times Holding Company, Organa Brands, Regs Technology (Cannaregs), Skunk Factory, Mood33, Passport Cannabis, The GoldQ, CH3 Ventures, Greenhouse Ventures, Saka Wines and Pink Haze.
IPW was founded in 2017 and is an organization established to help advance female businesswomen in cannabis. IPW aims to elevate and empower female entrepreneurship within the cannabis industry by creating a support network of like-minded individuals.
Attending the invite-only ceremony was an assortment of women from across the industry and all walks of life. These women include founders, CEOs, C-suite executives, trade organization leaders and community organizers.
Green Market Report co-founder and CEO, Debra Borchardt, and managing partner of KCSA Strategic Communications as well as the founder of AxisWire, Cynthia Salarizadeh acted as hostesses for the event. The first to take home an award was Kristin Hope for the Rising Star Award. At just 15 years old, Hope became the first person to launch a pharmaceutical grade hemp beauty line, HOOP, and was most recently nominated for the Bell scholarship.
The next award recipient was Gaynell Rogers, who won Influencer of the Year. As one of the most respected voices in public relations, Rogers has worked with some of the best and brightest in the cannabis industry; including Harborside Health’s Co-Founder Steve DeAngelo.
Outside of the cannabis industry, Rogers is also known for her work as the senior publicist for Lucasfilm and the Head of Feature Film Publicity at Pixar for the first “Incredibles” and “Cars.”
For her outstanding work as a cannabis advocate, Amy T. Margolis was granted the 2018 Leadership Award. Margolis is the founder of the Oregon Cannabis Association, which is one of the largest trade organizations in the cannabis industry.
Most recently, Margolis was also named by Cannabis Business Executive (CBE) as one of the 2017’s 100 Most Powerful Political People in Cannabis and one of the 50 Most Important Women in Cannabis in both 2016 and 2017.
Taking the prize for Advocate of the Year was Wanda James. As an outspoken political voice and serial entrepreneur, James has been honored by High Times Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis and was also named as one of the 50 Most Important Women in the Cannabis Industry by CBE.
Emily Paxhia, co-founder and Managing Partner of Poseidon Asset Management, was named IPW’s Investor of the Year. Throughout her career, Paxhia has reviewed thousands of cannabis companies and has always taken the time to uplift promising female entrepreneurs by helping them shape their pitch preparations, go-to-market strategies/ product launches, and advised on day-to-day business operations.
Taking the Industry Power Women top honor of 2018 Business Woman of the Year was Jessica Billingsley. Billingsley is the Co-Founder and CEO of MJ Freeway Business Solutions; a technology company that provides software solutions to cannabis firms, as well as small-business, consulting services and application license support. In addition to her entrepreneurial accomplishments, Billingsley has also been named to Fortune Magazine’s list of Top 10 Most Promising Women Entrepreneurs.
Following the ceremony, many of the attendees would later recount with exuberance how empowered the event made them feel. For many, this event stood out as one of the few places where they could be with other women and talk about their trade. In an industry that continues to be dominated by men, that matters; and it only serves to highlight the continued relevance, and need, for ceremonies like the Industry Power Women Awards.
Unpack the industry with the daily cannabis newsletter for business leaders.
Unpack the industry with the daily cannabis newsletter for business leaders.