Introducing The women in Cannabis Expo Speakers 2022

Cannabis Technology Partners has 20+ years of experience involved in leading IT in multi-site operations. We fully understand the complexities of compliance in the Cannabis industry as we have worked in manufacturing, grow facilities and dispensaries. Cannabis Technology Partners has spoken at WICE in 2021, Lucky Leaf Expo in 2022, and will be speaking at the Southeastern Hemp & Medical Cannabis Convention.  Melody Erfani has worked with CTP since 2017 as our Marketing and Communications Director. She has assisted clients with training and applications. She has extensive experience in managing teams, has helped grow CTP by 20%, and has her MFA.  

Founder and Owner of DREGLO Cannabis Testing Laboratory. And is the first woman to apply for a license in The City of Long Beach. As a co-founder of LBSEE Jillian advocates for social equity inclusions, adequate funding and government transparency. DREGLO LLC provides Organic Hempseed Body and Hair products. When Jillian's son Dre became an Angel cannabis saved her from addictions to prescriptions!

Claire Wells Hanson leads the firm’s Cannabis Litigation Team, and she stands out among industry practitioners due to her unique background and skill set. She was named the National Law Journal 2022 Cannabis Law Trailblazer. She is a commercial litigator by training. Having spent more than a decade practicing in the most sophisticated legal markets in the country, her practice focuses on contractual disputes, securities fraud, and business torts.  Claire applies her experience and litigation know-how in the cannabis industry, by advising marijuana and hemp companies on dispute avoidance and management, defending them against claims, and prosecuting their claims. Both within and without the cannabis industry, Claire has vast experience helping clients navigate disputes in nearly every area of the law, including securities, real estate, intellectual property and licensing, trade secrets, restrictive covenants, product liability, defamation, and Constitutional law.  Claire’s litigation record exemplifies her practical, nimble, and strategic approach to resolving disputes. She has tried cases—and won—in federal and state court. She has argued successfully in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. She’s won many cases and claims on summary judgment and other dispositive motions and avoided the stress and expense of trial for her clients.

 Darren Kaplan primarily handles litigation matters concerning the cannabis industry, with an expanding and diversifying scope in civil commercial litigation more generally. He also has a background in cannabis regulatory work.  In his practice, Darren prides himself on passionate and effective advocacy for his clients. Darren’s written and courtroom representation is built on critical case evaluation and a commitment to the hard work always required to achieve a just outcome in a dispute. He has represented clients at all stages of litigation, including in arbitration and at trial.  Darren has also had a focus on regulatory issues concerning the cannabis space. He has worked on a variety of federal, state, and local compliance questions, including on topics like product packaging and labeling, advertising and marketing, distribution, and licensing, among many others.  Darren is the Chair Emeritus of the Cannabis Law Section of the Colorado Bar Association. He has written and contributed to numerous articles, and spoken at conferences and webinars, regarding cannabis laws and regulations.  

 Sephida is Co-Founder and President of the National Cannabis Party. She began her journey within the  cannabis industry over 5 years ago, developing disruptive technology that would address issues of  consumer safety and compliance in the space. She co-founded CannaMark USA along with Redman and  Damon Jackson, which has now become BirthMark, further developing the technology platform  alongside NCP. Her background has always been in the technology and gaming sectors, in which she’s  been able to bring her skillset into cannabis with an innate ability to quickly build and cultivate  relationships. Sephida has spent over a decade advocating for social programs and equal access to  opportunities in tech for black and brown communities, and now she is bringing the fight for equity  empowerment to cannabis. She is a proud CannaMom and caregiver to her three year old daughter  Khansaa, who is a heart transplant recipient that was born with Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). As a strong believer in the plant and all of its medicinal properties, she has used cannabis to treat  her daughter and help improve her quality of life. This is one of the many reasons she has been an  advocate for patient access and their right to choose cannabis as their medicine. She has served  diligently as a bridge between underserved black communities and the lack of resources that cause economic disparities in urban neighborhoods, including health disparities due to a lack of inadequate access to proper healthcare. As President of NCP, she is determined to help move the cannabis industry forward in the right direction, and ensure fair and equitable representation of the people regarding policy and legislation.

Sterling Champion (She/Her/Hers) Despite what often felt like many failed attempts at success, Sterling believes she has spent her whole life preparing for The SHE Mark- which was born out of an idea that came to her on International Women's Day in 2017. Since then, Sterling has been hard at work fine-tuning and crafting the business in partnership with Ilana. Leading up to The SHE Mark, Sterling spent her 10-year career learning from the corporate, start-up, mid-level, freelance, and hourly work environments while building skills in office and culture management, event production, logistics, and branding. She regularly held multiple jobs at once which allowed her to learn large and small scale business operations, as well as time management and balance, simultaneously. It was through these diverse landscapes and positions that she experienced the gendered inequalities that are common in the workplace, igniting both a frustration and a passion to start The SHE Mark and be the change!   

Ilana Broad is the Co-founder and General Counsel of The SHE Mark – offering the most inclusive set of gender equity certifications in the world. In the course of their personal gender journey and their professional career working for others and themselves, Ilana observed first-hand the disparate opportunities and recognition afforded femmes. They were honored to be approached by Sterling to assist in building and launching this movement to recognize and celebrate women and gender-diverse people in business. Ilana brings to The SHE Mark skills and experience in transactional intellectual property law, which they developed through their legal education and ensuing career, as well as entrepreneurial experience, which they gained by launching their own law practice. Ilana has been awarded the Super Lawyers Rising Star recognition for their lawyering expertise in each of the four years in which they were eligible (2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021). Ilana is also a foster animal parent, a permanent parent to Hazel the cat and Cheesecake the dog, and a mediocre crocheter.

 Aaron is a Fractional CMO as well as a brand consultant and coach that caters to small and medium cannabis companies and executives. He helps them understand their brand and how to grow it through strategy and relationship building. He holds a B.A. in Communications/New Media from Southern New Hampshire University and an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications from West Virginia University    Aaron is also a part-time communications professor and self-proclaimed LinkedIn nerd.

 Marisa Prana, Owner and Founder of ButterflyPrana Spiritual Teacher, Motivational Speaker and Life & Success Coach. Internationally Board-Recognized & Certified Life and Success Coach, Clinical Hypnotherapist, NLP Practitioner, Time Techniques Practitioner and EFT Practitioner.   Prana's mission is to create a spiritual movement of self love and empowerment for those seeking faith, transformation and success.  With the creation of ButterflyPrana in 2020, Marisa knew it was time to illuminate the way for others on their spiritual journey in healing, transformation and growth in a way that will make a lasting change in their lives.   Marisa has spent the last 8 years studying and exploring plant medicine, meditation and different spiritual ceremonies and practices in search of the answer to true peace, happiness and unconditional love.   She then created her life coaching programs to help aspiring business women overcome hardship, face their challenges in a new uplifting way and truly learn how to love themselves. She created a mindset system and spiritual lifestyle that has helped people all around the world manifest their desires and truly become the person of their dreams! Now, Marisa is spreading her love, light and spiritual teachings speaking at events, conferences, your local coffee shop... just about anywhere and everywhere!  

 Mang-Yee (pronounced like Jumanji, but without the ju)    If you’re into name meanings, you should know that a “Reverie” is a state of being pleasantly lost in a daydream.   Panamanian Born, Brooklyn Bred, and Internationally grown, Reverie is the proud mom of 3 beautiful children.  Growing up as a military brat, traveling abroad provided a unique opportunity to witness the influence of the Cannabis and Hip-Hop cultures from a very diverse lens.  With a passion for radio, music, and all things Hip-Hop, immersion in the Cannabis culture was practically inevitable for Reverie.  As an aide to Cannabis activists and a witness to the power of the plant, she is passionate about spreading the truth surrounding the benefits of Cannabis.  And she currently hosts a podcast, The Mile High Sessions, dedicated to this cause.   With experience in radio spanning over 7 years now, Reverie left a 15 year stint working with the federal government to pursue her passion.  Fluent in 3 languages, she first began working in radio with the Armed Forces Network in Kaiserslatuern, Germany at age 33.  And she hasn’t looked back since.   It certainly hasn’t been easy.  Like many, Reverie, faced the hardships of being furloughed from her dream job in radio during the pandemic.  In the midst of uncertainty, it was then that she doubled down on her passion for radio and cannabis to start The Mile High Sessions podcast.  Having developed a number of pivotal relationships in the Hip-Hop industry has already helped Reverie stage the launch for her first two seasons of the podcast.  She has been a “go-to” consultant providing marketing and distribution aid to a number of Cannabis brands, operations, and even government officials.   At present Reverie enjoys time raising her 3 beautiful children, while living a lifestyle that demonstrates the importance of pursuing your dreams.  She works with the National Cannabis Party to advocate for cannabis and social empowerment.  She is launching her podcast.  She travels.  She loves life.  She’s grateful.  She’s living her dream.  Mang-Yee. Reverie.      Without God, none of this is possible!   Smoke Trees & Spread love it’s the Brooklyn Way!  

Ms. James is the co-founder and CEO of Simply Pure and is a leading advocate in the cannabis industry. In 2009, she and her husband, Scott Durrah, became the first African Americans, legally licensed, to own a dispensary, a cultivation and edible company. She is also the founder and President of the Cannabis Global Initiative (CGI), a marketing and consulting firm that specializes in diversity development, regulatory framework and marketing. The company is dedicated to consistently providing innovative solutions through strategic alliances and business development surrounding the legalization of cannabis.    Wanda’s positioning of her company, on both the political stage and on cannabis reform, has led to her being the first to be the first cannabis entrepreneur and company to be named to AD WEEK’s 2021 Trailblazer list along with VP Kamala Harris, NBC President Kim Goodwin and MSNBC President, Rashida Jones. Ms. James was also inducted in the 2019 MJBiz Hall of Fame, the 2018 Lifetime Achievement winner of the Cannabis Business Awards, named one of the Top 50 Women in Cannabis and 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis by High Times magazine, 2019 Cannabis Business Executive (CBE) 30 Top Power Women of Cannabis and 2016 Cannabis Business Executive (CBE) 50 Most Important Women in the Cannabis Industry. She has been featured on the covers of Black Enterprise, Vanguard Magazine, Sensi Magazine, Cannabis Dispensary Magazine, and Cannabis &Tech Magazine. She and her husband have been featured in numerous national and international shows including BET’s SMOKE, The BBC, Democracy Now, The Atlantic, MIC.com, MSNBC,  Smile Jamaica, Viceland, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CBS Sunday Morning Holiday Special, “Eat, Drink and be Merry” and CNBC’s Marijuana USA, to name a few.  A leading advocate for social equity, and a civil rights fighter that help elect America’s first Black POTUS and America’s first openly gay Governor. Ms. James political involvements have included Jared Polis for Congress in Colorado’s CD2 and in 2008, Ms. James was appointed to President Obama’s National Finance Committee and became one of the largest bundlers of donations for President Barack Obama in Colorado. In 2018, Ms. James was appointed to Colorado Governor Jared Polis’ Transition Team and currently serves as on the Kamala Harris National Finance Committee. Her expertise on cannabis reform, regulation and policy has assisted numerous municipalities including Colorado , Jamaica, Maryland, and Illinois, in their legalization efforts.  Graduating from the University of Colorado, Boulder, she was commissioned an officer in the United States Navy and served for four years in Naval Integrated Underwater Surveillance (IUSS).   Ms. James is a gubernatorial appointee to the Colorado Tourism Board of Directors and is a graduate of the Inaugural Class of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute at the University of Southern California and a former President of the National Women’s Political Caucus.  She was appointed to the Los Angeles Small and Local Business Commission and sat on the Board of Directors for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, and the Board of Directors of the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce.  Ms. James was also a former member of the University of Colorado Alumni Board of Directors.  

What does it take to manifest your very own American Dream today? David came from England with a suitcase and $5k… started a ‘branding’ company in his garage and went penniless fast. With nothing to loose he changed the rules, reinventing as a brand story telling ‘party’ for retailers like Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Disney and Macy’s, recognized by 1000’s of newspapers, magazines and tv shows his company made millions and was even followed by private detectives from a competitor … but they couldn’t see this…   TODAY what it takes to dominate peoples attention and love your brand is to pour your passion, vision and dreams into your brand, inspiring a community who love your story, love what you have to say and love buying from you…   WARNING: Be Ready! And maybe roll up your sleeves to scribble fast as you learn your secret to building a brand people love…