Bill leads the team responsible for the establishment and implementation of the U.S. domestic hemp production program as mandated under the 2018 Farm Bill. In this role, he is responsible for rulemaking, public education, and outreach efforts with State Departments of Agriculture and Indian Tribes. Bill has been with USDA since 2000, and held previous roles as the acting director of the USDA team responsible for establishing labeling rules for bioengineered (GMO) foods in the U.S., and as the Chief of Staff of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service from 2016-2018. Bill studied agricultural economics at the University of Maryland, and holds professional certificates from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and the Brookings Institution.

With professional experiences in executive leadership, small business ownership, and the practice of law, Jamie Crumley has spent most of her professional career pursuing dreams and accomplishing goals. She graduated as the University Scholar and Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Psychology and a minor in Spanish from Western Carolina University. She then received her Juris Doctorate from Campbell University and is a licensed attorney in the state of Tennessee. After completing her education, she decided to chase another dream and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a career in music performance while building her own music management company. After a few years in Nashville and several career successes, Jamie returned to her home state of North Carolina to work alongside her father to start one of North Carolina’s first Industrial Hemp companies, Founder’s Hemp. In her free time, Jamie loves to travel and experience the exciting new adventures that this world has to offer. She tries to never say “no” to a unique venture or a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Dave is the co-founder and CEO of Open Book Extracts (OBX), a large-scale, vertically integrated hemp-derived CBD company that is setting the standard for professionalism and transparency in sourcing, extracting, and formulating superior products. Prior to OBX, Dave co-founded Greenleaf, a leading Ohio medical marijuana company, that won and now operates the maximum number of licenses allowed by the state. While Dave’s commitment to cannabis is driven by his firm belief in its efficacy, his engineering background drives his commitment to data and traceability. Dave started his career as a quality engineer in the automotive space and then served Fortune 500 semiconductor companies as CEO of LineStream, an automation software company which he co-founded and sold in 2017.

Melissa D. Marsal is the current Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for West Town Bank & Trust and West Town Bancorp, overseeing Banking Operations, HR Compliance and IT. She also serves on the ALCO, IT, Compliance and HR Committees of the Bank and previously served as the Bank’s Information Security Officer. Ms. Marsal previously served as the Bank’s Chief Marketing Officer overseeing Sales and Marketing prior to her transition to COO. Melissa graduated from East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina in 1992 and was one of the original organizers and founders of Albemarle Bank & Trust assisting in the organizing of the proposed de novo that is now West Town Bank & Trust.

Hugh has seven years of international experience in agricultural commodities trading and business development. After completing his MA in Economics at the University of Edinburgh in 2012, he joined ED&F Man, the UK’s oldest agricultural commodities merchant, as a junior molasses trader first in Manila and then Shanghai. He later became a corporate development analyst covering the Asian sugar, coffee and molasses markets from ED&F Man’s base in Singapore.

In 2015, Hugh joined Cargill’s World Trading Group in Geneva, Switzerland, as a trading assistant on the physical wheat and soybean desks before moving to Cargill and Copersucar’s 50:50 joint venture, Alvean, where he was a Trading Associate with the Proprietary Trading Team trading the Sugar No.11 contract, the world benchmark contract for raw sugar trading. Concurrently to this Hugh gained a Master’s in International Trading, Commodity Finance and Shipping at the University of Geneva.

Since 2018, Hugh has originated, consulted and helped to structure alternative financing solutions for AlmaStone, which is a London-based agricultural supply chain financier for mid-market commodity producers, processors, and traders primarily in emerging markets. With his finance and trading background he embarked upon exploring the opportunity to provide financing solutions to the nascent industrial hemp sector in January 2019. He has travelled extensively across the United States and internationally to witness firsthand this new market and to understand the evolution of industrial hemp as a national and global commodity.

Erin Williams has been with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) for over 10 years. She has served in a variety of roles, including Dispute Resolution Specialist and Policy and Planning Coordinator for the agency’s Division of Consumer Protection. She is currently a Policy Analyst in the agency’s Office of Policy, Planning, and Research and serves as the agency’s Regulatory Coordinator. Ms. Williams has coordinated VDACS’s work to oversee Virginia’s industrial hemp research since the enactment of the Virginia Industrial Hemp Law in 2015. Additionally, she oversees the agency’s Industrial Hemp Grower License program. Ms. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and a law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law in Hamden, Connecticut.

Tyler co-chairs the firm's Hemp Law practice group. He regularly works with clients involved in all levels of hemp and CBD industries and guides the firm's practice in those efforts.

Tyler is passionate about the hemp and cannabidiol ("CBD") industries, their products, and their people. He co-chairs the firm's Hemp Law practice group, and he represents clients in all aspects of the hemp and CBD industries – both in North Carolina and beyond. His clients include farmers and growers, processors, extractors, product manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. He also assists clients who are involved in the industry but do not directly "touch the plant" – including brokers, consultants, marketing agencies, lenders and financial institutions, and other suppliers and vendors.

In his hemp and CBD practice, Tyler regularly provides advice and counsel to his clients on Federal, state, and local legal and regulatory compliance matters, and he regularly represents clients in all types of agribusiness, transactional, and corporate deals and agreements within the industry. He is also actively engaged in state-level lobbying and public activism efforts in support of the industry, its companies, and their products. The hemp and CBD industries are unique, and Tyler and the firm's Hemp Law team are committed to helping the people and businesses within them.

Tyler's previous practice experience also includes a broad range of corporate and transactional matters, including drafting and negotiating corporate agreements and documents, managing all aspects of mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions for a variety of companies, and assisting privately held companies in all aspects of their business needs, from corporate governance and transactions to business structuring, development and expansion opportunities, and succession planning.

Tyler also works with other regulated industries – including breweries, distilleries, and wineries – to address permitting needs, compliance issues, distribution and supply chain matters, and negotiations and interactions with local, state, and federal governmental and regulatory agencies. Tyler has also represented financial institutions and other creditors in bankruptcy cases and litigation in state and federal court, including workouts, reorganizations, collection cases, and other contested matters.

Matt along with Chase Werner started Triangle Hemp, which functions primarily to work with farmers to provide feminized seed and transplants.

Triangle Hemp's passion is growing plants which started with our commercial greenhouse vegetable business 7 years ago. Matt's expertise consists of high-tech greenhouse production on a commercial scale focused on the consistency and reliability needed to fill large contracts. Other areas of expertise includes large-scale asexual propagation and organic integrated pest management.

Triangle Hemp's goal is to be a resource for hemp farmers to help create a solid foundation so that any hemp grower can be successful. We have and are currently working with over 160 farmers spread out across 10 states to provide field-ready starter plants with the best quality genetics available.

Debbie Custer – a 35 year food and beverage industry disruptor, with a focus on plant based nutraceuticals. As CEO of Coeus Research, she has launched several companies bringing “good for you” brands to a national and international marketplace.

In 1979, she was at the beginning of the wine industry in the state of Virginia. Wine grapes were being planted with new varietals being tested in various micro-climates. Within a few short years, a new economic driver was established for our state.

In 1985, a new category was emerging- non alcoholic beverages – natural/no sugar products were challenging carbonated soft drinks. Leading a South African company, she launched the Qui-bell brand and eventually led the market in sparkling waters throughout the USA, and in parts of Europe. Consumers began to appreciate the attributes of “know your source”, package identity and ingredient transparency surrounding this new category of beverages.

She has worked in all aspects of the beverage and food industry to include product, brand and package development. Developing products with patented benefits to deliver specific benefit to the consumer is her benchmark with the sweet spot being taste profile formulation.

Focusing on plant-based foods with anadaptogen element, Debbie began working with hemp in early 2000. In 2018, she registered as a grower and processor with Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and currently maintains those registrations.

Upon entering the hemp space, she saw a need for the empowerment and education of women in the field. Women as leaders of the conversation, not onlookers. In early 2018, she founded Women In Hemp, a 501c3 non-profit, developing a resource base to include endowments, so women can innovate and educate in the hemp industry.

From sparkling water, wine, craft beer, specialty beverages and now hemp, Debbie enjoys being on the forefront of the hemp industry and seeing where it may go.

Chad is an entrepreneur passionate about developing impact based businesses and brands with sustainable supply chains. As a recent graduate of the Village Capital Agricultural Accelerator, his network in the food system is far reaching at high levels in the private and public sectors. The White House invited Chad to represent Kentucky and Victory Hemp Foods at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Palo Alto, where we met with POTUS’s Entrepreneurial Ambassadors and 700 other entrepreneurs from 170 countries to work on solving for some of the world most pressing issues here at home and abroad, including food security. As the President for the Board of the Kentucky Hemp Industry Association and a Board Member for the Organic Association of Kentucky, he’s committed to bringing hemp into the rural economy where sustainable economic development is needed. To this end he moved from California in 2014 and has put down roots in Henry County, Kentucky, where he's learned how to hang tobacco and suffer sweet tea.

Dr. Lindsey D. Thiessen is an Assistant Professor and Extension Plant Pathology Specialist of Tobacco and Field Crops at North Carolina State University. She has had training in plant pathology from Texas Tech University on diseases of field crops in Lubbock and Oregon State University on epidemiology of grape foliar diseases in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. As a faculty member at NC State University, she has responsibilities for training NCSU extension faculty on field crop diseases, providing disease management recommendations to field crop producers, conducting on-farm and on-station research projects to determine best management practices for field crop diseases, and diagnose clinic samples for the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic.

Dr. Hudalla is a Ph.D. analytical chemist with more than 25 years of research experience in analytical chemistry, spectroscopy and chromatographic method development. He is recognized worldwide as an expert in the field of traditional Reverse Phase Liquid, Supercritical Fluid and Convergence Chromatography and an active leader in the development and implementation of the UltraPerformance Convergence Chromatography instrumentation. Dr. Hudalla is a founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ProVerde Laboratories, Inc., a premier analytical testing, CO2 extraction and derivative product formulation consultancy for the regulated medical cannabis and hemp industries. ProVerde is one of the first laboratories in the U.S. to receive an ISO 17025 accreditation that specifically governs hemp and medical cannabis testing. ProVerde Laboratories operates at the cutting edge of medical cannabis extraction, purification and product formulation techniques, supported by expert analytical testing, with expertise that will move research into cannabis and its effects on various medical conditions forward as the medical cannabis industry progresses. Dr. Hudalla plays an integral part in providing clients operating in the Medical Marijuana and hemp industries the ability to deliver new products and product formulations that meet the highest standards for quality, consistency, safety and labeling. Dr. Hudalla received his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Eppley Institute for Cancer Research within the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Hudalla has delivered presentations all over the world in his areas of expertise, including analytical testing and research specific to medical cannabis and serves on the Cannabis Expert Panel with the United States Pharmacopeia (USP).

Nathan is the founder of Lux Botanics, a mission-led craft botanical product manufacturer in Black Mountain, NC. Lux partners with local growers of medicinal plants and fungi to develop ethically sourced, standardized concentration medicinal ingredients. Lux incorporates these ingredients into formulations and products for product makers, brand owners, and retailers.

Taimour Azhar is a hemp entrepreneur, founder and President of the Hempville. Taimour has worked as an Electrical Engineering consultant for fortune 500 companies like PPG and DuPont for over 10 years. He has an extensive knowledge and experience of large scale manufacturing and managing multi Million dollar projects. He is fully determined to contribute in hemp industry and lead industrial hemp processing in America.”

Chase Werner has been designing, building and operating Controlled Environment Agriculture systems since 2006. First as a hobbyist, then as Founding Partner of Endless Sun Farms, a year-round hydroponic produce greenhouse and since 2017 as Founding Partner of Triangle Hemp. From their greenhouses in Durham, NC, Triangle Hemp has provided over 500 acres of hemp transplants to farmers across 10 states and is offering feminized seed as well as transplants in 2020.

I am originally from Beaufort, North Carolina. I came to the triangle region 12 years ago to attend NC State University. I graduated from NC State in 2012 with a Bachelor’s in Zoology and again in 2015 with a Master’s in Entomology. I specialized in insect diversity among varying agroecosystems. I began working with the NCDA&CS in early 2016 and have transitioned from a temporary, to a full time field staff, to a supervisory role, and finally to the Industrial Hemp Program Manager. I have been with the Industrial Hemp Program since 2018.

Doris Hamilton is a graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture and a life-long farmer from Central Kentucky. She began her career as a Research Analyst in the medical field before returning to the agriculture industry. After administering agricultural programs on the local level for 12 years, Doris accepted a position at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture in 2013. She has been an integral part of the creation and implementation of Kentucky’s hemp program. Doris currently serves as the Industrial Hemp Program Manager at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Joe Hickey’s long history in the hemp industry started in 1992 with his discovery of the 1942 articles of incorporation for the long dormant Kentucky Hemp Growers Cooperative. He renewed the charter and became its founder and Executive Director in 1994. That same year, after a meeting with Mr. Hickey, Kentucky Governor Brereton Jones established the Kentucky Hemp Task Force to research hemp’s economic opportunities for rural farmers. Mr. Hickey and actor/activist Woody Harrelson established Tierra Madre in 1995, focused on creating sustainable environmental solutions, and in 1996 orchestrated Woody’s hemp planting arrest, jury trial and eventual acquittal, an incident that brought national attention to the hemp issue. Hickey organized the world’s first International Hemp Conference in 1996, and in 1998, along with The Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick, he launched Kenex Ltd., Canada’s first hemp seed and fiber processing company. In 2014, after more than 24 years of lobbying and research efforts, Mr. Hickey became a founding member of Atalo Holdings, Inc. and this year began his new venture Halcyon Holdings to continue his vision for the re-commercialization of the US hemp industry.

Mr. Hickey is a founding member on the board of the Kentucky Hemp Industries Association, Friends of Hemp and Hemp Feed Coalition.

"My name is Jacqueline McGrane. I am an MIT-educated biologist and organic chemist who had worked in the cannabis and hemp space for almost a decade. Coming from the world of academic biomedical research, my guiding light in life is natural medicine and individualized medicine. The future of data analytics is upon us, and we now have tools that will revolutionize how we think about our health and how we approach healthcare. My vision is to create an ecosystem of data that will support the use of cannabinoids and terpenes, with other nutraceutical medicines, to provide the most powerful beneficial effects that apply to a patients with unique genetics, environmental factors, and symptomatology.

I started small, making award winning concentrates for the Colorado cannabis industry. I then helped develope RM3 labs as their first analyst, and we created testing protocols from scratch to support cannabis testing regulations under Amendment 64. After that, I became a Lab director for a production facility in Denver, and then became a consultant. Over the last 4 years, I've traveled the United States as well as internationally helping cannabis and hemp clients with lab design, equipment selection, process flow optimization, training, SOPs, and formulation. I've started my own equipment design and sales company, McGrane Lab Systems, that has sold equipment to three continents. I've also fostered close relationships with large, high quality equipment and testing providers, including Cascade Sciences, Huber, Asahi Glass, Heidolph, Agilent, and others. We are working right now to create a Center of Excellence in Colorado to support cannabis/hemp research and testing nationwide. We want to foster relationships with hemp and cannabis countries in the US and internationally to support their work, provide lab and testing solutions, and create the ecosystem of data that has been my vision since the beginning."

Dr. Yohannes is Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Fiber LLC. Dr. Yohannes also holds an adjunct appointment at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in the department of Physiology and Pharmacology. Prior to Renaissance Fiber, Dr. Yohannes had spent over 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry. His experience includes senior level positions multiple companies, including most recently Ophidion Inc, where he was Executive Director of Operations. Before that, he was Head of the Therapeutics Accelerator at Wake Forest Innovations, supporting academic drug discovery efforts. His academic term was preceded as the Senior Director of Drug Discovery and Development at Targacept, where he was additionally the Therapeutic Area Leader for Addictions. Prior to Targacept, Dr. Yohannes was Director of Chemistry at ArQule, Inc., and before that, Director of Medicinal Chemistry at Infinity Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Yohannes started his career at Pfizer, where he spent 8 years in the CNS drug discovery group working on multiple programs in neurodegenerative diseases and psychotherapeutics, and where he helped establish the nicotine research group that discovered the smoking cessation drug Chantix.

Dr. Yohannes received his Bachelors in Chemistry with honors Sterling College in Kansas. He completed his Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry at Purdue University. Dr. Yohannes then spent two years at Yale where he received postdoctoral training as an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Yohannes also holds an Executive MBA from the University of Rhode Island, and has founded or supported three other startup companies over the past two years as an entrepreneur.

Mr. Flaherty is a multi-talented and creative Mechanical Engineer focused on bio-material development and applications. He is one of the few people in the US with experience in industrial scale hemp decortication for fiber and hurd applications.

He is an expert in the applications of bio-materials and manufacturing systems utilizing bio-materials for composites, non-wovens, and compounded polymers. Early in his career, he helped to develop bamboo fiber technologies at a start-up engineering firm. He then became a founding member of Sunstrand, a hemp fiber decortication company. He departed the company as the VP of Product Development to pursue other industry interests and passion projects. He has a diverse technical background that includes; residential construction, manufacturing, material testing, production engineering and analysis, product development, and emerging market development.

Mr. Flaherty currently runs PF Design Lab where he helps clients develop new and innovative bio-materials and products. He also assists with raw material processing of industrial hemp. With his lab and manufacturing space, combined with years of specialized experience, he has an unmatched ability for product, application, and manufacturing systems development for these materials. He has a degree in Mechanical Engineering with an emphasis on polymer composite manufacturing and testing.

Dr. David Suchoff is the new Alternative Crops Assistant Professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University. David holds both a Master's and Ph.D. in Horticultural Sciences from NC State where he worked in vegetable production. In his current position, David's responsibilities are to establish scientifically-sound agronomic recommendations for new and emerging crops, with a primary focus on hemp.

Dr. Caffrey founded and runs an analytical laboratory (Delta9 Scientific) solely focused on QC testing of cannabis and cannabis-derived products located in Richmond, VA. She previously founded and ran a contract research organization, Sanyal Biotechnology, focused on preclinical testing of drugs for treatment of diabetes, obesity and liver disease. As Entrepreneur In Residence at VCU, she spun out Sanyal Bio and the company was awarded Best University Startup of 2016 from NCET. A veteran of the biotechnology industry, she has worked in startups most of her 21 year career, including companies focused on proteomics, metabolomics, and discovery and development biomarkers for therapy guidance. Dr. Caffrey is a prolific inventor with 6 issued patents and a dozen pending applications, as well as numerous peer-reviewed publications. She earned her doctorate in Anatomy and Immunobiology from MCV in 1998, and her dual MBAs from Columbia and UC Berkeley. Her hobbies include locating lost socks, retrieving dog toys from under the sofa, and nagging her son about dental hygiene.

Charles is Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Sanitas Peak. A 25-year veteran entrepreneur, Charles has extensive experience in financial markets, marketing and distribution. Previously, he was a principal at Cherry Creek Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm that syndicates investment opportunities in real estate and provides seed capital to start-ups.

Previously, Charles served as director of business development for American Property Solutions, a joint venture between Bitzer& L.C. Fulenwider focusing on bank REO and distressed real estate. Prior to APS, Charles founded GM Limited, a golf licensing distribution company with a substantive roster of brands including Reebok, Greg Norman and Payne Stewart. GM Limited became one of the most successful golf apparel businesses in Hong Kong and China. Charles sold the company in 1997 and has continued to profitably invest in business sectors including communications, oil and gas and real estate - areas to which he brings significant energy and acumen.

Previously, Charles was Regional Marketing Manager for a Hong Kong-based, Coca-Cola Licensing operation, overseeing the distribution and marketing in Singapore, the Philippines, Taiwan and Hong Kong; research analyst for Credit Lyonnais Securities, evaluating potential investments for British merchant banks and global emerging market funds; and on the underwriting and debt syndication desk for Kemper Financial in Chicago, IL.

Charles received a BA from Vassar College and earned an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Over the past 25 years Volker has held a number of leadership role sin Regulatory Science and Food Safety R & D in the agricultural solutions industry and more recently in environmental and life science laboratory service businesses. He has a wealth of international, operational, business development and technology - related experience, developing and growing science and technology solution - based companies, teams, and laboratories in the life sciences marketplace. Most recently, Volker and his Avazyme team have been a strong supporter and testing partner for the fast - emerging Industrial Hemp industry in North Carolina and the entire East Coast.

Volker began his career at BASFAG, in Germany where he held various R & D leadership and operating roles(some of the min the US) in the Agricultural Solutions Division and was a leader in innovation teams and mergers and acquisition swith subsequent integrations. He also played a pivotal role inseveral external international regulatory task forces(OECD) and industry associations (ECPA, CLA, CLI) in Europe and the US. He is now applying his extensive knowledge and network in agriculture, crop science, pesticides, natural products metabolism and xenobiotic metabolism, nutraceuticals / pharmaceuticals and regulatory science to the hemp industry and the entire Food Value Chain; From Farm - to - Fork and from Farm - to - Farmacy.

Prior to starting his own companies, Volker was President of Smithers Viscient, a mid - size contract research organization focused on global environmental testing and business development and operations a cross agrochemical, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries. Volker was responsible for Business Process Optimization, acquisition of companies in the US, Europe, and Japan, and the irsubsequent integration in the existing Smithers business.

In 2014 Volker founded Avazyme, Inc. a contract research solution provider, offering field and laboratory testing, product development, and expert consulting services to the agriculture and food industries. Avazyme’s comprehensive services include food safety analyses for contaminants, pathogens, allergens, food quality and nutrition analysis, genetictrait testing, product safety, FDA Menu Labeling, pesticidere sidues, mycotoxin analysis, specialized studies for regulatory submission data packages, and a full spectrum of testing for products a fety and product quality related to Industrial Hemp. Avazyme provides fast and reliable answers to ensure product safety and high product quality for consumable food, feed, cosmetics, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products.

In 2015, Volker was also appointed Adjunct Professor by the Department of Chemistry, in the College of Science of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC; Advisory Council Member at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center; and North Carolina AgBiotech Advisory Council Member. Volker holds a degree in Chemistry (Vordiplom) from University Hamburgin Germany, and a PH.D. in Chemistry from Rice University, Houston, Texas, studying the Bio synthesis of Antibiotics from Fermentation. He had a Post - Doc appointment at the University of Hawaii, working on marine and algalnatural products and the bio synthesis and novel structure elucidations of Cyano bacteria. Volker has also completed extensive Executive education at Harvard Business School.

When not in the office or traveling on business, Volker is teaching and mentoring students as an Adjunct Professor at NC State University, or roaming the great outdoors eithers kiing, kayaking or on foot with his dog soren joying wood working and designing and creating fine furniture.

Matt Bailey co-leads VentureSouth in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. He is an experienced executive, entrepreneur and investor based in Greensboro. He most recently served on the board of FarmShots, a portfolio company of VentureSouth and the Piedmont Angel Network which was acquired by Syngenta last year. He previously acquired and operated distressed manufacturing companies for a private investor, and prior to that held several executive positions at MRC Global and was a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. He's married to a tax lawyer, has two teenage kids and is an accomplished wine drinker. BA Economics, UNC Chapel Hill; MBA Duke University.

Rod Kight is the principal of Kight Law Office PC, which represents businesses in the cannabis industry, including hemp and CBD, throughout the USA and the world. Rod edits the popular KightOn Cannabis law blog and wrote “Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know”, a cannabis law primer for business executives published by Aspatore Books. Rod speaks at national cannabis conferences, drafts cannabis legislation, and is regularly quoted on cannabis matters in the media, including Time, Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, and Business Insurance. He was recently named a “Top 30 Powerful Cannabis Litigator” by MG Magazine and one of the “100 People You Should Know” by Hemp Connoisseur Magazine. Rod testified at the FDA public hearing on cannabis. He writes and sits on the advisory board for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine, a peer reviewed publication.

Rod believes strongly in personal and medical cannabis use for many reasons, including that it helped him during chemotherapy treatments for cancer. He is an attorney advocate for NORML, and a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Hemp Industries Association, the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association, and the South Carolina Hemp Farmers Association.

Rod is married to his elementary school sweetheart, Ashley, who is his office manager. They are raising five children. Rod plays guitar in a rock band. You may contact him by email (rod@cannabusiness.law) or phone (828-255-9881).

Ray French has an extensive background and leadership experience in large scale agriculture and horticulture. He grew up working in the family farm equipment business and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Auburn University specializing in nursery crop production. He has been a propagator and a grower as well as managed operations, sales, and product development for some of the largest and most successful operations in the world. For the last 12 years he has been managing product development under contract for The Home Depot in the US and Canada. This resulted in global travel to coordinate products with breeders, growers, and the retailer to bring over one billion dollars in retail sales to the market annually.

Marc Adesso is an innovative and visionary capital markets, corporate finance and securities attorney representing clients across the nation. Issuers, investment banks and high net worth individuals in a wide range of industries rely on Marc’s unique insight with regard to capital markets matters ranging from IPOs, ICOs, REIT formations, follow-on offerings, shelf takedowns, Rule 144A offerings, block trades, ATMs, PIPEs, reverse mergers, debt offerings and other public company transactions, including takeover defense, proxy contests and matters involving shareholder activism.

Marc counsels issuers, underwriters, hedge funds and other market participants in a full range of capital markets transactions. He also counsels companies, boards and their committees, investors and financial institutions on SEC regulatory and corporate governance issues, including compliance with securities exchanges.

Marc is recognized for his work on securities regulation and corporate governance, and has established a national practice counseling issuers conducting mini-IPOs under Regulation A+ of the JOBS Act, which currently allows companies to raise up to $50 million per year from the general public.

Additionally, Marc is a key member of the firm's blockchain and cryptocurrency practice, and is lauded as one of the world's top attorneys in the area of registered offerings of cryptocurrencies, such as ICOs.

In recognition of his national reputation in the space, as well as being Tennessee's only veteran cannabis attorney, Marc chairs the firm’s legalized cannabis practice, which counsels clients on the rapidly changing landscape facing the cannabis industry. Under Marc's guidance, the firm has counseled clients in matters such as capital raising including IPOs, integration with healthcare providers, joint ventures with universities, licensure, supply chain verticalization, international transactions and challenges with the banking system.

Will pursued his vision for building brands in highly competitive markets and launched Evolve, Inc. in 2002. Today Evolve provides marketing strategy and advertising services to more than 100 different businesses throughout the US and Canada. Will graduated with a BS in marketing and an MBA from Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. Serving in leadership roles in international marketing management and brand development in established and emerging markets for the last 20 years, Will has expanded his entrepreneurial endeavors and is an owner of Sana Botanicals. He is also directly involved in marketing strategy for such organizations as The Hemp Farmacy, and pioneered the market launch for Kingdom Harvest in Asheville NC. Will donates his time and company resources to the NCIHA, and manages a private fund to invest in hemp grows that educate farmers and businesses on sustainable production and business operations.

Chris participated in the birth of the cannabis industry in Washington, operating one of the first and oldest medical dispensaries in Seattle from 2011 to 2016. For a decade, Chris has participated in the design and managed the construction of dozens of indoor gardens. These projects have ranged from 8 light specialty home grows to 200 light perpetual harvest operations and everything in between. Chris loves to develop and execute a clean cannabis workflow, from clone to cure, with documented and measurable daily goals.

Chris also brings extensive cannabis retail experience, serving both the MMJ community and now the recreational markets for the better part of 10 years. Cannabis presents specific and unique challenges to business owners. Whether it’s shop layout, atmosphere, safety procedures, security plans, purchasing, inventory management or staffing and budtender training, Chris has a unique perspective based in real experience and millions in cannabis sales.

Mike Sanders has a diverse entrepreneurial background and has been part of over a dozen successful startups over the past 20+ years. Mike’s current focus is on the manufacturing of high value molecules from plants for food, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical applications.

Eric Steenstra is a hemp industry pioneer, cofounding hemp clothing and lifestyle brand Ecolution with Steve DeAngelo in 1992. Steenstra was a founding member of the Hemp Industries Association and served as its Executive Director from 2008 to 2016. Steenstra now serves as the president of Vote Hemp, the political advocacy organization that he co-founded in 2000. Steenstra also serves as Vice President of the California Hemp Council. Steenstra is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and trusted source to the media, including NY Times, Forbes, CNN, Rolling Stone and the Washington Post.

Guy Carpenter is the President of Bear Fiber Inc. in Wilmington, NC, the leading hemp supply chain management company for hemp fiber, yarn textiles and apparel manufacturing. He has over 30 years of experience on five continents in sourcing, apparel manufacturing, distribution and sales including a decade of strategic turnaround/crunch management consulting in the Fashion Industry. He has run large yarn-forward factories, developed successful brands in the US & Europe and worked with many global brands to develop textiles and apparel. His focus on textile quality evolved into a passion for natural fibers and sustainability. He also serves as a commissioner for the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Pilot Program.

Mr. Carpenter earned a BA from the College of Charleston and an MBA in International Business from the University of South Carolina. He has served as both a Peace Corps Volunteer (Niger, West Africa) and in the U.S. Army (Airborne/Air Assault Calvary Scout).

Preston provides trading and industry research services covering alternative energy, natural resources and cannabis. Additionally, he provides compliance & regulatory analysis services, and recommendations for private and listed companies. He has created and administered Continuing Education programs pertaining to contractual analysis, negotiations, and Anti-Money Laundering (AML).

Prior to joining CVC Partners and Alinga Capital, Preston spent ten years in the financial services space, with institutions such as The Vanguard Group, Wachovia Securities / Wells Fargo Advisors, and MetLife Securities.

With contributions to New Leaf Data Services, Cannabis Benchmarks® and Hemp Benchmarks ®, Preston covers the hemp and cannabis-infused derivatives market, and he supports emerging enterprises with business appraisals and valuation strategies. He provides public speaking services at educational symposiums relating to the "Cannabis Economics" series he developed, the latest installment of which is "Cannabis Economics 104: The Time Value of Cannabinoids." Preston is an instructor for the Women's Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and advisor to the Texas Hemp Harvesters Association in addition to being a member of the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association.

Preston received his Bachelor of Science from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, his MBA from Wake Forest University, a Juris Doctor from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and a Masters in Finance from Boston College.

Yimeng "Jack" He serves as an Analytical Chemist at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR). He brings more than 10 years of experience in analytical chemistry instrumentation, specializing in mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography. In his role at IALR, Jack facilitates regional economic transformation by providing analytical chemistry services to local industry and research groups. He also manages analytical chemistry projects and labs equipped with the latest, top-of-the-line equipment. Jack developsmethodologies for identification and quantitation of chemical analytes using modern instruments such as UPLC MS/MS and GC MS. He also tests a wide range of chemical analytes ranging from cannabinoids and pesticides to metabolites and volatile carcinogens.

Jack’s past career experience includes working on analytical methodology development projects for Environment Canada (Canadian EPA counterpart). He also worked in the pharmaceutical industry under a GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) setting. Plus, Jack developed small-scale pilot manufacturing processes and provided guidance to production personnel on scale-up processes. He holds a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry.

Raised in rural North Carolina, Brad spent his childhood with nature and farming. After serving in the military then college, he has spent over a decade focusing on small scale agriculture. From aqua/hydroponics to outdoor production methods, his focus has been on small farmer success. Brad brings this passion to AgGrist, a farmer focused company who works with hemp farmers to increase profitability through value added processing and support.

Bert James is an active crop consultant and farmer in Eastern NC. Homegrown Agriculture, established in 2001, has assisted over 100,000 acres of North Carolina production with fertility and crop management, specializing in technology and efficiency. In 2015, he served as president of the North Carolina Association of Crop Advisors.

Recently, the opportunity to manage the family farm in Martin, Halifax, and Pitt Counties has become a primary business interest. The production concepts involve integrating old methods with new farm practices such as regenerative row crop and livestock land management. Desiring new crops and a constant focus on localized markets led to a larger opportunity.

Bio Regen Co-op was formed in December 2016 to assist in bringing new crops forward that may be viable sources of income for local farmers. The first focus was on the opportunity in industrial hemp. Two years later, North Carolina looks to be a legitimate front-runner in bringing this ancient plant back to production. This would not have been possible without the financial support of the Co-op members and efforts from founders and board members, past and present. We have much to learn and are excited about the possibilities new crops and industry brings.

Scott Lowman, a native of Southside Virginia, earned his graduate degrees from the College of William and Mary and Virginia Tech. Over the past 9 years, Dr. Lowman's work at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research has been aimed at improving agricultural productivity and sustainability through research and education. His research is focused in two primary areas; biotechnology and advanced imaging. In the area of biotechnology, Dr. Lowman seeks to identify promising natural microbial bio-stimulant and bio-control agents to increase plant growth and health while protecting the environment. In the area of advanced imaging, Dr. Lowman is using the latest technology in unmanned aerial vehicles, multispectral and thermal imaging, and robotics to improve plant productivity. As an author, Dr. Lowman's research has generated 9 publications in peer reviewed journals and a book chapter. Before returning to earn his Ph.D., Dr. Lowman spent 8 years as an entrepreneur and businessman in both the pharmaceutical industry and co-founding Lynchburg Grows, a seven acre non-profit urban farm in Lynchburg Virginia focused on providing a space for individuals with special needs to learn job skills while growing produce. The organization has been featured in two books, numerous publications, and on CNN. Now in its 15th year of operation, Lynchburg Grows continues to provide unique services through urban agriculture, including feeding more than 100 families per week in their community supported agriculture (CSA) program, donating gleaned food to area food banks, employing 12 individuals with special needs, and purchasing vegetables from area farmers. In recognition of his work, Dr. Lowman was named a 2017 Outstanding Recent Graduate Alumnus at Virginia Tech and was given the Commonwealth Environmental Leadership Award from the Waldorf Foundation. In his roles at Lynchburg Grows and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Dr. Lowman has been awarded 12 grants totaling more than 1.3 million dollars.

Anni Self was born and raised in a small farming community in southwestern Ohio. Anni studied botany at Miami University and received her B.S. in Plant Science from Tennessee Technological University. She later earned her M.S. in Plant Pathology from the University of Tennessee. Anni has worked in and around the horticulture industry her entire career and has been employed with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture for the past 31 years. At the Department, Anni has served as nematologist, horticultural marketing specialist, and plant pathologist. She currently serves as the plant certification administrator, and is responsible for all plant regulatory programs including industrial hemp and apiary.

Anni and her husband live on a farm just west of Nashville, and raise beef cattle, pigs and meat goats.

Eric Henry, president of TS Designs, started his business creating screen designs in 1978 while attending North Carolina State University. Two years later he merged his company with Tom Sineath to form TS Designs. Eric has been in the screen printing business for more than 30 years. Eric’s duties at TSD range from sales and R&D to marketing. He is the foremost public face of TSD, attending numerous trade shows, giving speeches to groups and universities and hosting tours of the TSD facility. His boundless enthusiasm and energy have gained him a certain level of notoriety at most of them, even winning him the Sustainability Champion Award from Sustainable North Carolina in 2009.

Tai Olson is the Director of Operations at US Heritage Group, a leader in hemp-based construction products and systems and the first company to build a Hempcrete house in North America. US Heritage Group specializes in cast-on-site Hempcrete and pre-fabricated structural hemp panels. Tai has worked to develop the Hemp Building market and overseen the design and construction of projects throughout the US. He has a BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia, and a Master of Engineering Management from Northwestern University with a specialization in Product Development.

Franny is an inspiring farmer that rocks the hemp scene in North Carolina. She is the first female farmer in North Carolina to plant hemp and has entered the hemp scene with a force behind education and collaboration with growers, processors, product development and Women in Hemp non-profit. She has degrees and work experience in Forestry and Education and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over a decade. She has been in Asheville since 1999. Along with husband Jeff and son Zach, friends and family, they built their family farm in winter of 2012. It now serves as an agritourism hub welcoming visitors from all over the world to stay over in one of their many lodging options, celebrate a farm wedding and do yoga with goats.

Farmer Franny is on a mission share her hemp knowledge and is paving the way for farmers in her state and beyond. Look for her TedX talk, listen and learn about the obstacles she faced growing a crop that is federally illegal and how it's turning into a positive movement for "Women in Hemp", hemp growers, artisans processors and businesses with aligned "farmer focused" values. Franny and husband Jeff have opened multiple CBD Dispensaries, called Franny's Farmacy. They are taking their hemp from plant to processing to product offering tinctures, topicals, smokeables, vap hardware, edibles, pet line and more.

Michael is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Fiber, LLC, and currently operates the Long Farm Hemp Mill. He also spearheads technological research and development. He has an extensive background in natural water and air chemistry that has proven invaluable to Renaissance Fiber.