Cultivated Thirty Thirties 2025 powered by the White Ash Group celebrates the rising leaders shaping the future of the cannabis industry.
From October 1 to October 24, we accepted nominations from across the sector — spotlighting innovators, entrepreneurs, advocates, and change-makers under the age of 40.
A panel of industry experts and Cultivated editors carefully reviewed submissions against clear criteria, including industry impact, leadership and influence, community contribution, and future potential.
The final list of thirty are below and are being recognized for not only making their mark today but also driving the cannabis industry forward into tomorrow. The list includes leaders and innovators up and down the cannabis supply chain in markets throughout North America and the world.
Congratulations to this year’s Cultivated Thirty Thirties powered by White Ash Group.
The 2025 Cultivated Thirty Thirties powered by White Ash Group.
Kenya Alexander
Alex Anderson
Jon Bond
Sherry Boodram, Ph.D.
Lauren Carpenter
David Côté
Caroline Crandall
Brian Cusick
Roxanne Dennant
Nicholas Fozard
Jessica F. Gonzalez
Wyatt Harms
Judson Hill
Rodney Holcombe
Ahmad Joudeh
Elad Kohen
Niklas Kouparanis
Patrick Lane
Stella Morrison
Chris Ostrowski
Kristi Palmer
Kevin Pattah
Jenna Rodriguez
Adam Rosenberg
Hannah Ross
Payton Shubrick
Andrea “Dre” Trobradovic
Charlie Villanueva
James Whitcomb
Jay Wright
Kenya Alexander
Co-Founder & CEO, Stash Bag Data
Kenya Alexander is redefining what it means to build a cannabis career rooted in impact, creativity, and equity. As co-founder of Stash Bag Data, Kenya has introduced an innovative model for consumer insights, transforming live event activations into opportunities for brands to gather real-time feedback while creating memorable experiences for consumers. Her work bridges the gap between culture and data, ensuring that consumer voices guide the future of cannabis.
Alex Anderson
Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer, Skyworld
As co-founder and CEO of Skyworld, Alex has built a brand that seamlessly blends innovation with Indigenous tradition, creating a model for culturally rooted, ethical cannabis entrepreneurship. A proud member of the Tuscarora Nation, he has infused every aspect of Skyworld — from its name and visual identity to its cultivation practices — with intention, honoring ancestral wisdom while setting a new standard for quality, care, and community engagement.
Connect with Alex on LinkedIn
Jon Bond
Chief Revenue Officer, Illicit Brands
Jon has spent 10 years in the legal cannabis industry. He was a founding team at Dutchie and helped scale the company to working with over 7,000 legal operators. Now with Illicit Brands, Jon has helped lead one of the strongest “pound for pound” cannabis companies in terms of profitability, employee retention, and units sold in the entire US.
Sherry Boodram, Ph.D.
CEO & Co-Founder, CannDelta Cannabis Licensing and Marketing
Sherry has been leading CannDelta for 8 years, which is a lifetime in cannabis! She's taken the company international and has become the leader of a company with North American recognition for the work being done in the space. CannDelta has scaled from 1 to 20 people and has been assisting start-up entrepreneurs including pro-bono work with the justice-involved applicants in several States. As a startup from 2018, CannDelta has quickly expanded into several markets offering a range of services from licensing, operations, GMP, M&A, and Marketing across North America.
Lauren Carpenter
CEO, Embarc
Lauren leads Embarc, one of the leading cannabis retail chains in California. California is a challenging regulatory environment – in part because each of 520+ cities and counties can make their own decisions about whether and how to regulate cannabis. Lauren and her team make a great deal of effort to personally show up in those towns and directly engage city councils, law enforcement and communities to show that cannabis is not the big, bad scary thing they may misconceive it to be. Lauren is a fearless, compassionate leader who has built partnerships across the industry and is leading change both in the state capitol and in the industry.
David Côté
CEO, Northern Helm
David's internal and external leadership is one to rally behind: a relentless pursuit of sustainable growth. He has helped shape a culture of professionalism and trust in cannabis retail, leveraging a customer first approach in all aspects of store strategy. But Dave’s influence extends beyond the stores themselves, with participation in multiple industry events, panels, and podcasts in the last 12 months, his advocacy for industry maturity through consistency in the retail cannabis experience has raised the bar for what a sustainable industry could look like in 10 years.
Caroline Crandall
Co-Founder & CEO, Green Theory
Under Caroline’s leadership, Green Theory opened in April 2024 as the first dispensary in Ward 3 and the first former I-71 operator to transition to D.C.’s medical market. She left a decade-long analytics career to pursue cannabis full-time, and since day one, the road has been anything but smooth. They’ve faced federal scrutiny from a DOJ letter labeling us “illegal operators,” a neighborhood campaign fighting their presence, and a volatile market that’s tested every ounce of creativity and grit operators have. Yet despite it all, Green Theory was profitable just after their first birthday — a milestone few D.C. dispensaries reach.
Brian Cusick
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, COAST Cannabis Co
Cusick's entrepreneurial spirit is evident in his contributions to the cannabis industry, where he has successfully navigated complex regulatory frameworks, secured licensing, and driven business growth and innovation through operational execution. He and his wife, Angela Brown, co-founded Coast Cannabis Co. in 2017, becoming the first independent cannabis product manufacturer to reach stores in Massachusetts in 2020. They started the company after experiencing being "under-serviced" as medical patients and began making products in their home kitchen. Coast Cannabis Co. produces cannabis-infused organic chocolates & gummies from its Wareham manufacturing facility, with products available in nearly 200 dispensaries in Massachusetts. The company has also expanded into 4 other state markets under Brian’s leadership.
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn
Roxanne Dennant
Vice President of Brands and Strain Curation, Good Day Farm
Not only did Roxanne build Missouri’s #1 flower brand, but she’s also a force in the industry, demonstrating exceptional leadership within her team. Roxanne continues to build brands that shape the industry in multiple states. Her eye for design along with her knowledge of the plant creates a synergistic engagement for customers, giving new perspective in CPG while honoring the lineages of the plant. Roxanne has also been recognized as one of the Top 13 Women in Cannabis by Variety magazine.
Nicholas Fozard
VP of Finance, Organigram Global
In an industry that highly values plant-touching skills, such as cultivation, genetics, and product innovation, we can’t forget some of the people who are often behind the scenes who have enabled the financial growth and corporate success of the industry. For that reason, Nicholas has been a trailblazer in the cannabis industry since 2014, helping launch and scale two leading companies – HEXO in Canada and iAnthus in the U.S. — both of which became public. Now serving as Vice President of Finance at Organigram Holdings Inc., Nicholas continues to shape the industry’s evolution through strategic M&A, finance transformation, and enterprise-wide automation and ERP modernization initiatives
A lifelong learner, he holds an MBA, Global Professional Master of Laws, and CPA.
Jessica F. Gonzalez
Attorney, Rudick Law Group
Jessica has had a transformative impact as a lawyer, policy architect, and advocate shaping the cannabis industry across the Americas. An Ecuadorian immigrant, Jessica has built a career bridging community often left out of legalization, using law, education, and advocacy to make the industry more equitable and accessible. In New Jersey, she helped draft the state’s cannabis legalization statute, regulations, and municipal ordinances, co-led the NJCAN2020 campaign, and co-founded the Rudick Law Group. Through her consulting firm Veridis Quo, she designed and implemented the New Jersey Cannabis Training Academy, the nation’s most comprehensive state-funded technical-assistance program, which has trained over 1,700 students in its first year. Internationally, Jessica serves as Advisor to Ecuador’s REDCAN coalition and is a signatory to Ecuador’s national cannabis legalization bill, while also mentoring advocates across Latin America in Spanish and English.
Wyatt Harms
CEO & Co-Founder, FLAMER
Wyatt Harms is leading one of the most innovative growth brands in New York cannabis. As co-founder and CEO of FLAMER, one of the first 15 licensed brands in New York, he has built a company that has achieved 7x annual revenue growth, secured distribution in over 95 dispensaries, and established a clear path to profitability, all while maintaining independent ownership. FLAMER’s success stems from Wyatt’s strategic insight: harnessing New York’s creative culture as a growth engine. By turning community events, nightlife collaborations, and co-marketing campaigns into measurable retail drivers, he has pioneered a new model for cannabis distribution that expands consumer reach and strengthens dispensary relationships.
Connect with Wyatt on LinkedIn
Judson Hill
President, Fine Fettle Georgia
Judson is leading the modernization of Georgia’s medical cannabis industry in one of the most conservative regulatory environments in the country. As President of Fine Fettle Georgia, one of only three vertically integrated licensees, Judson has built a patient-first cannabis ecosystem from the ground up, opening dispensaries across the state, launching cultivation and manufacturing operations, and championing education for doctors and policymakers alike.
Rodney Holcombe
Vice President of Public Policy, LeafLink
Before joining LeafLink, Rodney helped craft AB 1793, the California legislation that automated cannabis record changes. This bill transformed what was once a petition-based, burdensome process into a proactive state-led system. His work here directly impacted thousands of Californians with prior convictions, many of whom didn’t have resources to pursue this process, which if successful meant they may no longer be subject to many collateral consequences associated with their cannabis conviction. This set a precedent for record clearance reforms nationwide. At LeafLink, Rodney advocates for a fair and transparent cannabis industry, and is helping to advance cannabis legislation in new states.
Ahmad Joudeh
President, Star Buds Illinois
In the past several years, Ahmad has opened up the first craft grow in Illinois and he opened five Star Buds retail locations. He is part of a multiracial partnership in Starbuds/Kaviar in Illinois, aiming to ensure more inclusive ownership in a market that has struggled with equity. Being among the first predominantly Black-owned cannabis businesses in Illinois contributes to shaping industry norms around ownership diversity and representation. His position allows him to influence policies, peer expectations, and public perception about who gets to benefit from cannabis legalization.
Elad Kohen
Co-founder & CEO, The Flowery
Elad represents the new generation of cannabis leadership, one defined by community, culture, and intention. As Co-founder and CEO of The Flowery, he has transformed the company into one of the fastest-growing cannabis brands in America, ranked No. 86 on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list with more than 3,800% three-year growth and over $100M in revenue. Founded in 2018, The Flowery now operates 21 retail locations across Florida and New York, including becoming New York’s largest cannabis retailer and the first to serve all five boroughs. Under Elad’s leadership, The Flowery has reimagined what a modern cannabis brand can be: authentic, community-driven, and culturally relevant. Through partnerships with Udonis Haslem, Talking Terps, Rolling Loud Miami, and III Points, he has helped weave cannabis into the fabric of contemporary art, music, and design.
Niklas Kouparanis
CEO and Co-Founder, Bloomwell Group
Niklas is a European medical cannabis pioneer who continues to shape the future of the European cannabis industry. He uses his deep expertise in the space, his entrepreneurial DNA and leadership skills to strategically grow the Bloomwell Group, which he co-founded in 2020. In his role as CEO, Niklas has overseen numerous company milestones and new heights, including two successful fundraising rounds. For example, in February 2023 the company closed a significant multi-million Euro funding round led by Artemis Growth Partners, as well as existing seed investor, Measure 8 Venture Partners, a German family office investing in medical cannabis for the first time, and the famous Germany-born film actor Moritz Bleibtreu, likely best known in the States for the movie Run Lola Run.
Patrick Lane
CEO, IgniteIt, Inc.
Patrick founded the Cannabis Capital Conference (formerly under Benzinga Cannabis, now in the IgniteIt portfolio). This event has helped thousands of C-suite level attendees find capital, partnerships, financings, vendors, tax help, and more to not only survive in a very tumultuous industry, but thrive.
Stella Morrison
Founder & Content Strategist, CannaContent
CannaContent launched in 2017 with the goal of supporting New Jersey and New York's cannabis markets and CannaContent was first cannabis-exclusive digital marketing agency in New Jersey, and among one of only a handful woman-owned and LGBTQ-owned agencies in the space nationally. The agency opened its doors when Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) said that cannabis would be legal during his first 100 days in office. Four years later, CannaContent got their wish in New Jersey, and shortly after in New York.
Chris Ostrowski
Chief Technology Officer, Dutchie
Ostrowski is a founder and the Chief Technology Officer of the largest tech platform in cannabis, mastermind behind so much of what Dutchie is doing to deliver modern cannabis solutions for retailers of all sizes. Whether it's delivering AI-powered modern retail tools, advocating for the Michigan market at the state house, or working with the largest MSOs to improve retail efficiency, Chris has made an impact at Dutchie and throughout the industry.
Kristi Palmer
Co-Founder & President, Kiva Confections
Fifteen years ago, Kristi and her husband Scott helped invent the modern edible. From the kitchen in Kristi’s Bay Area childhood home, they co-founded Kiva Confections to solve one of cannabis’s biggest problems: inconsistent, untested, and unappealing edibles. Today, Kiva is the most recognized, trusted, and awarded edibles brand in the country, setting the gold standard for safety, flavor, and design — and Kristi’s fingerprints are on every milestone along the way. As President, Kristi has guided Kiva from a two-person startup to a 400-person+ industry leader operating in 15+ states for cannabis and 25+ for hemp. She has pioneered entirely new product categories — from the first microdosed edibles (Petra) to the first CBN-infused sleep gummy (Camino Midnight Blueberry) to the first strain-specific 100% live resin edible (Lost Farm) — setting trends that have redefined the category itself.
Kevin Pattah
CEO, Mango Cannabis
Kevin Pattah is the CEO and co-founder of Mango Cannabis (Mango), the leading cannabis retailer in the state of Oklahoma with locations throughout Michigan, New York, and New Mexico. Since co-founding Mango Cannabis in 2019, Pattah has overseen Mango’s tremendous growth from the opening of its flagship location in Oklahoma City to its most recent store opening in Rochester, New York earlier this year. The current state of the cannabis industry is challenging for many operators, with overtaxation, changing regulations, and the illicit market hindering the growth of regulated businesses. Despite this, Pattah’s vision of delivering the best cannabis retail experience for the best value, has been realized thanks to his ability to hold firm and continually reinvest in the business while uplifting the communities Mango has become part of.
Jenna Rodriguez
Gypsy Greens, Carma Dispensary, Carma Consulting
Jenna’s impact on the cannabis industry is evident in her ability to build and sustain thriving, people-centered operations. Under her leadership, three Washington State stores have become respected community anchors known for fairness, inclusion, and exceptional care. In 2024, Jenna partnered with former NFL Player Xavier Cooper to expand her retail model into the upper Midwest and East Coast, with projects like Carma Dispensary in Hoboken, New Jersey, still ongoing. In 2025, recognizing the need for ethical and scalable guidance in a rapidly growing industry, Jenna began developing Carma Consulting, a purpose-driven firm that helps operators and emerging brands grow with integrity by simplifying the complex processes that often exclude everyday people.
Adam Rosenberg
Chairman of the Board, National Cannabis Industry Association
Partner, Vlasic
Adam has emerged as one of the most influential leaders in national cannabis policy through his role as Chairman of the Board of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), unanimously elected in 2025 as the youngest-ever and first-ever board member to serve as Chairman in their first term. In this capacity he convened and hosted a historic summit of the 36 leading cannabis advocacy and trade organizations along with multiple targeted subgroup discussions, uniting groups that have long operated independently.
Along with his NCIA chairmanship, Adam is partnered with the Vlasic family, the same family behind America’s largest pickle company, to make cannabinoid therapeutics more affordable and accessible. The initiative applies operational discipline to modern cannabinoid science, with a focus on quality systems, compliant manufacturing, and distribution models that reduce cost for patients while protecting safety.
Learn more about Adam and the NCIA and about his work at Vlasic.
Hannah Ross
CEO, Edie Parker and Flower by Edie Parker
Hannah is redefining what executive leadership looks like in cannabis — combining investor discipline with operational excellence to build one of the fastest-growing and most financially sound brands in the category. As CEO of Edie Parker, she has led the company through 8× revenue growth in just three years, expanding into 12 markets and achieving sustained, capital-efficient performance. A former Goldman Sachs investment banker, Hannah is also a Partner at Beehouse LLC, where she has deployed over $300 million across the consumer and cannabis sectors as the firm’s first employee. Her blend of financial acumen and operational leadership has made her one of the few senior female investors in the cannabis industry. Hannah also serves on the Board of Directors of Green Thumb Industries (GTI), one of the largest publicly traded cannabis companies in the world, where she sits on both the Audit and Compensation Committees.
Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn
Payton Shubrick
CEO & Founder, 6 Brick’s
Payton Shubrick exemplifies the transformative power of cannabis entrepreneurship. As the Founder & CEO of 6 Brick’s, she has redefined what it means to lead with purpose in an emerging industry. Her work is a masterclass in innovation, advocacy, and community impact. Payton uses storytelling, education, and community experiences to break stereotypes and foster connection. Rooted in the values of People, Plant, Purpose, Payton is transforming cannabis retail into a community-driven experience that challenges stigma and inspires change. As one of the first Black and woman founders in Massachusetts cannabis, she has helped set new standards for equity and transparency in retail. Her work bridges cannabis with academia, policy, and community development — creating scalable models for empowerment and inclusion. Positioned as a state and nationwide voice for equitable entrepreneurship, Payton is driving cross-sector collaborations that amplify future leaders and challenge industry norms.
Andrea “Dre” Trobradovic
Founder and President, WHL Plant LLC
Andrea “Dre” Trobradovic is one of the most visionary and operationally gifted leaders in cannabis retail today. As the founder and president of WHL Plant Consulting, she has shaped and overseen every aspect of dispensary operations for clients across five states.While her primary expertise is retail operations, she handles all of the following for clients: site selection, floor plans, store design, hiring and training of staff, marketing, standard operating procedures, purchasing and promotions, and general day-to-day operations as well as higher level financial modeling and strategic planning and leadership.
Under her direction, WHL Plant oversees six operational dispensaries in Illinois with six more locations under development including one that is slated to open in December 2025.
Charlie Villanueva
Senior Vice President of Commercialization, Azuca
Charlie Villanueva is one of the most forward-looking commercialization leaders in cannabis today. As Senior Vice President of Commercialization at Azuca, Charlie has led the development and scaling of the TiME INFUSION® platform across edibles, beverages, and solventless products — bringing precision science to consumer-ready innovation. A member of Azuca’s executive team recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America for two consecutive years, Charlie has been instrumental in building the operational and scientific foundations behind that growth. He combines rigorous technical oversight with a talent for cross-functional leadership, translating complex chemistry into practical manufacturing solutions that deliver reliable, fast-acting effects. His work exemplifies the next generation of cannabis science: cleaner, smarter, and infinitely scalable.
James Whitcomb
CEO, Frontier Risk Group
James and the team at Frontier Risk are building the critical infrastructure that will help enable broad proliferation of THC consumables. Social consumption requires a complete renovation of national risk management. Additionally, James and his team run a cannabis-dedicated insurance company that, for the past 3 years, have been drastically reducing the cost of insurance for operators of all sizes at a time when cannabis companies can least afford to overpay for insurance. Their risk mitigation strategies help cannabis companies operate more safely and reduce insurance claims, helping them stay out of trouble with their state regulators. James was a co-founder at Surterra, one of the 5 original Florida licenses, and built Surterra to a major multi-state scale, giving Frontier Risk an operator's perspective on how to manage and mitigate risk. They've amassed hundreds of cannabis clients who rely on them for expert risk guidance and cost savings.
Jay Wright
Store Manager, Little Beach Harvest
Jay is helping redefine what leadership looks like in the cannabis industry. As Store Manager for Little Beach Harvest — one of the first tribally owned and regulated cannabis dispensaries on the East End of New York — Jay blends strategy, culture, and community in every decision. He has been instrumental in shaping the brand’s identity, from curating product selections that highlight Shinnecock creativity and craftsmanship to building partnerships that strengthen Native representation in the cannabis space.