The Oregon Cannabis Association (OCA) has elected its new board of directors, according to the organization’s newsletter.

Twenty-five candidates applied to serve on the board, and 13 were chosen to lead the organization, which aims to create an inclusive cannabis industry in Oregon.

The OCA’s newly elected board of directors includes:

• Molly Conroy, CEO & Co-Founder, Scientia Labs – Conroy received her Bachelor’s in Political Science and Master’s in International Relations, and has worked at multiple trade associations across various industries, predominantly on policy and economic affairs. Conroy previously served as the OCA’s program director, and has held project management and public affairs roles in the regulated cannabis industry.
• Heidi Fikstad, Co-Owner & CEO, Moss Crossing Dispensary – Fikstad holds a degree in Design | Media Arts from UCLA and has worked in the cannabis industry for a decade. She served as vice president of Women Leaders in Cannabis for two years and as chapter organizer of Eugene Tokeativity for two years.
• Kendra Freeman, Co-Founder, Oso Verde Farms & MENDIa CBD – Freeman managed a large cannabis farm in Humboldt County for nearly a decade before co-founding Oso Verde Farms and MENDIa CBD. She served a one-year term on the OCA board in 2019 and is the committee chair for the Social Justice Committee, which helps facilitate the OCA’s expungement clinics.
• Jesce Horton, Co-Founder, Nu Leaf Project & Founder, LOWD & Strattus – Horton, an engineer and horticulturist, has a background in industrial energy efficiency and has been appointed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to the Task Force for Cannabis Environmental Best Practice. Horton co-founded the Nu Leaf Project last year alongside his wife, Jeannette Ward Horton, and currently operates a cultivation business, LOWD, with plans to open a dispensary called Strattus. Horton also serves on the Cannabis Conference 2020 advisory board and will speak at Cannabis Conference 2020.
• Nathan Howard, Co-Founder, East Fork Cultivars – Howard founded East Fork Cultivars in 2015 with his brother, Aaron, to provide accessible plant-based medicine and expand the genetic diversity of the cannabis plant. He serves on the Human Access Project’s board of directors and is an adviser to Initiative Petition 34, the Psilocybin Service Therapy Initiative. Howard is also a founding member of the Craft Cannabis Alliance and the campaign to create interstate cannabis commerce by the end of 2021.
• Anna Kaplan, Co-Founder & CEO, SugarTop Buddery – Kaplan holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and previously worked in restaurant management. She is the current president of Women Leaders in Cannabis, a 501 C-6 nonprofit organization.
• Doug Morris, Attorney, Miller Nash – Morris represents cannabis businesses in the Pacific Northwest in business contracts, compliance, disputes, acquisitions and sales. He works with growers, processors, retailers, owners and allied businesses, and serves on the board for Metropolitan Public Defender, SOLVE and Albertina Kerr. His firm supports OCA’s Regional Happy Hours and The Initiative.
• Oscar Nelson, Co-Founder, Sweet Relief – Nelson co-founded Sweet Relief, a retail chain of five dispensaries along with a grow facility and hydroponics store in Northwest Oregon.
• Hunter Neubauer, Co-Ownder, Oregrown – Neubauer has a background in medical device sales, and is now the co-owner of Oregrown, an Oregon-based cannabis company.
• Jesse Peters, Founder & CEO, Mantis Growth Investments – Peters was previously the co-founder and CEO of Eco Firma Farms, an indoor cannabis cultivation facility designed to operate entirely on wind power. He is also a founding member of the OCA, as well as a retired marine, firefighter and national speaker.
• Jeremy Pratt, Founder, Nectar – Pratt has been cultivating cannabis for over 25 years, and founded Nectar in 2014.
• Catherine Leathers Self, Co-Owner, Self Made Cannabis Company – Leathers Self has been involved in the OCA through lobbying efforts in Salem, D.C., networking events and the Summer Fair. She served on the OCA’s board in 2019, and was an educator before founding Self Made Cannabis Company.
• Meghan Walstatter, Co-Owner, Siren Cannabis – Walstatter is a co-owner of Siren Cannabis, an OLCC licensed cultivation operation in Clackamas County. She has been a cultivator for over 17 years, and sold her dispensary, Pure Green, to C21 last year. Walstatter is a founding member of the OCA and has served on advisory committees with the OLCC and the City of Portland.