Cresco Appoints NBPA Exec And Top Lawyer Michele Roberts To Board

Cannabis company Cresco Labs CL CRLBF has appointed Michele Roberts — who currently serves as Executive Director at the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) — to its board of directors, effective immediately.

“Ms. Roberts is an outstanding addition to our board,” said Cresco Labs’ Executive Chairman and Dun & Bradstreet former Chairman and CEO Tom Manning in a statement.

Roberts, who is an expert in sports, law and litigation, is expected to provide "a unique perspective at a critical time of continued growth and expansion in the industry," Manning added.

Roberts is Cresco's 10th director and the company's first female member.

“I look forward to advancing Cresco Labs’ distinctive brands of high quality products and services, particularly those focused on the promise held by medicinal cannabis to treat conditions and illnesses where more traditional protocols have not met the patients’ needs, and I am also committed to supporting Cresco’s Labs’ social responsibility efforts which are focused on the industry’s first national Social Equity and Education Development initiative to better both individual lives and underrepresented communities,” Roberts said.

Roberts’ Prior Experience

Prior to serving at the NBPA, Roberts honed her legal skills while working as a trial lawyer with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

She has been engaged in numerous civil and white-collar criminal litigations representing clients in both state and federal courts.

As an esteemed and top-ranked lawyer, Roberts tried over 100 cases to a jury verdict, covering diverse areas including product liability, racketeering, securities regulation violations, white-collar, Title VII issues, and premises liability.

She spent eight years serving as Chief of the Trial Division at Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia’s office.

In addition, Roberts was rewarded by Chambers Global, Chambers USA, and Benchmark Litigation, to name a few.

She is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Cresco’s Latest Moves

Earlier this week, Cresco received a provisional processing license for cannabis oil extraction and the manufacture of cannabis products in Ohio.

The licensing is just another step in the company's footprint expansion, as for months now, Cresco has been expanding its presence across the country.