Cannabis Movers & Shakers: USCC, MedMen, Metrc, Green Check Verified

USCC Strengthens Its Leadership Team With Two Additions

The US Cannabis Council (USCC) has welcomed two senior staff members into its ranks.

Bo Bryant, who previously served as director for government relations and strategic engagement at AmeriCorps and senior director of federal government relations for the McDonald's Corporation MCD, joined the cannabis-focused organization to serve as senior vice president of government relations.

Josh Glasstetter, former vice president at West End Strategy Team agreed to serve as USCC's communications and public affairs director.

The new appointments came on the heels of Jessica Billingsley's election as chair of the board of the coalition of cannabis organizations and advocates and naming Tahir Johnson as director of social equity and inclusion.

MedMen Bolsters Board Of Directors As Part Of Private Placement Transaction

Cannabis retailer MedMen Enterprises Inc. MMEN MMNFF has tapped Michael Serruya to serve on its board of directors last week as its seventh member.

The appointment was part of the private placement of the company's units, under which investors, led by Serruya Private Equity, agreed to purchase $100 million of the Los Angeles-based company's units at a purchase price of $0.24 per unit.

Metrc Appoints Zahid Ali As New CTO, Names Jesse Naranjo CPO

Metrc, a provider of cannabis regulatory systems in the United States, reported recently that it had appointed Zahid Ali as its new chief technology officer, replacing Jesse Naranjo, who agreed to become its first chief product officer.

During California's implementation of Metrc, Zahid served as the primary liaison for the state, coordinating training, support and software change requests.

Previously, he served at an IT and business consulting firm, CGI.

"We've experienced tremendous internal and external growth as a company in the past few years, and I'm thrilled to announce we've rounded out our C-suite," Jeff Wells, CEO of Metrc, said. "An established leader in the information technology industry, Zahid has been instrumental in implementing Metrc and supporting government and industry in California, the largest regulated cannabis market in the country. We have incredible talent at Metrc and are now even better positioned to support our customers and expand our brand."

Green Check Verified Promotes Mike Kennedy To Chief Strategy Officer

Green Check Verified, a fintech provider of compliant cannabis banking solutions and services, has promoted co-founder Mike Kennedy to chief strategy officer.

Prior to this, Kennedy served as director of product and strategy.

"Mike has been instrumental in the growth of Green Check Verified over the past four years, and with the tireless work of our product and engineering teams, he has helped us offer an unrivaled solution to the market," Kevin Hart, co-founder and CEO said Wednesday. "He leaves his department in great hands, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he accomplishes as he shifts his focus to our ambitious goals for the next six months and beyond."

Photo: Courtesy of David Gabrić on Unsplash