Cannabis Career Watch | New Hires and Promotions August 14, 2020

TerrAscend, AVD, Stability Cannabis, Athletes for CARE, CBD Dog Health make executive changes; Cannabics, SOL Global, BevCanna, Emerald Bioscience, MediPharm make changes to board; iAnthus announces departure; Aprch taps celebrity ambassador; MATTIO adds to IR team; CCIA celebrates employee anniversary.

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Image: studiostoks / Shutterstock.com

Oklahoma-based cultivation company Stability Cannabis hired industry veteran Trey Hughes to the role of general manager of retail operations. Hughes previously has held leadership positions with some of the most productive medical marijuana dispensaries in Maryland and Colorado.

“The leadership team of Stability is one of the strongest and most well rounded I have encountered in the cannabis industry,” said Hughes. “The opportunity to lead our dispensary operations is exciting because our retail staff are passionate about service, and Stability is providing one of the most enjoyable patient experiences statewide.”

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Cannabis marketing and public relations agency MATTIO Communications added former Aurora executive Rob Kelly to its investor relations department. Kelly joins the company as director of IR where he will team with IR Associate Alyssa Marchassalla. Before joining Aurora, Kelly gained experience in the private market at Goldman Sachs and the public market at TMX Equicom.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rob to our dedicated team of professionals here at MATTIO,” said Rosie Mattio, chief executive officer and founder at MATTIO Communications. “The priceless experience he gained from his time at Aurora, the multinational cannabis giant, lends itself perfectly to the needs of our clients. I look forward to working together in strengthening our IR service offering to provide further value to our clients.

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Rob Kelly

CBD beverage company Aprch added big mountain skier Sage Cattabriga-Alosa to its roster of brand ambassadors.

“Sage’s thoughtful approach to being a father and athlete is inspirational,” said Aprch Chief Marketing Officer Brett Wiley. “You can definitely feel his commitment to being a positive role model to his daughters in our latest Human Element video series. We are proud he’s agreed to share his passion for living life to the fullest with our community.”

“For me, life is about living well and being the best father I can be to my kids,” said Cattabriga-Alosa. “The amount of satisfaction from being a dad is unbelievable, it’s my favorite thing I have ever done. Partnering up with Aprch was a natural fit, our shared mantra of living in the moment is what being a dad is all about.”

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Sage Cattabriga-Alosa and family

Elizabeth Stavola, founder of MPX and CBD for Life, resigned from the role of chief strategy officer at iAnthus Capital Holdings. Stavola also will relinquish her place as director on the company’s board.


Justin McCarthy celebrated five years with the California Cannabis Industry Association.

“CCIA would like to thank our director of operations and business development, Justin McCarthy, for five years of essential service,” said CCIA Executive Director Lindsay Robinson. “When Justin began with CCIA in 2015, he was entering an industry that was not yet legal, was in the early stages of organizing, and was building the member base for political and policy engagement. Although that was just five years ago, California’s cannabis industry would not be where we are at today without the tenacity of folks like Justin.”


Former Atlanta Falcons, Edmonton Eskimos, and Notre Dame football player Clint Johnson joined Athletes for CARE in the role of director of development. Johnson brings to the company established relationships with federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“We’re excited to welcome Clint Johnson to the Athletes for CARE team as director of development,” said Anna Valent, executive director at Athletes for CARE. “His experience and success as a professional athlete and his passion for making a difference will be a huge asset as our organization continues to empower athletes to use their influence to improve global standards of health, safety, and quality of life.”


Advanced Vapor Devices appointed Brendan Nicholas to the role of vice president of sales. Nicholas joins AVD from Kush Supply Co. where he held senior roles as vice president of national sales and business development.

“We are delighted to welcome Brendan to the AVD team,” said AVD Chief Operating Officer Michael Brosgart. “Brendan will play an instrumental role leading and assisting AVD in the build out of our sales team. His product knowledge and breadth of sales and customer experience, including for a nationwide vape hardware, packaging, and accessories company, makes him a natural fit for the position as we expand operations and bring new products to market. I am personally excited to work closely with Brendan.”


North American cannabis operator TerrAscend announced the appointment of Jason Marks as chief legal officer and the departures of General Counsel Brian Feldman and Executive Vice President of Business Development and Chief Strategy Officer Heather Molloy. Most recently, Marks served as chief legal officer, general counsel and corporate secretary at publicly traded biotechnology company InflaRx N.V. He also has served in executive roles at Salix, Novartis, Stryker Corporation, and Bausch Health.

“We’re committed to prudently scaling our organization as we execute on the opportunity ahead and drive sustainable business growth,” said TerrAscend, Chief Executive Officer Jason Ackerman. “With a breadth of experience in the life sciences industry, we’re thrilled to have Jason join us and bring a unique perspective to our executive team.”


Pet wellness company CBD Dog Health added Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Zac Pilossoph, Certified DVM, CAVM, and CBD expert to its leadership team. Pilossoph will oversee the quality control and consistency of the company’s holistic hemp product lines.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Dr. Zac Pilossoph to CBD Dog Health,” said certified cannabis specialist and CBD Dog Health Co-Founder Angelina Ardolino. “We are confident that his experience in cannabis-based medicines for animals will propel the brand, and overall usage of CBD treatments for pets, forward.”


Directorial and advisory board changes and additions:

Cannabics Pharmaceuticals appointed gastroenterology expert Dr. Dana Ben-Ami Shor to its scientific board of advisors. She will assist the company with clinical validation plans for its cannabinoid-based novel drug candidate for treatment of colorectal cancer.

SOL Global appointed Olivier Centner to replace Roger Rai who has resigned as a director of the company. Centner’s appointment is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

MediPharm Labs appointed Chris Halyk, former president at Janssen Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson company) to its board of directors. Halyk has 35 years of pharmaceutical industry experience with companies including Johnson & Johnson, Ortho Biotech, Rx&D, and Warner-Lambert.

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Chris Halyk

BevCanna Enterprises appointed Adam Clarke to its independent advisory board. Clarke is co-founder and chief executive officer at Stratus Designs Ltd., a technical consultancy that specializes in the planning and design of cannabis and hemp cultivation and processing facilities and operations.

Emerald Bioscience appointed Margaret R. Dalesandro, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dalesandro currently serves as president at Brecon Pharma Consulting. She previously has served as business director at Corning Integrative Pharmacology, vice president of business development ImClone Systems Inc., executive director at GlaxoSmithKline, senior consultant at Cambridge Pharma Consultancy, and director of immunobiology and diagnostic research at Centocor.


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