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Professional engineer and consultant in Huntington, NY
Mr. Karpen is a licensed professional engineer in New York. He has more than 20 years of experience in HVAC and energy conservation consulting. His strong background in the physical sciences and technology, combined with a knowledge of government procedures, provides a foundation for getting practical results quickly. Mr. Karpen is recognized nationally for his innovations in a wide range of energy conservation areas. Much of his work has been in the development of energy conservation management plans in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Karpen has a B.S. degree from the University of Washington, an M.A. degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and an M.B.A. degree from Adelphi University. He has eight U.S. patents and two Canadian patents relating to lighting and energy conservation. Mr. Karpen is an experienced energy conservation engineer, and he has worked on making changes to engineered plans and specifications for both residential and commercial work to make structures and their systems more energy efficient.

 Eric S. Mroz Partner with Drewry Simmons Vornehm, LLP
Mr. Mroz practices in the areas of environmental law, regulatory matters, insurance coverage and bad faith and litigation. He represents individuals, businesses and government entities in multi-party environmental, toxic tort and environmental insurance litigation in state and federal courts, before administrative agencies and through alternative dispute resolution. Mr. Mroz has significant experience in cases involving PCBs, chlorinated solvents, hazardous metals, petroleum constituents and emerging contaminants, including perchlorate. His experience in environmental law spans the full spectrum of state and federal statutes and regulations.  

 Thad Schurter Partner with Drewry Simmons Vornehm, LLP
Mr. Schurter focuses his practice on construction litigation. Having worked in construction for 10 years before becoming an attorney, he brings exceptional insight and technical experience to bear for his clients. He represents clients from across the full spectrum of the construction industry and provides counsel on design and construction defect claims, job site safety, personal injury and wrongful death claims, contract review, lien claims and payment security issues.

Drewry Simmons Vornehm, LLPMr. Vornehm is a founding partner of DSV. He focuses his legal practice in the areas of construction law, public contract law, surety law, environmental law, commercial law and business law. He is also a frequent arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association. Mr. Vornehm represents all participants in the construction industry, including public and private owners, general and prime contractors and subcontractors in all types of project delivery systems and performance and payment disputes. He has incorporated numerous entities including minority, women, veteran and disadvantaged businesses. He frequently works with clients to assist in contract drafting and negotiations. Mr. Vornehm is a frequent author and lecturer on construction law and environmental topics and is recognized as a leader in the construction law field. Prior to practicing law he was the chief engineer of the Construction Division of the Indianapolis Department of Public Works. Further, he was an adjunct professor at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Mr. Vornehm is chapter counsel for the Indiana Water Environment Association and a recipient of the Tumble Bug Award. During his career he has helped public and private clients in a variety of areas including, construction disputes, contract drafting and review, litigation, mediation, arbitration and administrative hearings. Mr. Vornehm has been recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyer® in the practice area of construction litigation from 2011-2016.

American Structurepoint, in Indianapolis, INMr. Harvey is senior environmental specialist at American Structurepoint. Known for turning challenging projects into reality, American Structurepoint, headquartered in Indianapolis, has developed an international reputation since 1966 for its multi-disciplinary work throughout the built environment. American Structurepoint offers a diverse variety of services in-house, including architecture, civil engineering, construction inspection, environmental consultation, information technology, investigative/forensics, land surveying, planning and landscape architecture, structural engineering, transportation, and utility infrastructure. Its staff of more than 300 experienced professionals is equipped to spot opportunities, tackle challenges, and maximize resources, exceeding clients’ expectations and saving them both time and money.

President of AquaTerra Consulting in Franklin, INMr. Jones has worked with wetland, watershed, and water quality issues since 1995, including work experience with the Allen and DeKalb County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and he has worked in a wetland regulatory position with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management- Section 401 Water Quality Certification Program. Mr. Jones has worked as a private consultant with AquaTerra Consulting since leaving IDEM in 2001, where he specializes in wetland delineations, permitting and mitigation planning, as well as watershed management planning.

Ms. Schroeder brings a variety of skills to the complexities of today’s agriculture. She grew up on a farm in Northeast Indiana, so her insight is grounded in experience. Ms. Schroeder works with the agricultural industry as she provides expertise such as litigating complicated environmental matters, drafting contracts for agribusinesses, and helping livestock farms navigate regulatory compliance. She has a diverse group of clients including farmers, rural landowners, agricultural companies, and industry groups. Ms. Schroeder has worked at firms in Indianapolis and Chicago, with her perspective including experience in complex litigation, civil defense, property liability, environmental law, and insurance coverage. She is licensed in Indiana and Illinois. Along with her thriving law practice, Ms. Schroeder is committed to sharing insight with the industry as a sought-after speaker and author. She has authored numerous articles and given presentations on a variety of agricultural, environmental, and legal topics, including the Right to Farm Act, zoning, renewable energy, sustainability, the Clean Water Act, employment law, agritourism, farm security, and insurance coverage. Ms. Schroeder earned her B.A. degree, cum laude, from Carthage College, her M.S. degree from Valparaiso University and her J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Valparaiso University School of Law.

Indiana Department of Environmental Management in IndianapolisMr. Smedley is a wetlands project manager within IDEM’s Office of Water Quality-Wetlands and Stormwater Section, where he has implemented Indiana’s 401 and Isolated Wetland’s Program in the north-central territory. He received his B.S. degree in Wildlife Science with a specialization in Conservation from Purdue University’s School of Agriculture, Division of Forestry and Natural Resources. His professional background includes approximately six years of working within the private industry as a wetland scientist and as a project manager for Alt & Witzig Engineering located in Carmel, Indiana, where he performed wetland delineations, permit consultations/submittals, and wetland/stream mitigation conceptual design along with environmental assessments in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.

United States Department of AgricultureMr. Tinsley serves as Indiana state compliance specialist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indianapolis. 

WEH & Associates LLC in Eden Prairie, MNMr. Hochrein is an electrical engineer with more than 20 years of combined experience in controls, instrumentation, panel design, power analysis, short circuit calculations and other requirements for industrial machines both for US and European markets. His experience also includes modifications to facilities panel board schedules, grounding, ARC flash and conformance to the National Electric Code (NEC). He has significant, hands on experience in electrical wiring coupled with degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (BSEE) and a Masters degree in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (MSE).
He is a licensed professional engineer in Minnesota and Wisconsin, a licensed master electrician in the State of Minnesota and a certified electrical safety compliance professional (CESCP) from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). In addition, Mr. Hochrein is a certified reliability engineer (CRE) and certified quality engineer (CQE) from the American Society of Quality (ASQ).

Director at Marijuana Policy Group, LLC in Denver, CO
Mr. Barnes has a background in strategic consulting, having completed numerous strategy projects globally for government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, institutional capital companies and venture capital firms. Mr. Barnes holds a B.B.A. degree from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent six years as a field artillery officer in the Texas National Guard. The Marijuana Policy Group LLC (MPG) is a consulting and research firm focused on legal cannabis markets. MPG helps governments design best-practice regulations and monitoring programs to meet public-sector goals.

Cannabis Wellness Consultant
A Texas native, Mr. Mayes has worn many hats, but the one that led him into the marijuana industry is father. His seven-year-old son, Orion, was diagnosed with a neurological disorder at two months old. Mr. Mayes was certified by the state of Texas to administer pharmaceuticals as a supervisor in a correctional facility for ten years in Taylor and Travis counties. That knowledge motivated his search for a safer medication for his son and lead him to be a caregiver for five other Colorado medical marijuana patients. During his time in Colorado, Mr. Mayes worked in the marijuana industry and most recently as general manager of a hemp extraction facility. He is bringing his knowledge back home to ensure quality products from genetics to post-harvest.

Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner
An eighth-generation farmer and rancher, Mr. Miller is the 12th Commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). He has devoted his life to promoting Texas agriculture, rural communities and the great state of Texas. Mr. Miller graduated with honors from Tarleton State University in Stephenville with a B.S. degree in Vocational Ag Education. Mr. Miller was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2000. He quickly earned a reputation as a staunch defender of Texas agriculture, constitutional freedoms and individual liberties for all Texans. He was elected statewide as the 12th Texas Agriculture Commissioner in 2014, and re-elected to his second term in office in 2018.

Associate Commissioner, Consumer Protection Division at TX Department of State Health Services
The division promotes public health and safety by overseeing food, drug, and medical devices; environmental health hazards, including asbestos, lead, and other dangerous products and chemicals; medical and industrial radiation equipment; and the Emergency Medical Services and trauma care system of Texas.

 Partner at Thomas Pittman P.C. in Austin, TX
Throughout Ms. Pittman’s 20-year career, she has litigated and tried disputes relating to labor and employment, breach of contract, commercial banking, fraud, fiduciary duty, construction defect and injury, deceptive trade practices, premises liability, professional liability, and products liability. In 2014, she read the testimony of Texas mothers with children with epilepsy, detailing the treatment and life choices they had to make for their children’s conditions. This led her to learn more about the cannabis plant’s healing properties. Ms. Pittman merged her passion for wellness with her profession as a business attorney by focusing her practice on the legal cannabis and hemp industries. She has assisted cannabis and hemp license applicants in multiple states across the country. A native Texan, her work in the legalization movement in Texas has earned her the title, “The First Lady of Texas Cannabis Law.”

President of Sante Laboratories in Austin, TX

The CBD Genie, in Austin, TX
Born and raised in Texas, Ms. Sommers provides education on the biochemistry of the endocannabinoid system in a fun, memorable and comprehensive way as a cannabis science communicator. Her career, education, unfortunate medical history, and the passing of both of her parents to cancer has set the moral compass for her journey. Ms. Sommers spent eight and a half years in the Air Force, 12 years in the medical field with seven years diagnosing infectious diseases in the microbiology department. She is most importantly, a patient with a cannabis testimony.

NAR Green Certified real estate professional with Realty Austin                                                       
Mr. Valles is Founding Board of Director Member of the US Hemp Building Association, Co-Founder & Vice President of the Texas Hemp Industries Association and a hemp building advocate. In 2017, he spearheaded Austin’s first hempcrete home in Community First Village, a community for the chronically homeless. Mr. Valles has delivered presentations on developing community through hemp building at multiple conferences, such as the International Hemp Building Symposium, SingularityU and EarthX. Inspired to bring more sustainable and non-toxic solutions to the real estate and building industries, Mr. Valles continues to educate his community and champion the use of hemp based building materials through his real estate and hemp building consulting practices.

Senior Vice President, Treasury Management at Southside Bank, in Austin, TX         

Commercial Agriculture Educator, University of Illinois Extension
Originally from Southeastern Wisconsin, Mr. Alberti received a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Botany from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015 and a Master of Science degree in Plant Sciences from South Dakota State in 2017. Mr. Alberti works in commercial crop production, assisting growers and producers by providing resources for production of row crops. His areas of expertise include soil fertility, row crop production, cover crops, and no-till systems. He determines production needs and assists local producers to improve productivity and integrate new practices via impact programming and consultations in NW Illinois

Attorney at Hall, Rustom & Fritz LLC
Mr. Howard concentrates his practice in commercial banking, bankruptcy, business litigation, loan workouts, cannabis and real estate litigation. He is admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin, United States District Courts for all Illinois Districts, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He is a member of the ISBA’s Standing Committees on Immigration Law and Judicial Evaluations outside of Cook County, and he is a member of the Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Section. Mr. Howard earned his B.A. degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and his J.D. degree from Marquette University Law School. After completing law school he earned his Series 7 & 66 securities licenses and briefly worked as a stockbroker before using his law degree to work through the mortgage foreclosure crises from the market crash of 2008. A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Howard has helped found a charity, Build Peoria, and has a digital marketing startup, Stumari, LLC, that helps lawyers with SEO and digital marketing strategies to get more client leads.

Chief Commercial Officer Revolution Enterprises
Mr. Pilarski is the Chief Commercial Officer for Revolution Enterprises, a vertically integrated medical marijuana company. One of his responsibilities is helping to grow the industrial hemp industry in the Midwest. Revolution’s intention is to facilitate the growth of the hemp industry by providing a market for hemp flower, grain and straw so farmers have a place to sell their crop. Revolution has been formulating CBD flower and extract under the Illinois Medical Marijuana Program over the last four years and believes it can help grow the CBD market in the Midwest. Prior to joining Revolution, Mr. Pilarski was a senior managing director for PricewaterhouseCoopers in their advisory services business. He has held senior positions at two long short hedge funds, has built business lines for Dow Jones & Co, and has run proprietary derivatives trading groups over 15 years during the course of his career. He has been an active governing member of the Chicago Board of Trade and has run trading groups on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board Option Exchange, the New York Mercantile Exchange, the New York Board of Trade, LIFFE, the Tokyo Grain Exchange and the Winnepeg Commodity Exchange. Mr. Pilarski holds FINRA Series 3, 4, 7, 24 and 63. He holds a BA degree in Finance and Economics from the Farmer School of Business at Miami University and an MBA from the Booth School at the University of Chicago.

Faculty Member at Department of Agriculture & Resource Economics at NC State University
Dr. Coit, JD, LLM is a faculty member in the Department of Agriculture & Resource Economics at NC State University. Her teaching and research is in food, agriculture and hemp law. She is a part of the Extension hemp team at NC State.

Extension Horticulture Specialist and SARE Co-Coordinator at the Cooperative Extension Program of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Dr. Gu’s areas of training and expertise include vegetable and small fruit production, vegetable grafting, season extension with low and high tunnels, plant tissue culture, and plant breeding. He supervises graduate students and teaches courses in the Urban and Community Agriculture Program. Dr. Gu’s research goal is to increase on-farm profitability and the environment stewardship of small, limited-resource farmers in North Carolina. With his audience in mind, Dr. Gu’s current research and extension focus is on season extension techniques, both organic and conventional, for vegetable and small fruit production. He also works on industrial hemp, an emerging crop of importance for North Carolina.

Principal of Kight Law Office, PC
Mr. Kight is the principal of Kight Law Office PC, which represents businesses in the cannabis industry, including hemp and CBD, throughout the USA and the world. Mr. Kight edits the popular Kight On Cannabis law blog and wrote Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know, a cannabis law primer for business executives published by Aspatore Books. He speaks at national cannabis conferences, drafts cannabis legislation, and is regularly quoted on cannabis matters in the media, including Time, Business Insider, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Kight was recently named a “Top 30 Powerful Cannabis Litigator” by MG Magazine and one of the “100 People You Should Know” by Hemp Connoisseur Magazine. He testified at the recent FDA public hearing on cannabis. He writes and sits on the advisory board for the American Journal of Medical Cannabis, a peer reviewed publication. Mr. Kight believes strongly in personal and medical cannabis use for many reasons, including that it helped him during chemotherapy treatments for cancer. He is an attorney advocate for NORML, and a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Hemp Industries Association, the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association, and the South Carolina Hemp Farmers Association. Mr. Kight is married to his elementary school sweetheart, Ashley, who is also his office manager. They raised five children. Rod plays guitar in a rock band. You may contact him by email (rod@cannabusiness.law) or phone (828-255-9881).

Co-Owner of Celestial Hemp
Mr. Rife is the co-founder of Celestial Hemp Company. He grew up gardening and practicing sustainable land management and developed a love for natural and environmental sciences. Mr. Rife spent time at the University of Tennessee studying engineering. In early 2018, he started growing hemp through North Carolina’s Pilot Program and developing Celestial Hemp’s array of full- spectrum hemp extract products. Mr. Rife has said, “hemp needs to be the most produced crop in the world to sustain our planet and humanities ever-growing needs. I see hemp as a movement to bring up one another, our nation, and humanity as whole.”

Co-Owner of Celestial Hemp
Mr. Roberts is the co-founder of Celestial Hemp Company. He graduated cum laude with a bachelor of Philosophy degree, with plans to go to law school. Instead, he dove directly into the cannabis industry in Colorado and most recently into the emerging North Carolina hemp industry. Celestial Hemp has grown to become a regional knowledge center for the hemp industry. Mr. Roberts has led the charge in educating the public on the many uses of hemp, plus navigating product development, banking issues and government regulations.

Attorney Frantz Ward, LLP, Cleveland
Mr. Farkas’s practice encompasses a variety of litigation matters, including commercial disputes and the litigation of lender liability, insurance coverage and consumer fraud claims. He has represented defendants in numerous class actions in state and federal courts. At Frantz Ward, Mr. Farkas has been one of the firm’s lead litigators, following and analyzing the potential liability for hemp-derived product producers.

Partner at Friedman & Nemecek, L.L.C., a Cleveland-based criminal defense law firm
Mr. Friedman’s practice is focused on criminal, cyber and white-collar matters. He represents individuals and entities across the United States and has served as counsel in Europe, Asia and South America. Mr. Friedman is the current president of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association. He is a past-president of the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and was the first lawyer to be named its “Lawyer of The Year” in 2010. Mr. Friedman is a Fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers and served as president in 2018. He is an adjunct professor at the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law where he has taught Cybercrime since 2006. In 2019, Mr. Friedman was named by his peers as Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year in Criminal Defense and General Practice in Cleveland. As a criminal defense lawyer, he has defended numerous investigations and prosecutions involving hemp.

Attorney Frantz Ward, LLP, Cleveland
Mr. Haggerty is chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. He represents clients in a wide range of litigation-related issues and serves as national coordinating and national trial counsel for companies facing significant exposures. Mr. Haggerty has extensive experience in designing and coordinating defense strategies and investigation efforts for clients ranging from closely-held corporations to Fortune 100 companies. He created the firm’s Cannabis Law and Policy Group in response to the increasingly complex issues surrounding the legalization of medical marijuana and hemp. This work has extended to providing representation to clients involving the vast array of issues created by the national movement to legalize hemp and recreational cannabis. Mr. Haggerty is regularly named to The Best Lawyers in America and Ohio Super Lawyers lists and is consistently rated AV Preeminent, the highest ranking, for attorney professional and ethical excellence by Martindale-Hubbell. He remains firmly rooted in his community by serving on several nonprofit boards and regularly provides pro bono representations to individuals and groups.

Attorney Frantz Ward, LLP, Cleveland
Mr. Haren represents growing businesses at each stage of their development and is regularly asked to serve as outside general counsel for his clients. In that role, he counsels his clients with respect to innumerable legal issues, including regulatory oversight, corporate governance, contract negotiations, risk management, litigation and other day-to-day business issues. Mr. Haren often works with his clients to overcome short-term regulatory and financial uncertainty to achieve long-term success in developing markets. He has also developed a national practice representing clients in the burgeoning cannabis industry. As a result, he has become one of the go-to marijuana and hemp business attorneys in Ohio. Working closely with his cannabis clients, Mr. Haren assists with license acquisition, zoning and municipal law, product labeling and packaging and regulatory compliance, in addition to providing ongoing business legal advice. Based on this expertise, he is an avid contributor to various local and national media outlets and often shares his expertise by speaking at national industry conferences and events.

Founder and Principal of CannaRev Solutions
CannaRev Solutions is a consulting company based in Columbus, Ohio, serving the interests of licensed cannabis and hemp businesses. Mr. May is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, he has been a licensed attorney in the state of Ohio for 30+ years and has practiced in the areas of creditors’ rights, bankruptcy, real estate and small business law. Prior to working in the licensed cannabis industry, Mr. May was a multi-unit franchisee with Buffalo Wild Wings for 18 years. He also co-founded 17th Star Distributing, a distributor of craft beer located in Columbus, where he launched multiple breweries into the Ohio beer market. Since becoming a consultant, Mr. May has worked with medical marijuana applicants and licensees in multiple states, as well as startups looking to enter the emerging hemp industry, advising them on such matters as site selection, licensing, facility design/ construction and finance. His unique blend of legal and entrepreneurial experience enables him to provide a synergistic approach to his clients to help them grow their businesses.

Dr. Jarrett is Professor Emeritus of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. He has over 40 years of experience teaching and researching erosion and sediment control, water management, impoundment design, drainage, and stormwater management. Dr. Jarrett has taught soil and water management to engineers and non-engineers. He has prepared engineers for careers in the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the engineering consulting industry, especially land development projects with both stormwater and erosion and sediment control plans as required in Pennsylvania. Basic soils and water-movement elements of soil physics have been part of his courses. Dr. Jarrett is considered one of the leading erosion control researchers and has contributed many refereed publications, textbooks, and extension fact sheets relating to stormwater management and erosion and sediment control. He is a member of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) and a fellow in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Dr. Jarrett is Professor Emeritus of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University. He has over 40 years of experience teaching and researching erosion and sediment control, water management, impoundment design, drainage, and stormwater management. Dr. Jarrett has taught soil and water management to engineers and non-engineers. He has prepared engineers for careers in the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the engineering consulting industry, especially land development projects with both stormwater and erosion and sediment control plans as required in Pennsylvania. Basic soils and water-movement elements of soil physics have been part of his courses. Dr. Jarrett is considered one of the leading erosion control researchers and has contributed many refereed publications, textbooks, and extension fact sheets relating to stormwater management and erosion and sediment control. He is a member of the International Erosion Control Association (IECA) and a fellow in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.