Lydia received her Bachelors in Neuroscience at University of Cincinnati and has always been passionate about patient education and the science behind Medical Marijuana. She became a Medical Marijuana professional first by working as a Patient Care Specialist in a medical dispensary, then continuing to work as a medical marijuana processor. She, herself, has been a registered Medical Marijuana patient for almost two years, but has experienced the benefits of Marijuana long before.
Throughout her time within the industry, she noticed a significant shortage of representation, disproportionate access to educational resources, and the overall need for a sense of community surrounding women and cannabis. She brought together WomenCann with the mission of providing a safe space for education, connection, support, and advocacy surrounding Cannabis and Women and with the hope that the integration of gender transformative principles in cannabis health promotion and prevention will transform the paradigm.
Ari, an accomplished entrepreneur and manufacturing executive, brings over 17 years of manufacturing experience in the automotive, food, and cannabis industries. Most recently, Ari founded Growing Green Problem Solving LLC, an independent consulting firm focused on operations, strategy, and efficiency.
Ari also serves as a Board Director with WomenCann, an Ohio-based non-profit. Prior, Ari led the Cresco Labs cultivation site in Yellow Springs, Ohio, growing the top line by over 3,000%. In this role, he led teams through a turnaround and major growth phase in the Ohio cannabis market. Concurrent with that role, Ari served in an advisory capacity throughout the Village of Yellow Springs and was a Board Director with the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce.
Ari holds degrees in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering from Kettering University in Flint, Michigan, where he received the Sobey Scholar Medal upon graduation. He also graduated with his Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Having used prescription drugs for over 30 years, Ari saw first-hand how cannabis can change someone’s life. Ari is now prescription-free with the help of medical cannabis and is an industry advocate.
Lisa is an experienced horticulturist that has been working in the cannabis industry since 2018. She is the current Director of Cultivation for a level I cultivator in Ohio called Buckeye Relief. She is a medical patient who uses cannabis for chronic pain and PTSD. She also has a passion for educating others on growing cannabis and its uses. She officially began working with WomenCann in December of 2021.
Christine, a Key Lead at Zen Leaf Cincinnati, has been licensed In the State of Ohio since the launch of the cannabis program. She started as a patient care advisor at Have A Heart Cincinnati and had continued to grow her career with Zen Leaf. Christine worked in the craft beer industry for six years and really wanted to be involved in something that would help people. Drinking being so socially acceptable and cannabis being so stigmatized was one of the reasons Christine got in to the cannabis industry. She wanted to help educate people on the benefits mentally and physically that cannabis can offer. In addition to advocating against the stigmas surrounding cannabis, she is a huge lover of music, the arts, and being outdoors with her furry friend Micro. She hopes to one day combine her own love of music and art with the leading ladies of the cannabis industry. “One team, one dream” peace, love and cannabis.
Stephanie has recently started her journey in medical cannabis advocacy, research, and outreach. Her background in marketing and fine arts makes her a great asset to our marketing committee where she assists with branding and content design. Her caring nature and love for sharing the benefits of holistic healing drew her into WomenCann and our mission.
Adrienne has joined our team with a passion for helping others navigate their journey with cannabis. Several years ago, after discovering how effective cannabis has become for her well being, she feels drawn to engage with other women about opening their minds to learning for themselves. With her passion for continual education and an extensive background in sales and marketing, Adrienne is a great piece to our puzzle for content writing, research and showcasing our messages. She loves spending time with her high school sweetheart husband, Rich and their daughter Layla. Mental health and wellbeing are a huge priority for Adrienne and the role cannabis can play in living well.
The vision and mission of what WomenCann stands for was an immediate match with her own values and she jumped at the chance to be part of the team.
Henry graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and joined the Medical Marijuana industry professionally when he started his position at a Processor in the State’s program. Henry believes cannabis has the potential to improve the lives of so many people, but first awareness and knowledge have to be raised and spread about the potential benefits cannabis may have.
During his time in the industry, Henry had the incredible opportunity to watch WomenCann grow from just an idea to a thriving Non-Profit that has been working to educate and improve the cannabis community, changing it into a more accepting and inclusive space. Henry joined WomenCann to help them pursue that mission.
Jill got her BSN at San Francisco State University, California and has enjoyed decades of patient care in the Public Health and Hospice settings. When her own back and leg pain became impossible to manage due to years of fibromyalgia and failed back surgery, and with a desire to stop opioids and epidural injections, she became a medical cannabis patient.
With time and research, she became comfortable for the first time in years on Cannabis therapies and found hope and improved creative energy. She found the process of finding the right cannabis strain, tapering off many no longer needed medications and avoiding side effects to be complex. Jill searched for a local Cannabis Nurse, but could not find one. So, she became one, and is now affiliated with the ACNA, American Cannabis Nurses Association. WomenCann is a perfect partner for projects to benefit the lives of many, and bring forth maturity in the Ohio Cannabis Market.
Julia has been working as a patient care advocate for over a year now and enjoys patient outreach and seeing the true benefits of cannabis on a daily basis. With strong beliefs that women are the future, she’s here to help our team succeed.
Savannah is a 26 year-old medical technician and Army veteran who used to live in chronic pain from breaking her hip at 20. She was educated on the medicinal properties of marijuana and hasn’t looked back. Some things Savannah lives by: Make yourself seen and don’t settle, because this industry is all white males who tell you that you can’t. As Timothy Leary said, “women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition.” Be open minded and remember who you are, what you stand for, and learn all you can.