Our Founding Members took a chance on creating a socially responsible business to promote inclusion in cannabis. We are continually thankful for these industry pioneers who looked over their shoulders and decided to help their future consumers, employees, and colleagues succeed.

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Jazmin Hupp, Executive Director

Building upon over a decade of entrepreneurship in technology and retail, Jazmin Hupp consults women (and a few men) starting businesses in the legal cannabis field.

Jazmin works with clients launching or pivoting new businesses at the business strategy consulting and marketing agency, MEIER. Collaboratively they’ve launched BrandingCannabis.com to further marketing conversations in the industry.

Previously, Jazmin served as the Director of Digital Media for Women 2.0, which helps women start high-growth ventures. During her tenure, the brand expanded from the Bay Area to hold events across six countries for over 100,000 women passionate about innovation. She holds a Management Information Systems degree from the State University of New York.

Jazmin is a frequent guest speaker at marketing, technology and cannabis conferences.

Follow @JazminHupp on Twitter.

Jane West, National Events Director

With 18 years of experience in corporate conference and private event production Jane West’s extensive skill set includes directing event operations, branding and marketing, media relations and employee media training, and strategic community outreach and education campaigns. She founded Edible Events Co. in November 2013 pinpointing a need in the cannabis industry for large-scale events that rebrand cannabis consumption, build new consumer demographics through education, and offer experiential marketing.

Prior to undertaking her mission to mainstream responsible, adult-use cannabis consumption events, Jane produced events for nonprofit organizations (UNICEF, UNDP, NetAid, JDRF) and corporations (GE Medical, Cisco Systems, Presidential Inaugural Conference). She holds Master’s Degree in Social Work & Community Outreach from the University of Denver.

Inspired by her predecessors and passionate about the cause, Jane has quickly immersed herself in the cannabis industry. The pioneering cannabis event series she created and directs garnered international attention and has been featured on the Nightly News with Brian Williams, CNBC’s 2014 “Marijuana in America”, New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph and The Denver Post. In May of 2014, she converted the series to a collaborative fundraising effort with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, further emboldening the evolution of cannabis events.

Follow @EdibleEventsCo on Twitter.

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Sponsorship & Partnership Director: Julie Batkiewicz

Julie is a producer of all things media. With her experience in video production combined with sales and marketing skills, she’s helped clients big and small create compelling content as well as grow their business. As the sponsorship director, she’s dedicated to helping Women Grow develop and expand their membership through strategic partnerships.

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National Chapter Development: Lee Hart

Lee Hart brings to Women Grow 20 years of marketing communications and grass roots network-building experience primarily in the outdoor, snow sports and adventure travel industries.

Lee’s agency, Brand Amp, works with domestic and international brands to create and implement high-impact media outreach and award-winning trade and consumer-targeted initiatives, campaigns and events.

Proud to work with innovative thinkers and their companies, Lee has helped introduce such paradigm-shifting ideas as welded-seam technology for technical fabrics to better protect outdoor adventure athletes from weather extremes, cut in half the age at which children can kayak and playboat on whitewater, brought stand up paddling from its ocean heritage to the mountains’ rushing rivers and helped bring visibility to the emerging sport of fat biking on snow.

Recognizing yet another disruptive idea with the power to transform an industry, Lee became the first paid employee of Women Grow happily taking on the all-important task of growing a thriving nationwide network of professional women who share a passion for the plant and are dedicated to raising the level of professionalism and integrity in the nascent cannabis industry. Through nationwide monthly networking events, national conferences, lobby days and more, Women Grow is designed to inspire the next generation of cannabis industry professionals while promoting the pioneers who have made legalization a reality.