Event Schedule
February 17
Empowerment in Action
Location: Riverview Ballroom
Registration
Opens at 7 AM
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM
Meditation & Yoga
See Instructor
Jazmin Hupp
9:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Welcome & Opening Remarks
See Speakers
Wanda James
Leah Heise
Social Impact Award 2025
See Speakers
Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Executive Director of the Office of Social Equity Audrey Johnson
Lightning Talks
Building & Growing Your Cannabis Empire
9:00 AM
Focuses on entrepreneurship, business strategy, branding, and leadership in the cannabis industry.
9:00 AM
We Bootstrapped Our Brand to 7 Figures With No Outside Funding
See Speakers
Degelis Pilla
Starting Strong: Launching and Running Your Cannabis Business in Year One
See Speakers
Caroline Crandall
Leadership & Entrepreneurship, and Branding; Motherhood, Parenting, and Caregiving; Finance & Investment
See Speakers
Amanda Terpstra
Entrepreneurship: Cultivating as a Woman in a Man’s World
See Speakers
Nicole Miller
How to Drive Change as In-House Counsel
See Speakers
Kellie Rivera
Survival Tips
See Speakers
Christine Hersey
The International Opportunity: Deciding to go GLOBAL
See Speakers
Jill Reddish
Fireside Chat
10:15 AM
Building Generational Wealth for Communities Disproportionately Harmed by the War on Drugs
See Speakers
Emilie Lewis and Jeanette Ward
Lightning Talks
Mindful Practices & Sustainable Business
10:45 AM
Explores self-care, ethics, and creating a balanced, value-driven business environment.
No One is Going to Save Us, We need to Get Creative
See Speakers
Meg Sanders
ENOUGH
See Speakers
Maureen McNamara
How Love is Lucrative
See Speakers
Luna Stower
Indigenous Plant Medicine: Honoring Wisdom, Protecting Sacrament
See Speakers
Mary Jane Oatman
Cannabis as a Holistic Solution
See Speakers
Emily Fisher
Building the Dream
See Speakers
Hope Wiseman
Cultivating Cannabis IP: A Whirlwind Tour of Brand, Design, Tech, Idea, and Strain Protections for this Extraordinary Industry
See Speakers
Larry Sandell
From a War Zone to Weed and All the Chaos In Between
See Speakers
Dr. Alyza Brevard-Rodriguez
Fireside Chat
11:45 AM
Policy Peaks and Pitfalls, Stories Behind the Coverage
See Speakers
Michael Bobo and Michael DeNault
Maryland Office of Social Equity Workshop
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM (Magnolia Room)
Inside Maryland’s Cannabis Ecosystem
See Speakers
Executive Director Audrey Johnson
Lunch Break
12:00 – 1 PM
(On Your Own)
Afternoon Sessions
Lightning Talks
Innovation and Personal Leadership in Cannabis
1:00 PM
A PSA for Every Woman Who’s Ever Been Called a Bitch
See Speakers
Christina Johnson
Unlocking Self-Confidence for Business Success
See Speakers
Susie Plascencia
Driving Community Integration and Corporate Responsibility in the Cannabis Industry
See Speakers
Tai Duncan
Follow Your North Star
See Speakers
Stephanie Pow
Keynote:
Restorative Healing
1:30 PM
See Speakers
Gretchen Gailey and Ricky Williams
Keynote Address:
Cultivating Change: Empowering Women Through Personal Leadership
2:00 PM
See Speakers
Introduction by Jesce Horton
Dr. Chanda Macias & Brittney Griner, WNBA
Lightning Talks
Navigating the Cannabis Industry: Advocacy, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship
2:45 PM
Are you a Spectator or a Player? Shaping Federal Cannabis/Cannabinoid Policy in 2025
See Speakers
Steph Sherer
What I’ve Learned Growing Up in the Cannabis Industry
See Speakers
Jamie Lewis
Joys and Struggles
See Speakers
Jeanne M. Sullivan
The Entrepreneurial Grind
See Speakers
Precious Osagie
Closing Remarks
3:30 PM
With Dr. Chanda Macias