BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Colorado Leads Board of Directors consists of 14 respected business leaders from across the legal cannabis industry who share a commitment to advancing our vision and mission. They represent licensed retailers, cultivators, processors, and testing labs, as well as ancillary businesses, such as law firms and financial service providers. Learn more about the board members below, and contact us if you would like to learn more about joining Colorado Leads or becoming a member of our board.

Chuck Smith, President

Board Member and Past CEO, BellRock Brands Inc.

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Charles “Chuck” Smith is a current Board member and immediate past Chief Executive Officer of BellRock Brands, a brand and IP focused CPG multi-state operator that possesses one of the industry’s broadest branded product portfolios. BellRock’s portfolio consists of two iconic cannabis brands with deep history, Mary’s Brands and Dixie, as well as two growing, California-based brands, Rebel Coast and Défoncé.

Prior to his role as CEO of BellRock, Chuck was President and Chief Executive Officer of Dixie Brands, as well as Therabis, and Aceso Wellness, two industry-leading hemp supplement brands. As one of two original founders of the company, Chuck helped Dixie grow from a “garage operation” to a 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art, vertically integrated manufacturing facility that was the first-of-its-kind for the marijuana industry. Since 2010, Dixie Brands grew its portfolio to over 100 product offerings, opened 5 new states of operation in addition to Colorado, built significant and lasting distribution partnerships and developed strong platforms for execution in manufacturing, marketing and sales.

As a pioneer of the industry, Chuck has served on numerous industry associations and policy-minded organizations. He is a Founding Board Member of the Cannabis Trade Federation, a Founding Board Member of the US Cannabis Council, a Founding Board Member of the New Federalism Fund and is currently Board President of Colorado Leads, a coalition of Colorado cannabis business leaders, as well as a Founding Member of the ATACH Cannabis Beverage Council.

Richard Batenburg, Jr.

CEO, Clear Cannabis Inc.

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Richard M. Batenburg, Jr. is Chairman of the Board and CEO of Clear Cannabis Inc. Additionally, he holds managing positions in BATMANN Consulting, Inc., an operational and strategic consulting company to cannabis- and non-cannabis-related businesses, where he has served as both CEO and President since its founding in March 1997; Redwood Investment Partners LLC, d/b/a Bonsai Cultivation, a cannabis cultivation company, where he has served as the chairman since January 2017; and BB Talent, LLC, a talent management, and production company, where he has been the managing member since its founding in February 2015.

Richard has over 40 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner/operator and excels at “end-to-end” processes to help frontline employees deliver products and services to customers. He is author of the book “Change Is Great… Be First!” published by Advantage Media Group in 2016, and he is the founder of many startups in Software, Consumer Goods, and Consulting and Finance in dozens of industries, focusing the past seven years in Cannabis and Hemp.

In April 2015, Cliintel Capital Management Group was formed, and since its inception Richard has served as the Fund Manager of cannabis investments. He made his first investment in the cannabis space in 2015 as a lender and advisor to a vertically integrated cannabis firm that operated three indoor medical cannabis cultivation facilities and a medical dispensary. Since then, he has managed an investment fund to invest in two large indoor cultivation and dispensary projects in Colorado, successfully exiting one cultivation and dispensary after one year, while the other indoor cultivation remains in the fund’s portfolio and is operational and has also raised $4.5 million in a third fund that owns a large stake in Clear Cannabis Inc.

Prior to his entry into cannabis, Richard worked as an executive consultant to AT&T Broadband, Comcast, and Sun Microsystems before forming a consultancy that worked with other fortune 500 companies on process improvement and strategic change. Additionally, he has held executive level positions at First Entertainment (FTET) as a publicly listed CEO, and founded, owned, and operated businesses in diverse industries such as VideOne Marketing, where he not only produced infomercials, but also developed and distributed products direct to consumer via television.

Richard lives in Denver with his wife and three children. He is an avid ice hockey player, a Colorado Avalanche season ticket holder, and a die-hard Detroit Red Wings fan.

Jon Boord

CEO, Native Roots

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Jonathan Boord is General Counsel and owner of Native Roots, handling all legal responsibilities, licensing, public affairs, risk management, and business development. Prior to working at Native Roots, Jon worked in private practice in Denver and Vail and was also in-house counsel for Solaris Redevelopment Corporation in Vail for eight years.

Originally from Henderson, Kentucky, he now lives in Edwards, Colorado and enjoys cycling, running and skiing. He received his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School.

Adam Goers

Senior Vice President – Corporate Affairs, The Cannabist Company

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Adam Goers is Senior Vice President – Corporate Affairs at The Cannabist Company (formerly Columbia Care), and he is a Partner and Board Member at The Cannabist Company Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland.

He has been an Executive Board Member at the US Cannabis Council since March 2021, and he previously served as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Cannabis Trade Federation from July 2019 to December 2021.

Before his involvement in the cannabis industry, Adam served as an Advisory Board Member for Airport Sherpa and as a Principal at Demo Strategies. He also has extensive political experience, having served as the Executive Director for Maryland’s then-Gov. Martin O’Malley from January 2009 to March 2016, where they built and led a communications and policy team. He also worked as a Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Democratic Governors Association from January 2011 to January 2015.

Stephen Goldman

Chief Science Officer, Kaycha Labs

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Stephen Goldman is the Chief Science Officer and Laboratory Director of Kaycha Labs Colorado. He is primarily focused on research and development, nationwide standardizations and new test development. Prior to joining PhytaTech (the predecessor company to Kaycha Labs Colorado) in 2015, Stephen served as an analytical chemist at CLIA- and CAP-certified forensic laboratories and was a chemist for Novartis (Sandoz), Kemin Industries and Genentech. In those capacities, he was involved in researching biocatalyst production, new chemistry entities, nutraceutical development, antibody conjugate linkers, technical transfers, quality control, analytical method development and method creation and validation.

He graduated with honors from the University of Kansas with a Master’s in pharmaceutical chemistry and received a Bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Iowa. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and the Cannabis Chemistry Subdivision of the American Chemical Society.

Joe Hodas

Chief Marketing Officer, Wana Brands

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Joe Hodas serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Wana Brands where he is responsible for generating revenue by creating innovative and refined marketing campaigns for the organization while helping to grow Wana’s brand, market share and customer loyalty. Since joining Wana in 2020, Hodas has been on the team that launched new innovative lines–including Quick, Optimals and Live Rosin Gummies–while expanding Wana’s North American footprint to become a top international cannabis brand. An early professional marketer in the cannabis industry, Hodas drove the marketing strategy for Dixie Elixirs as its first CMO, helping build it into one of the most recognized national marijuana brands.

Prior to joining Wana, Hodas was CEO at Gofire, an innovator of hardware and software IP designed to change the face of plant-based medicine and mainstream healthcare. As CEO, he guided Gofire’s marketing, product development, software and sales, helping to bring the company’s first metered-dose inhaler to market, while developing the company’s next-generation products intended to redefine how mainstream medicine could be delivered and monitored for adherence and efficacy. Previously, Hodas served as COO for General Cannabis Corporation, a publicly traded company consisting of several ancillary businesses. Hodas’ experience also includes positions as Sr. Director of Corporate Communications for Frontier Airlines, as well as agency experience at Vladimir Jones where he was a partner and Ogilvy Public Relations.

Hodas has also taught as an adjunct marketing professor at the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. He graduated from the University of Denver, receiving his master’s degree in mass communications and public relations after earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas.

Bruce Nassau

CEO, Lit Dispensary

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Bruce Nassau is Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Tru Cannabis, which cultivates and distributes cannabis in Colorado and Oregon. He is also Chairman of the Board of the Marijuana Industry Group (MIG), the oldest and largest trade association for licensed cannabis businesses.

Bruce is a former cable industry executive who sold his nationwide contracting firm Telecrafter Services, LLC. to ViaSource Communications Inc. in 1999. He continued as a board member and President of the Western Division until 2010, when he took the helm at Tru Cannabis.

Bruce received his B.S. from Southern Illinois University and an M.A. and PhD from the University of Denver. He and his wife have three daughters, and he is an avid reader, golfer, scuba diver, and philanthropist.

Toby Nuber

COO/CFO, Good Chemistry

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Toby Nuber joined Good Chemistry in 2014 as Chief Financial Officer. With 15-plus years of investment banking, mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance experience, Nuber oversees and leads all financial-related matters for Good Chemistry and helping lead the company’s expansion into new markets.

In 2017, Nuber’s role expanded to include management of the company’s broader operations. As Chief Operating Officer, Toby develops company best practices and leads multiple departments including finance, compliance, IT, human resources, facilities and procurement.

Prior to joining Good Chemistry, Nuber successfully applied his financial, capital raising, and mergers and acquisitions skills at several investment banks, including the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC Capital Markets) and UBS and a large global corporation. In this capacity, Nuber completed more than 40 transactions including initial public offerings, debt and equity capital raises, and buy/sell side mergers or acquisitions for a diverse set of healthcare and technology clients.

Dan Pabon

General Counsel, Schwazze

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Dan Pabon is a longtime attorney and former Colorado state representative (2011-2019) with a proven history of working with stakeholders in diverse industries to navigate regulations and governance.

As chief legal expert for Schwazze, Mr. Pabon handles matters concerning compliance, intellectual property, public policy and corporate citizenship, among others. He previously held the role of Vice President at Sewald Hanfling Public Affairs, where he worked with clients on lobbying, government affairs, business development and community engagement.

Mr. Pabon earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado Law School.

Jerrico Perez

Partner, Vicente LLP

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Jerrico Perez is a partner at Vicente LLP, where she focuses her practice on administrative law, regulatory compliance, and national marijuana business applications. Jerrico assists cannabis business owners and other associated individuals and entities with regulatory, licensing, and compliance issues, and has successfully represented clients in state and local hearings, negotiating and resolving regulatory disciplinary actions, and successfully appealing and seeking judicial review of final agency actions. She has also helped her clients receive licenses in multiple competitive and non-competitive application processes, including Colorado, Ohio, Hawaii, California, Maryland, and Canada. In a constantly-evolving legal landscape, clients look to Jerrico to help them navigate the complex regulations governing the production, manufacture, and distribution of cannabis and cannabis products in the United States and abroad.

As a board member of the National Hispanic Cannabis Council, Jerrico participates on the organization’s legal committee. She has been recognized by her peers in the “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” list since 2021 for her work in administrative/regulatory law and in 5280 magazine’s “Denver’s Top Lawyers” list since 2022 for marijuana law.

Co-founder / Special Adviser:

Christian Sederberg

Partner, VS Strategies

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Christian Sederberg is a partner at VS Strategies and special counsel at Vicente LLP (formerly Vicente Sederberg LLP). He has been representing cannabis businesses and ancillary companies on a wide range of compliance, regulatory, corporate, and legislative issues since the inception of Colorado’s state-regulated medical marijuana program in 2010.

Christian played an integral role in the passage and implementation of Colorado’s historic cannabis legalization initiative in 2012, and was nominated by Gov. John Hickenlooper to represent the campaign on the Amendment 64 Implementation Task Force. He also sat on the executive committee of the Committee for Responsible Regulation, which coordinated the campaign to establish statewide excise and sales taxes on the sale of adult-use marijuana in Colorado.

Christian is chair emeritus of the board of directors for the U.S. Cannabis Council. He previously served as a board member for the Cannabis Trade Federation and the National Cannabis Industry Association. He was included in the National Law Journal’s inaugural list of “Cannabis Law Trailblazers,” as well as the Cannabis Business Executive 100, a list of the 100 most influential people in the global cannabis industry and policy reform movement. In 2020 and 2021, Christian was recognized as one of the nation’s top cannabis lawyers and corporate lawyers by Chambers and Partners USA and The Best Lawyers in America^©, respectively. He has been included in 5280’s list of “Denver’s Top Lawyers” every year since 2015.