Events

Schedule III is here. The questions now stretch across the entire market.

Be in the room for a timely series of panels on policy, capital, operations, hemp, beverages, research, and the future of the Midwest cannabis industry.

Salvage One, Chicago
Thursday, May 28 | 12:00–6:30 PM

No massive expo floor.
No sales-first panels.
Just direct access to practical insight, serious discussion, and meaningful connections grounded in Midwest realities and informed by a national perspective.

Hosted by Grown In & Cultivated, the forum is designed to turn dialogue into alignment and relationships into real outcomes.

Who Should Attend

✓ Dispensary operators, retail leaders, and multi-state operators
✓ Brand, product, and supply chain leaders
✓ Investors and capital providers
✓ Legal, accounting, banking, and compliance professionals
✓ Regulators, policymakers, and public sector leaders

Whether you operate, invest, advise, regulate, or support the Midwest cannabis industry, this room is for you. With Schedule III now here, understanding what comes next matters more than ever.

Why Attend

✓ Connect with the operators, investors, regulators, and decision-makers shaping cannabis in the Midwest
✓ Gain practical insight into the policy, market, and business dynamics influencing the region
✓ Build relationships that can open doors long after the event ends

Forum Speakers

Equilibria

Coco Meers

Coco Meers is CEO and Co-Founder of Equilibria, a venture-backed wellness platform helping women find balance through personalized CBD and nutraceutical routines. A serial tech entrepreneur, early-stage investor, and active backer of consumer-focused female founders, she has helped build Equilibria into a high-growth brand known for data-driven wellness support and 1:1 guidance. Prior to Equilibria, her first startup, PrettyQuick, was acquired by Groupon in 2015.

Legit Trappin

Portia Mittons

Portia Mittons knows more about cannabis than most. From becoming the first African American in Oregon to own an adult-use dispensary to co-owning Bridge City Collective near the Iowa border and UHCC craft grow in Waukegan, her experience spans markets, operations, and education. She also leads certification-based initiatives, serves as an Emeritus Board Member of the Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon, and now chairs the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois.

University of Illinois

Justin Leiby

Justin Leiby, PhD, is a Professor of Accountancy at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. His work focuses on auditing, governance, risk management, and cannabis industry data. He has helped bring greater transparency, stronger analytics, and clearer social equity measurement to Illinois’ evolving cannabis industry and policy efforts.

Kentucky Heritage Hemp

Alice Peterson

Alice Peterson is President of Kentucky Heritage Hemp and a board member of Peterson Farms, a 25,000-acre family farming operation in central Kentucky. She helped launch Kentucky Heritage Hemp in 2019, focused on USDA-certified organic CBD/CBG biomass, extracts, and distillates. She is recognized as an expert in hemp regulation.

Sway Dispensaries

Edie Moore

Edie Moore is a cannabis policy and social equity leader, owner and principal officer of Sway dispensaries in Chicago, and co-founder of Chicago NORML. She helped advance historic adult-use legislation with strong social equity provisions and now serves as Chicago NORML’s Legislative Committee Chair, advising lawmakers, industry leaders, and communities on equitable cannabis policy and implementation across Illinois.

A Safe Haven Foundation

Jai Kensey

Jai Kensey is a communications and corporate social responsibility leader known for strategic storytelling and community-centered initiatives that drive equity and engagement. She previously served as Director of Social Impact at Green Thumb Industries in Chicago, where she built and led the department and helped implement GTI’s programs across 18 states. She currently chairs the Communications & Marketing Committee at A Safe Haven Foundation.

Illinois Hemp Growers Association

Rachel Berry

Rachel Berry is CEO of the Illinois Hemp Growers Association, a hemp farmer, and a national leader in the industry. Her work spans cultivation, research, policy, and economics, giving her a broad perspective on hemp’s evolving landscape and future market opportunities. She is known for supporting growers and businesses across the United States through policy and organizing efforts.

Plesio Health

Rebecca Abraham

Rebecca Abraham, RN, BSN, is CEO and Founder of Plesio Health and is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on the clinical application of medical cannabis. She brings 20 years of experience spanning critical care, healthcare policy, strategy, and implementation, and is an international speaker and published voice on cannabis science and nursing innovation.

Acannability | TMI PR

Mika Stambaugh

Mika is an Emmy Award–winning journalist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Acannability with experience in media, public policy, and strategic communications. A former spokesperson for the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, she now leads high-impact media, marketing, and event strategies through her firm, TMI PR. She is known for building strategic partnerships and delivering campaigns that increase visibility, attendance, and revenue.

Author | Board Director

Jackie L. Cahan

Jackie L. Cahan, CPA, MBA, is an accounting professor, author, board director, and financial strategist. She is the author of Accounting and Finance for Beginners, and her experience spans public companies, private firms, turnarounds, and family office work across cannabis and logistics. She helps founders, investors, and students understand the numbers behind decisions, grounded in the belief that financial clarity drives better outcomes.

The Prinz Law Firm

Katie Rinkus

Katie Rinkus is a Partner at The Prinz Law Firm and a business counselor advising companies on formation, contracts, employment, licensing, zoning, disputes, and corporate strategy. She brings added value to cannabis conversations through early experience supporting her mother’s family business, a pioneering Michigan cannabis lender. Her perspective combines practical business law with real-world cannabis industry insight.

Author | Patient Advocate

Kirsten Velasco

Kirsten Velasco is a cannabis advocate, author, inventor, and entrepreneur whose work spans product design, education, and brand support. She created VapeNprop and GripNclip, customizable promotional tools that enhance consumer experience and brand visibility. Her background includes dispensary work, outreach, education, events, and authoring Cannabis Basics Textbook, giving her practical insight into cannabis brands and consumers.

Cresco

Ashley Thullen

Ashley Thullen is a seasoned cannabis executive with over a decade of experience licensing, launching, operating, and scaling cannabis operations. As Illinois North District Manager at Cresco Labs’ Sunnyside Dispensaries, she leads multiple locations with a focus on operational excellence and people-first leadership. She previously served as CEO of Highlife Group and helped launch Justice Cannabis Co.

Almannac

Giavanna Accurso

Giavanna Accurso is Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Almannac, with a background in horticulture and an MBA. She has worked across hemp and cannabis since 2019, with experience in specialty crops, business development, and quality systems. Her work spans domestic and international markets, including Africa, Brazil, Paraguay, and the EU. She now focuses on microbusiness and social equity licensing in Missouri.

Forum Sponsors