Governor Baker Names Five to Cannabis Advisory Board

Governor Baker Names Five to Cannabis Advisory Board

BOSTON – Governor Charlie Baker today named five gubernatorial appointees to Massachusetts’ Cannabis Advisory Board, charged with studying and making recommendations to the Cannabis Control Commission on the regulation and taxation of marijuana.

“We appreciate our appointees’ agreeing to serve in this public capacity alongside the Cannabis Control Commission to ensure the effective and safe implementation of the adult use of marijuana in the Commonwealth,” said Governor Baker. “Working with their colleagues, the Attorney General, Treasurer, lawmakers, educators, law enforcement, public safety and public health professionals and others, the Cannabis Advisory Board will play an important role in fairly upholding the will of the voters and assisting in the implementation of the enhanced bipartisan legislation enacted last week.”

The Cannabis Advisory Board was established by the ballot initiative approved by voters last November and in bipartisan legislation signed by Governor Baker last week, consisting of 25 members: 5 appointees each from the Governor, Treasurer and Attorney General and 10 ex officio members with expertise and knowledge relevant to the Board’s mission.

Per statute, the 5 gubernatorial appointees shall represent experts in minority business development, economic development strategies for under-resourced communities, farming or farming interests, employers and municipal law enforcement.

About Chief John Carmichael, Jr. (Municipal Law Enforcement)

Walpole Chief of Police John Carmichael, Jr. was promoted to his current role in July of 2015, having previously served over 25 years with the Department as Deputy Chief of Police, Patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, and Patrol Officer. He serves as a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police’s Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee and co-chair of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association’s Substance Abuse Committee. Since the implementation of Medical Marijuana, Chief Carmichael has been the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Liaison to DPH’s Medical Marijuana Program.  He served three years as a member of the United States Army Military Police Corps. Chief Carmichael obtained his Bachelors in Criminal Justice from Western New England College and Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration from Curry College.

About Kimberly Napoli  (Minority Business Development)

Kim Napoli is a licensed Massachusetts attorney practicing labor and employment law, the co-founder of the Hempest (now The Hempest, Inc.) in Harvard Square, a hemp-based retail clothing boutique whose mission is educating the public about hemp and cannabis, and Marketing Specialist at New England Treatment Access, Inc. Napoli served as Director of Outreach for the Yes on 4 Campaign to Regulate and Tax Marijuana in Massachusetts in 2016. Napoli is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and Suffolk University College of Arts & Sciences, and a member of the Boston Bar Association, Massachusetts Bar Association, American Bar Association, and the Women’s Bar Association. She and her husband, and two young daughters reside in Roxbury. 

About Mary Ann Pesce (Employers)

Mary Ann Pesce is an independent consultant who spent the majority of her career in business management for The Gillette Company, based in Boston.  During her 24-year tenure with Gillette, Mary Ann led multi-disciplinary teams towards the successful launch of Gillette's blockbuster new shaving systems including MACH3, Venus, and Fusion.  Mary Ann became the first woman in Gillette's 103-year history to achieve the level of President.  Upon the acquisition of Gillette by Procter & Gamble, Mary Ann was named President of P&G's $3Billion Global Personal Care business.  She was profiled as one of the company's most inspirational business leaders and has a track record of developing high-performing teams and valuing employees. Mary Ann received her B.A from Harvard University and her MBA from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania. She serves on the Board of Fellows of Harvard Medical School and the Board of Directors of Cambridge Savings Bank. Presently, Mary Ann works as an advisor to four start-up enterprises and lives in Weston, MA with her husband Tobey Choate and their two sons. 

About Lydia Sisson (Farming)

Lydia Sisson is a Founding Co-Director of Mill City Grows, an urban food production and sustainability initiative prioritizing increased access to fresh, locally grown produce in Lowell, since 2011. She is a founding member of Lowell’s Food Security Coalition and has been a member of the Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT) in eastern Massachusetts since 2007. Throughout her career, Sisson has been actively involved in agricultural community service and education programming, including as a Research Assistant for the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project in Lowell, Farmer and Education Coordinator at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton, a Fresh Roots Fellow at UTEC and consultant to Lowell Sprouts and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank. Sisson was previously the sole proprietor of Luna Farm in North Reading, and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York and a Masters in Regional Economic and Social Development from the UMASS Lowell.

About Henry M. Thomas, III (Economic Development for Under-Resourced Communities)

A Springfield native, Henry M. Thomas, III, has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Urban League of Springfield, Inc. since 1974, and the Chief Executive Officer of historic Camp Atwater, the oldest African American summer youth residential camp in the nation, in North Brookfield since 1980. Henry is the Past VP of the  National Urban League, in NYC.  He is also Board member of the United Service Organizations (USO) and has been a member of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education since 2007; Past Chair of UMass System Board of  Trustees;Past Chair of the  Springfield Police Commission and past Chair of the Springfield Fire Commission.Thomas obtained his Bachelor and Masters of Arts from American International College and his jurisprudence doctorate from the Western New England University School of Law, both in Springfield.