Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

4:00 PM - 4:45 PM - Herscher Hall - Guerin B, Live Webcast

The Women Cannabis Entrepreneur – Wellness – Scientist – Activist - Personality

Erin Gore, Founder, Garden Society

Madison Margolin, cofounder, DoubleBlind - Freelance Writer, Rolling Stone & Vice Media

Courtney Dorne, President, Vertical Brands

Elisabeth Baron, Chief Marketing Officer, Stiiizy

Nicole Fox, RD & MPH, founder & CEO, Aeon Botanika

Brooke Burgstahler, Actress, Comedian, On-Camera Host and Producer from Everywhere, U.S.A., Moderator

Erin Gore is founder and CEO of Garden Society, a California-based, cannabis-focused benefit corporation serving women in search of new, more holistic ways to rejuvenate from the rigors of their daily lives.  Garden Society offers high quality, low dose artisanal confections and sun-grown pre-rolls that connect biodynamic farming, sustainable ingredients and strain-specific cannabis. Erin is an active member of the Northern California cannabis community, and frequently speaks on the topics of cannabis and entrepreneurship. She’s a fearless advocate for women-owned cannabis businesses, and equally dedicated to breaking the stigma and rewriting the

script around the plant. With a degree in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Erin is also fluent in the science-based language of cannabis and production. Prior to Garden Society, Erin worked with her husband Tom on their joint venture with Constellation Brands on Tom Gore Vineyards, an award-winning farmer’s wine, and previously had a decade-long corporate career at Henkel, where she managed a global adhesive business valued at nearly $100 million. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County as well as the Healdsburg District Hospital Board of Directors, and International Cannabis Farmers Association.  She is a member of the Sonoma County Growers Alliance and belongs to the Circular Board, a collaborative accelerator for women entrepreneurs.

Madison Margolin works as features editor at cannabis lifestyle site Civilized, and is co-founder of DoubleBlind, a biannual print and digital magazine about psychedelics. With reporting experience all over California, New York, and Israel-Palestine, Madison's work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Playboy, Vice, Quartz, and other publications.

Courtney Dorne, President, Vertical Brands: Courtney is currently developing multiple, unique cannabis brands across the U.S.   Cannabis is very personal to Courtney as she suffered from debilitating body pain after having several extensive surgical procedures and severe migraines.  After years of witnessing Courtney’s suffering, a colleague introduced her to cannabis in 1996 as an alternative method for treating her pain. To her surprise she instantly felt great.  She knew immediately she needed to be a market leader in the cannabis industry and began pursuing her new venture establishing Vertical Companies.  Courtney is a member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) Global One Chapter. Courtney joined the Las Vegas Chapter in 2010 and has held multiple leadership roles including as the current Chair of WYN (Women’s Network) and on her Chapter’s leadership ladder.

Elisabeth Baron, Chief Marketing Officer, Stiiizy: Elisabeth brings two decades of experience marketing some of the world’s top brands. Passionate about designing culturally relevant and authentic campaigns, Elisabeth was a marketing leader at Diageo and LVMH working with global powerhouse brands such as Crown Royal, Tanqueray and Johnnie Walker. She oversaw a $300 million Hennessy business in the U.S., managing marketing and an advertising campaign that delivered double-digit growth over several years. More recently, Elisabeth led marketing for luxury cannabis flower brand Canndescent.

Nicole Fox, RD & MPH, founder & CEO, Aeon Botanika: Nicole Fox is a social entrepreneur, healthcare professional, seasoned cannabis activist and legacy pioneer in the LA medical cannabis scene, co-founding The Green Goddess and The Higher Path in 2003, two of LA’s first medical dispensaries. She is a UCLA-trained Registered Dietitian, and has completed extensive post-graduate training in functional and integrative medicine. She is the only healthcare professional in Los Angeles to have founded a cannabis operation, and is a frequent speaker at health and cannabis events. Nicole is passionate about reclaiming cannabis as a powerful wellness botanical and views cannabis as a key to health transformation when combined with other wellness and lifestyle practices. Nicole currently serves on the board for the Southern California Coalition, LA's largest and most inclusive cannabis trade association and continues to actively shape legislative policy. She is also on the board of the California Minority Alliance, and ardently promotes social equity and inclusion in the industry for people of color. She is a member of the Conscious Capitalism movement and believes that business is the most powerful tool we have to catalyze change in the world. Aeon Botanika is a socially conscious company, with a business model that balances the needs of all stakeholders - from employees to customers, community, suppliers, investors, and the planet.

Brooke Burgstahler is an Actress, Comedian, On-Camera Host, and Producer from Everywhere, U.S.A. Fully believing you can help uplift the world through conscious content, she’s a woman on a mission to spread enlightening information and good vibes! A cannabis advocate and activist, Brooke created/produced Prisoners of Prohibition, a four part docu-series for Merry Jane, highlighting those serving life sentences for cannabis crimes. The series won the Golden Telly for Public Interest/Awareness Documentary in 2019. With the intention to educate broad audiences about the medicinal, environmental, and economical benefits of the marijuana plant, Brooke founded Budding Mind-- a cannabis and wellness platform. She has also covered numerous cannabis events as a reporter for Civilized, including Politicon, The Emerald Cup, and The Civilized Games. Brooke has appeared on MTV, ABC, Oxygen, TBS, Covergirl, Merry Jane, and Netflix. She can also be seen as co-host of the upcoming reality series Next Marijuana Millionaire with “BigMike” Straumietis.  A yogi at heart, Brooke’s mantra is “May all plants and people be happy and free!”