Shaloma Wagstaffe – Women of Color in Cannabis
Women of Color in Cannabis, WOCC, pronounced WOKE! is the first minority female-led nationally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in New York State. Founded in 2017, WOCC is an organization focused on educating and providing resources to minorities and other marginalized populations in order to enter the Cannabis industry.
Why I am a part of this: “WOCC is all about providing free resources to our community. Whether through our monthly informational sessions, CannaSessions, or our workforce development program, CannaCareers. NYSLOC site was created to rival any basic Intro to Cannabis curriculum or certification program. We wanted to provide people with limited time and resources a free and accessible avenue to increase their Cannabis knowledge. Money should not be an impediment to education and in that spirit, the NYS Library of Cannabis was created.”
Jennifer Byrnes – Business Insight Center
Jennifer Byrnes is the head of the Business Insight Center at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County. She works with businesses of all sizes, stages and sectors to help them start up and grow up. The Business Insight Center has been nationally recognized for their economic development initiatives.
Why I am a part of this: “Starting any business is hard, but starting a cannabis business is even harder because of the regulatory environment. NYSLOC is an important first step in providing the information people need to operate a business as well as find knowledgeable employees that do not have a formal education.”
Zack Sarkis
Zach Sarkis has been working with cannabis since his teens, where exposure to high grade cultivation led to a fascination that would expand beyond resin to include all things cannabis. In 2007, he gave his high school senior speech on the utilitarian value of hemp & in 2011, during his senior year at the University of Vermont, he met one of the leading industrial hemp scientist in the world, cementing (or hempcreting) his fascination and love for the plant. Sarkis has spent countless hours in the field, serving as cultivation manager on small to midsize cannabis grows from California to NY. His passion and understanding of the importance of education & research led him to launch NY HempLab in 2018, one of New York’s first non-profit cannabis education platforms. Day to day he is the owner / operator / researcher / delivery guy / janitor / etc. of a small seed-to-sale, craft cannabis business FLWR CITY COLLECTIVE, based out of Rochester NY.
Why I am a part of this: “With this partnership & buildout we are ensuring more people will have access to the resources and tools they need to be successful in the emerging cannabis industry. Education and access to information will serve as a cornerstone for an equitable and diverse cannabis industry. We look forward to building out this hub and expanding partnerships across the state for the greatest possible impact.”
