Leadership Transition Chamber of Cannabis

[Las Vegas, Nevada] – June 14, 2024 – C of C LV d/b/a Chamber of Cannabis (“Chamber”), Nevada’s largest cannabis industry trade association, is undergoing a significant leadership transition as part of a strategic recommitment to its mission.

Four years ago, Tina Ulman and Dani Baranowski founded the Chamber of Cannabis with a vision to unite the cannabis industry in advocating for sensible cannabis policy, bringing justice to those impacted by failed drug policy, and positively impacting our community. 

Under their leadership, the Chamber of Cannabis made history with the passage of AB341 in 2021. This innovative legislation created a new line of commerce for the state of Nevada, cannabis consumption venues, and was also the first bill to define “social equity” in state statutes. During their time as President and Vice President, Tina Ulman and Dani Baranowski (respectively), played a vital role in mobilizing the community during the 2023 legislative session and these efforts directly contributed to an increase in purchase limits as well as a pathway for ex-offenders to become cannabis agent cardholders. 

In a final demonstration of their dedication to fostering lasting change and nurturing a culture of growth and leadership development, Tina Ulman and Dani Baranowski have stepped down from their roles and resigned from the Board of Directors to make room for new opportunities and fresh perspectives.

We want to express our sincere gratitude for the dedication, hard work, and countless contributions that these visionary founders have made to our association during their tenure. 

Recognizing the evolving leadership needs as associations grow, the Board of Directors has appointed Deena Vallina as interim President. Deena has demonstrated unwavering commitment to the association’s long-term success since joining the Board in 2022. Her exceptional skills and competencies, evidenced by her contributions as Treasurer and Chair of Events & Fundraising, align perfectly with the association’s needs to lead the association as we prepare to elect a new Board and appoint new Officers this fall.

Effective July 1st, Abby Kaufmann will be stepping into the full time position of Executive Director and will continue to serve as Secretary to the Board of Directors for the remainder of her term. Many of you may be familiar with Abby from her engagement with the Cannabis Compliance Board as Chair of the Commerce Committee. As Executive Director, Abby will bring this same level of engagement to our members to understand their challenges and concerns while working alongside the Board to develop solution-oriented programming and deliver continuous value. 

Over the coming weeks and months, the following leaders will be working diligently alongside the Interim President and newly appointed Executive Director to fortify and build upon the foundation that our co-founders established:

• Chandler Cooks – Board Member, Chair of Political Action Committee 
• Tina Schellinger – Board Member, Chair of Events & Fundraising Committee 
• Grace Music – Board Member, Chair of Community Impact Committee
• Peggie Shaner – Board Member, Bookkeeper 
• Maggie Presley – Board Member 

In the four years since the association was founded, Nevada’s legal cannabis industry has evolved significantly and, with this, so have the interests of the members that the Chamber exists to represent.  As such, it is vital that our association evolves alongside our community. 

To accomplish this, and to guide the Association through organizational restructuring, the Chamber of Cannabis has established a Transition Task Force (TTF).  The TTF will strive for a diverse composition that reflects the Association’s membership and expertise, inclusive of non-Board Members, as nominated through committees and as approved by the Board.  

We believe that the future success of our association depends on the satisfaction of our members and remain firmly rooted in our ethos of winning together. We are committed to full transparency throughout this process and will be sharing regular updates with our members, including opportunities to provide input on the future structure of our organization. Our focus is on collaborative success, ensuring that our members are at the heart of everything we do, emphasizing collective growth and shared achievements. After all, this is YOUR city, YOUR state, YOUR cannabis, and YOUR chamber.