Mr. DeVeaux, a graduate of Rutgers University and a commissioned officer in the United States Army, brings a wealth of state and national private, public, and not-for-profit sector experience to this team. Mr. DeVeaux’s professional career began in New Jersey state government, which was highlighted by his role as a capital budget analyst in the New Jersey Department of the Treasury - Office of Management and Budget. In that role, Mr. DeVeaux oversaw the capital budgets and related projects for the New Jersey departments of Corrections, Human Services, New Jersey State Police, and the Department of State. Mr. DeVeaux went on to serve as the Aide to the Mayor, City of New Brunswick, New Jersey; and as special assistant to US Senator Bill Bradley.
Rob is a former Iron Man competitor and triathlete who competed at the highest levels. He also developed and led multiple political campaigns at the state and local level. After an severe accident and a resulting debilitating disease, which requires him to maneuver through the use of a wheelchair, Rob is now an outspoken champion of the benefits of medicinal cannabis while also espousing the dangers of opioids. Rob's passionate testimony and public comments on cannabis has been viewed more than a million times on social media.
Caruso is currently a partner at Archer & Greiner and has been among the most vocal proponents of cannabis legalization in New Jersey. Soon after joining Archer, Caruso connected with leading racial and social justice voices in New Jersey to form New Jersey United for Marijuana Reform at a time when there were few substantive voices in the state advocating for comprehensive reform on the basis of racial and social justice and much needed economic development. Additionally, Caruso served nearly five years as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Assembly Majority Office in Trenton where he worked for then-Speaker Sheila Oliver, who has since become New Jersey’s Lt. Governor. Prior to taking the Assembly post, Caruso served for more than 11 years as Chief of Staff to former U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews.
Tara "Misu" Sargente is the owner of Blazin’ Bakery, the first legal, woman-owned edibles company in New Jersey. At Blazin' Bakery, Tara optimizes brownie mixes so anyone can make potent DIY edibles at home with no experience needed. Her products are sold in more than 1,000 shops nationally. With close to a decade of cannabis industry experience, Tara applies her deep knowledge base and professional experience to help advance New Jersey's cannabis industry.
Shergoh, a successful entrepreneur across multiple industries, founded several start up companies that focus on community growth and development. As the founder of Alkova, a development company, Shergoh gives back to the communities he operates in and negotiates deals with national and international corporations on a regular basis. He is now applying these skills and relationships in order to create a medicinal cannabis enterprise that is focused on research and patient care. This new company, Eleven Eleven, comprises some of the top research and medical professionals in the industry.
Faye Coleman is the co-founder and CEO of Pure Genesis, LLC (PG), a woman and minority-based (certified MWBE) cannabis business.
As a respected team builder. Faye has assembled a phenomenal leadership team, medical and community advisory board with more than 200 years of combined experience within the top Fortune 50 companies. These amazing teams effectively serve and assist Faye as she succeeds within the emerging cannabis industry.
Faye's entrepreneurial spirit is also realized throughout the launch of her multi-state hemp operation and cannabis data analytics businesses, centralized around health improvement products and research in partnership with Rowan University. In addition, Faye has set in motion a consulting arm of the cannabis business, which supports closing the education gap regarding cannabis through the "Now You Know" workshop. Faye has partnered with the NAACP, Women Grow, and serves on the Governor's Council for legalization with a focus on social justice. Previously, Faye has served as a Board of Trustee for Lourdes Health System, Board Member for the African American Chamber of Commerce New Jersey, and as an Advisory Board Member for St. Joseph's University Executive Education program.
Thomas Coughlin has been in the banking industry for over 38 years. He formerly served as Vice President of Chatham Savings Bank and before that as Controller, and Corporate Secretary of First Savings Bank of New Jersey. Believing that Bayonne was underserved by community banks, Coughlin, along with the support of local investors founded Bayonne Community Bank, now BCB Bank, in 2000. He currently serves as the President of the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce, Executive Board Member of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, an active member of Friends of Special Children and a Lifetime Rotarian.
Kelley is both an entrepreneur and an advocate for multiple causes. In 2016, Kelley helped launch Athletes for CARE (A4C), a not-for-profit organization that supports pro athletes following a career in sports, and advocates for medical cannabis as a healthier alternative to opioids within professional sports organizations. In addition to her role with A4C, Kelley is a Marketing Strategist who partners with CEOs, executives and solopreneurs to grow their personal and professional brands, human-to-human. Kelley currently serves as A4C’s Director of Marketing and Marketing Committee Chair, and is the Founder of Kolibry, LLC, a tech-marketing firm.
Deborah Gardner-Brown, RHIT, CCS, C-CDI, CI-CDI, CDIP, CCDS, CCMSCP, CPMA, is a Subject Matter Expert, Speaker, DRG Dispute Resolution Examiner, and experienced Coding, Documentation and Compliance Auditor for both the inpatient, and outpatient care settings. She is also an AHIMA approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer that has developed and presented educational material on several ICD-10-CM/PCS and CDI topics.
Deborah has more than 30 years’ experience in both hospital and professional coding, clinical documentation improvement, denials management, development, presentation, educating for specialty coding, performance measure documentation, and data mining for medical revenue cycle integrity professionals.
Deborah is the founder of Sepsis Integrity Review Services, and Principal Consultant, and President for Reimbursement Review Associates, Inc.
Sid is the founder of Pistil Point Cannabis, the largest indoor cannabis producer in Oregon, and has licensure for 148,000 square feet of flowering cannabis canopy between Oregon and California that by 2020 will yield over 160,000 lbs of cannabis annually. Sid has consulted for applications in Pennsylvania and Ohio and continues to advocate for responsible regulations and production making education and public awareness as the largest priority for Pistil Point and its members.
George is President of Curaleaf, NJ located in Bellmawr, NJ. Curaleaf is New Jersey's largest medical cannabis operation in the state. George is known to be a pragmatic, resourceful, and strategic executive with experience spanning the hospitality, manufacturing, financial services, real estate, medical device, and private equity sectors. His hands on leadership has helped ensure Compassionate Sciences is an innovative and customer focused medical cannabis dispensary.
Julio is the President and CEO of Greenleaf Compassion Center, New Jersey’s first Medical Cannabis Dispensary. Prior to his opening of New Jersey’s first ATC, Julio owned and operated a successful coffee shop called Café Eclectic, located in Montclair, New Jersey, from 1997-2011. Prior to that, Julio served with honor as a police officer in the City of Newark and is a veteran of the United States Army.
Nicholas J. Zitelli is currently the CEO of Applied Cannabis Sciences (ACS) of New Jersey, a group that carries over a dozen MMJ licenses across several states in the U.S.
In addition, Mr. Zitelli is part owner, Director, and Chief Cannabis Officer of Trans High Corporation, the parent company for all High Times brands, including all media and event platforms. Writing under the pen name Nico Escondido since 2007, Mr. Zitelli has penned hundreds of articles relating to the cultivation, science, and technologies involved with the cannabis plant.