Each instructor is an expert in the subject area that they teach. Many have advanced degrees, teach at other reputable colleges, and/or provide education in the cannabis industry in the form of speaking engagements across the United States. We would not be able to provide you with this material if it were not for our great teachers. Thank you to all!
Sarah Trent, Esq.
CEO, Valley Wellness and Founder New Jersey Cannabis Certified
Sarah Trent
Sarah practiced law as a public defender working at the Legal Aid Society, representing individuals charged with both low level and serious crimes before founding Valley Wellness – a company that applied for a medical dispensary permit in the August, 2019 Request for Applications from the New Jersey Department of Health. Sarah spearheaded all aspects of the application process, including: raising capital, hiring team members, securing town approvals, and writing the permit application. Through a partnership with Raritan Valley Community College, Sarah created NJ Cannabis Certified in March, 2020 and the class expanded to Mercer County Community College in January, 2021. Sarah is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Cannabis Law, Executive Committee, is a NORML Legal Committee Member, and a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association. Sarah was previously a United Auto Workers local 2325 member and office Vice President while at the Legal Aid Society. She graduated from the University of Miami, Florida obtaining both her B.A. and J.D. there. Sarah was a public interest scholarship recipient and founded a youth mentoring program in Miami during law school. She grew up in West Windsor, New Jersey and currently lives in Morris County.
Seth R. Tipton, Esq.
Partner, Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor LLC
Seth R. Tipton, Esq.
Seth is a partner at the law firm of Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor LLC. Seth’s expertise is in corporate law, real estate transactions, corporate governance, including formation and mergers and acquisitions, as well as health care law. In regards to cannabis, he has experience representing operators and applicants for permits across the United States, specifically in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio. Seth has successfully represented clients that have appealed adverse permit rulings, as well as representing ancillary cannabis businesses. He is the Co-Chair of the Cannabis Law Executive Committee of the State Bar Association and has presented on numerous topics related to cannabis law in the State of New Jersey including emerging issues in insurance coverage and employment law issues. Prior to joining the firm, he clerked in the New Jersey Appellate Division. Seth is a graduate of Rutgers University and received his J.D. at Rutgers Newark where he served on the Moot Court and Law Review.
Tim Weigand, PMP
Operations, Valley wellness
Tim Weigand, PMP
Tim Weigand has nearly a decade of hands-on experience and a track record of success in managing two cannabis Alternative Treatment Centers in New Jersey. Beginning his medical cannabis career in 2011 with Greenleaf Compassion Center, Montclair, Tim helped them become New Jersey’s first dispensary to open. In October 2015 Tim returned to his South Jersey roots taking a position with Compassionate Care Foundation, located in Egg Harbor Township. In June 2020, Compassionate Care Foundation was acquired by Acreage Holdings, a multi-state operating, publicly traded cannabis conglomerate. Tim was offered his current position of Senior Director of NJ Operations, and now oversees all of Acreage NJ’s cultivation, processing, manufacturing activities and two dispensary locations.
Tim has worked in all facets of cannabis operations, from his start in patient reception and counseling with Greenleaf, then managing day-to-day operations of CCF; through his current oversight and strategic development of Acreage NJ. This range of positions, progressively gained, gives Tim a view of the entire spectrum of issues and tasks from having done them, not simply talking or reading about them. His cannabis insight has increased overall yields, with tremendous improvements to overall product quality, along with setting standards for quality assurance measures and improving process efficiency. He has planned and executed major facility renovations and expansions; including construction of new cultivation rooms, upgrades to security systems, increasing of power and utilities, dispensary renovations, extraction laboratories and manufactured product development.
Because Tim has been involved in the NJ cannabis industry from its inception, he has seen first-hand what the industry was and what it has evolved to today, which gives him unique vision and insight of what it will be in both the near and longer term. Tim grew up in Manchester, New Jersey, and lives in Egg Harbor Township with his wife and daughters. His aim is to continue his growth, to set and exceed new goals, and to leave a meaningful and lasting impact on the community.
Dr. Thomas Gianfagna
Department of Plant Biology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Dr. Thomas Gianfagna
Thomas is a professor in the plant biology department at Rutgers University, and prior to that, an Associate and Assistant Professor, since 1980. His interests are plant-endophyte interactions in cacao, coffee and grasses, medicinal chemistry of Lilium longiflorum, postharvest disease control in cut-flowers and fruit. Thomas teaches Horticulture 101 at Rutgers and has been a member of the advisory board for the Ornamental Horticulture Curriculum at Mercer County Community College since 1995. Thomas has published in multiple peer reviewed journals and is a frequent presenter. He is also a member of the Rutgers Hemp Extension Program.
Ally Verello
Cannabis Consultant
Ally Verello
Alexandra (Ally) Verello is a Graduate of Rutgers University with a BS in Plant Science and a minor in Medicinal and Economic Botany. She has been a grower at Garden State Dispensary since 2018 and maintains a philosophy of connecting mentally with the cannabis crop to maximize quality and create an inspiring work-space.
Dr. Jahan Marcu, PhD
Endocannabinoid Researcher and Founding Partner at Marcu & Arora
https://www.marcu-arora.com/
Dr. Jahan Marcu PhD
Dr. Jahan Marcu has over 15 years of experience in cannabis research, policy, and operations. He has been a passionate advocate focused on consumer safety and the medical benefits of cannabis. He is also among a select group of professionals globally that has earned a PhD focused on the endocannabinoid system (with research on the structure and function of cannabinoid receptors, molecular pharmacology of the endocannabinoid system). Furthermore, his efforts include the development of international certification and training programs, co-authoring American Herbal Pharmacopeia’s Cannabis Monograph. He is credited for assisting in the creation of the first nationally adopted standards for the cannabis and hemp industry as the laboratory committee chairman of the cannabis committee for the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA). His dedication to consumer safety is further evident in his work to co-develop a biotech application to predict drug-drug interactions between cannabis and commonly prescribed pharmaceutical drugs. Additionally, Dr. Marcu co-authored one of the first product safety studies on CBD products. Dr. Marcu also provides advising services to government offices in the United States.
Dr. Marcu’s work has been instrumental to facilitating and supporting fact-based, scientific approaches vital to industry and patients. This has included research focused on solving the structure and function of cannabinoid receptors, the anti-cancer properties of cannabis compounds, as well as method development and validation for analyzing complex formulations. He is also a court-qualified expert witness on cannabis and cannabinoids. Dr. Marcu has published basic and clinical research and is also trained in psilocybin-assisted therapy.
Dr. Alan AO RPh
Founder, Plants and Prescriptions
Dr. Alan Ao RPh
Dr. Alan Ao is a registered pharmacist and life-long New Jersey native graduating from Rutgers University Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy. With nineteen years of retail experience, he has spent the majority of his professional career working with patients in niche pharmaceutical markets. As a community-based independent pharmacist, he specialized in patient care counseling, medication therapy management, prescription drug compounding, and various forms of alternative medicine.
In 2018, Dr. Ao was afforded an opportunity to serve as Vice President and Clinical Pharmacist of one of New Jersey’s vertically-integrated medical cannabis alternative treatment centers. During his tenure there, he translated core pharmacy values of patient care, best retail practices, and workflow operations into a similarly regulated environment. He was able to build a comprehensive cannabis counseling program for patients, develop contemporary educational materials for staff, and obtain Institutional Review Board approval for a clinical study following medical cannabis patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Along with maintaining all retail and compliance functions of the company’s flagship store, one of his biggest personal accomplishments was to oversee the complete build out and launch of two additional satellite dispensaries.
Dr. Ao is currently the founder and president of Plants and Prescriptions, a consulting firm dedicated to bridging gaps of cannabis knowledge for medical patients, clinicians, and dispensaries within emerging cannabis markets. The company aims to provide a continuation of medical care founded on the principles of higher education, responsible adult consumption, and professional accountability within the industry. Dr. Ao serves as an active board member of the International Society of Cannabis Pharmacists and is the clinical course director for the Society of Cannabis Clinicians’ pharmacist education curriculum.
Kristen Goedde
Founder, Trichome Analytical
Kristen Goedde
Kristen Goedde, founder and COO of Trichome Analytical, brings a host of experience in analysis and laboratory management under ISO 17025 certifications. She has managed quality control, analytical and workflow efforts throughout her career with special emphasis on environmental and health and safety testing. A longtime supporter of decriminalization and legalization of cannabis, Kristen became interested in cannabis as a career path when her mother was diagnosed with ALS and enrolled into the New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Program. After learning more about the industry and seeing a great need for reliable, consistent testing, she founded Trichome Analytical in 2018 with a deep commitment to raising the bar in quality of testing and analysis.
Bianca Schnarr
Cannabis Cultivation Consultant
Bianca Schnarr
Bianca has spent over two years working in the cannabis industry as a cultivator, with experience leading vegatative care and propagation, cultivation compliance, and data management. Currently, she is the CEO of a consulting company, Reaffirm LLC, assisting cultivation facilities, dispensaries, and educational institutions. Her podcast “Word Medicine” debuts at the end of October.
Bianca is a master’s student in the Pharmaceutical Sciences: Psychoactive Pharmaceutical Investigation program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in May 2024. She is currently, doing graduate research for the Banks lab at UW-Madison on serotinergic compounds. Focused on learning the development and deployment of psychoactive drugs. She completed a dual bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Plant Biology from Rutgers University. While in her undergraduate studies, she obtained an Economic and Medicinal Botany certificate and minored in Philosophy. She also performed research on the cultivation and extraction of aromatic plants, namely nepeta sp. at Rutgers.
Her life’s aim is to continue to research the cultivation, ethnobotany, pharmacology, phenomenology, phytochemical analysis, and clinical application of plant-derived compounds with therapeutic potential. Focusing on those with psychoactive properties.
| Patricia Walker |
Manager, Valley wellness and Moderator of New Jersey Cannabis Certified
Patricia Walker
Patricia is originally from Southern California and moved to New Jersey in 2017, where she currently is a resident of Lambertville, New Jersey and has a deep interest in the medical merits of cannabis. Since 2008, Patricia has gained a wide breadth of experience and knowledge working directly in the cannabis and medical marijuana industry. In California she worked as a budtender and cannabis advisor where she excelled in client services and consultations, building a reputable background in sales, customer service and establishing a strong repertoire with clients to assist them in making informed, effective cannabis choices. She also managed the operations and business development aspects for several cannabis retail businesses helping to create compliant and impactful business operations, created growth opportunities and vertical business opportunities where she successfully built edible cannabis, cultivation, and delivery services. Having built successful cannabis businesses and being a managing partner for a cannabis retail dispensary, Patricia’s knowledge and experience lends itself to quality, personalized services to individuals and authentic, positive business models. She has been involved in medical marijuana patient advocacy and stood at the front lines of the legalization process. In addition, Patricia has more than 15 years of experience working in the community relations and philanthropic fields. She has a successful background and strong knowledge base in corporate social responsibility and community development having worked with public and private foundations, corporate relations, community initiatives, and donor relations.
Since moving to New Jersey, Patricia has renewed her presence at the front of an emerging cannabis industry. She has had the opportunity to serve as an expert resource for municipal authorities and task forces through the approval and applicant processes. She has also been enlisted to provide experienced guidance and leadership for several local cannabis retail applicants, assisting with building operational structures, recruiting and training staff, and developing community partnerships and strategic initiatives.
