Dr. Chanda Macias, Gia Morón Promoted At Final Day of Women Grow Leadership Summit in Denver

Making moves is the national professional network of women leaders in the cannabis industry Women Grow who announced on Friday during the closing day of their 4th Annual Leadership Summit some important changes in leadership. CEO Kristina “Kay” Garcia announced that Dr. Chanda Macias, CEO of National Holistic Center would be the organization's new Chairwoman of the Board of Managers and Director of Communications Gia Morón will take on the newly established position of Executive Vice President.

Macias will replace former Chairwoman Jane West, who also co-founded Women Grow. Dr. Macias is a dispensary owner, sits on the Board of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, and Board of Advisers at Southern University.

Morón worked in the entertainment industry and Wall Street before entering the cannabis space.  In her role as Director of Communications, she worked to create more opportunities for women of color and the LGBTQ community. She began volunteering in the NYC market before joining the national team.  

“Our theme for 2018 Summit is ‘Change, Evolution, and Transition,’ and Women Grow is taking that to heart by re-energizing our own leadership at the very top,” remarked Garcia. “Fortunately we didn’t have to look outside our own ranks to find the best talent. Gia has worked side-by-side with me in managing the company since I became CEO, and we have always worked as partners. And Dr. Chanda’s professional experience prior to entering the cannabis industry, as CEO of National Holistic Center and as Women Grow Market Leader proves that she is more than ready to step into this role.”

This year’s Women Grow Summit, which was held in Denver, featured a number of prominent female executives from the cannabis industry. Over two days, beginning on February 1 topics of importance to the cannabis industry were discussed, from politics to diversity to finance. One of the big themes of this year’s summit was about women moving from the ranks of regular businesses into cannabis. For example, Dasheeda Dawson gave a talk about the transition from Target to the cannabis industry.

Morón, who formerly worked for Goldman Sachs, will also continue in her role as CEO of her PR firm GVM Communications, Inc. Together, she and Garcia will push Women Grow into the next era, helping the organization to expand into new markets in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Florida, California, Louisiana, and Washington, among others.

“It is true that Women may have greater representation in cannabis, especially in leadership and ownership positions, than in other industries, but we can continue to do better,” said Morón. “Our goal for 2018 and 2019 is to connect with the next generation of leaders this includes all women, people of color and LGBTQ communities. Our goal is to build stronger relationships inside and outside of the cannabis industry in addition to formulating unique strategic partnerships. Today is only the beginning of what’s to come for Women Grow.”

Look out for PotNetwork’s exclusive interview with Gia Morón this weekend, where our own Ayanna Rutherford sat down with the newly promoted executive to discuss politics, finance, and diversity in the cannabis industry.