WASHINGTON, May 11, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Members of the board of directors for Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), the largest trade association dedicated to serving the needs of minority cannabis businesses and minority communities, held their annual election last month to fill four open board seats and elect the association’s board officers.
New board members include: Mario Guzman, owner of cannabis brand Sherbinskis, who is best known as the breeder behind legendary strains such as Sunset Sherbert and Gelato; Cedric Haynes, who currently serves as the director of emerging marketplaces for WeedMaps; Willie Mack, a brand marketing executive who has worked for clients including Absolut Vodka, Estee Lauder, GQ, Microsoft, Obama Administration, Vanity Fair and Wired Magazine (he now serves as CEO and co-founder of Think BIG and Frank White); and Kika Keith, founder and CEO of Life Development Group, and co-founder and president of Social Equity Owners and Workers Association.
“I could not be more proud to represent minorities in the cannabis space. It’s always been in my heart to help people, now I have a tribe of like-minded people that I can join arms with and help make much-needed changes in our community. Thank you MCBA for the honor of being able to serve on this board,” Guzman said.
“It’s an honor and privilege to serve on the MCBA Board of Directors, and I’m excited to offer my public policy experience in furtherance of the mission. I look forward to working with MCBA leadership, staff, members and partners to create equal access for minority-owned cannabis businesses and advance economic empowerment for communities of color,” Haynes said.
“The team at MCBA has been vital to Think BIG’s education around cannabis legalization. I am grateful and honored to be joining the board as it will allow me to continue as a resource and representative of the Black and Queer communities’ fight for cannabis industry access, funding and legalization,” Mack said.
In addition to adding four new board members, MCBA’s board also elected Kaliko Castille, an industry veteran and co-founder of ThndrStrm Strategies, as its president and Jazmin Aguiar, president of The Working Group, as its vice president.
“I’m humbled to have been given this tremendous responsibility at such a critical time and I’m committed to making sure that our industry and our elected officials understand the historical importance of creating an equitable and inclusive industry,” Castille said. “I’m proud of the work MCBA has done to lead this conversation and look forward to helping bring an end to federal prohibition in a way that begins to repair the very real damage done to black and brown communities by cannabis prohibition.”
