.png)
The C-45 Quality Association has received a total of twelve (12) nominations for the 2022/2023 Board of Directors!
Voting will be held at the upcoming Annual General Meeting in November (TBA).
Name: Jess Moran
Current Employment: Founder, CEO, KNOWN Group, Chief Business Development Officer, Cannabis Wiki
About Me:
Jessica (Jess), Founder of KNOWN, Public Relations & Digital Marketing Agency, & Chief Business Development Officer of Cannabis Wiki is a
seasoned Marketing & Communications & Business Development expert with over 20 years of industry experience.
Jess holds a B.A. Degree from Laurier University, in addition to a Post-Graduate
Corporate Communications Diploma from Sheridan College. Jess’ passion for
Communications combined with her years of experience and work ethic make her an
unstoppable force within the industry.
Her agency works across a number of industries with a specialty in cannabis, healthcare,
with a focus on supporting and advancing start-ups and passionate entrepreneurs.
Jess is a PR in Canada Top 40 Under 40 & WOW Mom award recipient, and recognized as
a Top 50 Cannabis Heroes in Canada. She is a prominent female thought leader in the
Cannabis space having been seen in media outlets such as: The Globe & Mail, The Star,
CBC Parents, London Inc, The Growth Op, Hi Friends Podcast, CBC, Blysscloud, Cannabis
Wiki, The Pivot Podcast, Humble & Fred Radio, Scaling Cannabis, Business of Cannabis, Canndora, The Haze Podcast, Today’s Parent, The Growth Op 2021 , Cannabis Industry
Trailblazer, Adcann, and many more….
Jess currently sits on the advisory board of O’Cannabiz, Breaking The Stigma (BTS),
Medicinal My Way, Crossing All Bridges, Cannabis For Harm Reduction, and is the
Volunteer Marketing Director for Athletes for CARE. She is also currently a board member of the Brantford Rotary Club and the Telemedicine Association of Canada. In her spare time (which she has very little of!) she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She is a proud Autism sister and mother, this fuels her passion for autism, neurodiversity, special needs an mental health advocacy, which you’ll often find her tweeting about.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
I am passionate about advocating on behalf of the cannabis space. I have worked, and started my own business in the cannabis industry for 6 years now. More recently, I have seen, due to a heavy regulated space business not thrive, this has even impacted my own business, as a trickle down effect. I believe the cumbersome regulations are hindering not only revenues/profit but innovation. I do believe very much in strict, safe practices and the need for regulation, however, any chance I may be able to have to advocate on behalf of the cannabis community I feel is my duty as an advocate, patient family. I also come from a political family, my father is a retired Member of Parliament, Conservative, who now utilizes medical cannabis, I had the chance to work with him to do some lobbying while he was in office. I would be thrilled to help in anyway that I can!
Name: Monica Maille
Current Employment: QA/QC Manager, Healthview Pharma Inc.
About Me:
Monica Maillé is the QA/QC Manager for HealthView Pharms Inc (HVP). Monica joined HVP when the facility was still in its early construction phase, therefore, many details of the facilities design are a reflection of her vision. She has extensive knowledge pertaining to the Cannabis Regulations and Act and works diligently with the team to ensure compliance in all areas. She has been working in the cannabis space since 2019 after completing the Commercial Cannabis Production program at Niagara College. Monica has always enjoyed the fast-paced changing landscape of the cannabis industry, and works endlessly to create safe and enjoyable products for recreational and medical users alike. Her interests in the cannabis industry are diverse, but her drive for educating others and being a strong female leader in the cannabis space remains constant.
Monica has collaborated with the Grow Opportunity Magazine, the Growers Source Virtual Exposition and H!gh Canada Magazine early in her career where she was both a guest speaker and a content creator. Since February 2021, Monica has been an intern on the Board of Directors for the C45 Quality Association. As an intern for the Board, she helped various sub-committees meet their quarterly goals, played a large role in the organization of the C45 Quality Summit, helped establish the monthly Quality Time sessions, as well as accomplished many other projects as requested by the Board.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
I would like to be a Board member of the C-45 Quality Association, because I am passionate about Quality and Compliance in the Canadian Cannabis sector, and I would like to help make a positive impact in the industry. A few things I would like to achieve if appointed to the Board include: creating more educational content, creating different topic threads to promote collaboration, as well as working towards increasing membership to obtain greater visibility globally.
Name: Crystal Grimoldby
Current Employment: Quality Assurance Person, Stigmagrow Ltd.
About Me:
Howdy! My name is Crystal Grimoldby who firmly believes in withholding myself to the highest of integrity. I began my journey as a HACCP Coordinator after graduating with a B.Sc. in Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Alberta. From years of being in the ever fast paced food industry to cannabis since its inception as a Quality Assurance Person, Responsible Person and even Site Director.
I currently reside in Red Deer, Alberta where I live with my beautiful Australian Shepard (Roma) and spend time in the gym, hiking or hitting the road on my motorcycle.
I have enjoyed and still do; working as a Quality Assurance Person who is passionate about leading, guiding and directing individuals through regulations, procedures and providing a safe and high quality product for consumption. With years of third party audits (too numerous to count) and working along side with federal inspectors; my knowledge in GMP's, GDP's and GPP's became my focus to helping others do the right thing when there is no other avail.
Simplification is the key and there is no one single approach to any situation; in work or life.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
Being part of the C-45 Quality Association will give me my need to influence and provide others with my trials and tribulations I have overcome in my own roles within the cannabis industry. Why reinvent the wheel; when you have the ability to provide support and stewardship that you struggled to find yourself? I have the drive and eagerness to participate, influence and serve the committee; along with its members.
The more I care and contribute, the more I grow.
Name: Kori Ainsworth, BSc. BCHM.
Current Employment: VP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Cannabis Co-Pack
About Me:
Kori Ainsworth is an experienced quality and regulatory leader with success in developing quality management systems using a solution-oriented mindset. Driving growth, innovation and improving operational efficiency while ensuring high quality and compliance standards.
Kori entered the cannabis industry in 2015 after developing her Quality Control and Quality Assurance career in the food and pharmaceutical fields. She has built and mentored QA/QC and Regulatory teams at multiple licensed cannabis facilities in Canada and the US. As a senior leader, Kori provides strategic compliance direction regarding GPP, EU-GMP and Health Canada regulations to all cross functional teams to achieve growth objectives while monitoring the regulatory landscape of Recreational and Medical Cannabis programs.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
As a Board Member, it would provide an opportunity to share the knowledge and experience I have gained in the cannabis industry. I feel my contributions as a Board Member would help shape and develop the quality landscape, while providing mentorship to others.
Name: Nina Ackah
Current Employment: Quality Assurance Manager (QAP), Freedom Cannabis Inc.
About Me:
Nina Ackah joined Freedom Cannabis as the QA Manager/QAP in November 2021 with a wealth of knowledge and experience in Quality Management Systems, Analytical testing, Risk Analysis, Research and Data Analysis for both the food and the cannabis industry. Nina worked with Viridis Natural Health Products Ltd. as the QA Manager / QA Person from December 2018 to November 2021, before becoming a member of the Freedom Cannabis team. She assisted Viridis to get its cultivation and processing license, as well as sales licence for all the classes of cannabis under the Canadian Cannabis Act and Regulations. She also consults for Leisure Club Inc. and provided immense support to them in their journey to receiving their micro processing cannabis license which was granted by Health Canada in February 2022.
Prior to establishing herself as one of the most knowledgeable QAPs in the cannabis industry, Nina had worked as an Assistant Research Scientist and later as a Research Scientist with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Food Research Institute, Ghana from 2006 – 2018. Her research activities focused on food science and new product development, food safety and quality assurance. During that period, Nina supported several food companies to develop, implement and improve HACCP-based Food Safety Management Systems, which considerably improved the food safety output of those companies. Analogously, Nina lectured and examined MPhil students of the CSIR College of Science and Technology on Food Safety and Quality Assurance Regulations. She also led the microbiology laboratory to regain accreditation to ISO 17025 under her guidance as the Head of the Department. As well, she served as an ISO 17025 auditor for the Microbiology labs of the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority for almost 4 years, leading them to gain accreditation to ISO 17025.
Nina holds a BSc. Degree in Laboratory Technology from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana and an MSc. Degree in Food Quality Management from Wageningen University, The Netherlands. She was a recipient of the NUFFIC Fellowship for international students in the Netherlands. She is also a fellow of the prestigious USDA Borlaug Fellowship under which she worked as a visiting scientist at Tuskegee University, Alabama to carry out research on the use of molecular methods for the rapid detection of pathogens in poultry and beef.
She has attended and given presentations at several conferences, both local and international, including the C45 Growing Summit and C45 Quality summit, which are noted as some of the most important platforms for discussing cannabis-related topics in Canada. She also has several publications including peer-reviewed ones to her credit.
Nina is enthused about the cannabis industry because of its versatile and positively challenging nature as well as the constant new things to be learnt on-the-go. She also looks forward to championing innovative ideas to make the Cannabis Industry a more recognized one.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
While waiting for my connecting flight from Toronto to Edmonton as a new immigrant, a gentleman struck up a conversation with me regarding my destination and purpose of travel. I informed him I was moving to Canada as a skilled professional and he was very curious to know what I had done before packing bag and baggage to move to Canada. I told him I used to be a scientist focusing on food safety and he was so excited. He then went ahead and asked me whether I was aware that the cannabis industry was on the brink of legalization, to which I answered 'No'. He emphatically told me that once cannabis industry was legalized, professionals with my skill set would be required to help the industry grow. I was amused because where I came from, cannabis was a 'taboo' word. I had never seen cannabis in my life until I joined Viridis in 2019. What made me succeed as a QAP is my resourcefulness and my ability to find workable solutions to everyday problems.
In my professional life as a QA person, I am constantly expanding my knowledge base, not only in the Cannabis Act and Regulations, but also in other related regulations e.g. the Weights and Measures Regulations (Measurement Canada) that outline requirements for scales used for the sale of cannabis. As I gained more knowledge in the industry, I noted areas that the regulations can improve to streamline the activities and expectations of the industry for much more consistency.
When given a chance to be a member of the C45 Association board, I will work with other board members as we liaise with government officials to bring some level of harmonization in the industry. This is most important for finished product quality as currently, LPs have their own specifications based on their selected pharmacopoeias that are so varied. I believe that it is crucial that when a consumer buys any product with confidence, they are assured that its release criteria is not different from the next product that the consumer will buy.
One fun fact about me: I am a positive-minded person who prefers to see the glass as half full with all the potential instead of half empty with all the limitations. In essence, I look for solutions and implement them instead of finding roadblocks and throwing my hands up in despair. Hopefully, you give me the chance to make a positive difference in the association.
Name: Sean Samuel
Current Employment: VP Sales & Marketing, C15 Solutions Inc.
About Me:
A patient and patriot first, Sean has reaped the medicinal benefits of cannabis since hanging up his skates from his competitive hockey playing days and made the transition from finance to cannabis back in 2017.
A passion for sales and cannabis saw Sean accept the role as VP of Sales & Marketing and Sean helped grow the company to what it is today - the only QMS provider dedicated to the cannabis sector exclusively, with 65+ enterprise customers across all verticals in 8 different countries.
Sean and the C15 team have experience working with operators across a variety of regulations, from GPP to GACP, GMP and EU-GMP, and have developed a keen focus on reducing the Cost of Quality and generating high ROI for LPs.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
To 'widen the gaze' of the C45 Quality Association as it pertains to quality. Quality is typically associated with 'front-facing' product attributes - i.e. bud integrity, COA results, packaging date, etc. However, many 'back-end' quality attributes exist as well, and are often ignored in the broader discussion of quality and these attributes are precisely what C15 has a lot of data on:
cost of complaints/recalls
opportunity cost of deviations/product destruction
supplier corrective actions
audit prep/follow-up
training efficacy
Name: Mary Durocher
Current Employment: President, Fox D Consulting Incorporated
About Me:
I have been involved in the industry since the infancy of the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations introduction.
While licensing two Licensed Producers in 2013 I began taking on clients searching for expertise on cannabis licensing in the non-existent regulatory compliance world. Through word of mouth and with tremendous support from previous clients, I began connecting with prospective Licensed Producers across Canada. Since 2013, my consulting firm has licensed 112 Licensed Producers and worked on over 450+ applications worldwide. I have started, operated and sold two cannabis companies in Canada and have sat on multiple boards across the Canadian and US cannabis sector.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
I feel my unique experience in the cannabis and compliance space will provide value to the platform.
Name: Kyle Boniface
Current Employment: Vice President Quality and Compliance, Decibel Cannabis Co.
About Me:
Dr. Kyle Boniface is an entrepreneurial "green chemist" with a passion for product development, regulatory compliance, and quality management. In 2018, Kyle earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Chemistry from Queen's University. At Queen's Kyle's multidisciplinary work developing novel green technologies for the chemical industry resulted in issued patents in the US and Canada as well as and several international publications.
Prior to joining Queen's, Kyle completed an Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) degree specializing in Chemistry and Business at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2012. Kyle has since held leadership positions in Canada's newly regulated cannabis industry where he focused on the development and operationalization of processes for cannabis cultivation, extraction, product development, research, regulatory compliance, inventory reporting, and quality management for sale in domestic and international markets.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
Dear C-45 Members,
I am running for the position of Board member because I am passionate about our organizations goals to promote positive measures to grow the industry and to champion sound scientific and business practices that protect public interest and wellness. I am an experienced quality professional with recent work in cannabis cultivation, extraction, product development, manufacturing, marketing, research, sale, export, quality management, regulatory compliance and leadership. I am a value-based leader who champions truth and integrity and if elected, I intend to use my experience and values as the basis to advocate for the needs of the members of this organization and of quality professionals nationally. "
Name: David Brown
Current Employment: Writer/Regulatory Advisor, StratCann
About Me:
I have worked in the Canadian cannabis industry for about ten years now, first as a writer and researcher (along with many other hats) with Lift Cannabis, then as a Senior Policy Advisor with Health Canada’s Cannabis Legalization and Regulation Branch (CLRB), and now—since 2020—as the founder and main writer/editor at StratCann, a cannabis industry trade news site.
In that decade, I’ve had the opportunity to see this industry grow and change, and have grown and evolved with it. Even after ten years, I still enjoy following the various legislative and policy issues within this industry, from federal and provincial government rules to internal industry issues and look forward to many more years of helping this industry navigate and surpass those evolving issues.
Through my time at Lift, Health Canada, and now StratCann, I have continued to build access to a diversity of industry professionals who have helped shape my understanding of the nuanced landscape of this industry—the success stories and the failures, the approaches that are working and those that aren’t.
In my time in the past working with C-45, in both an official and unofficial capacity, I’ve been impressed with the potential such an industry organization possess—QAPs are such a lynchpin of the industry and having a functioning organization that can help amplify their voices and experiences is, in my opinion, essential to the health of this industry.
I would be happy to sit on the board of C-45 to help continue to build the organization into its fullest potential.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
I think C-45 has enormous potential in being able to help amplify the voices of industry professionals like QAPS, who are often the main point of contact between industry and regulator, as well as help to better connect those professionals in order to create more networking and mutual cooperation within the industry.
As such, I would be honoured to help navigate the organization as it continues on the path of building a more cohesive and beneficial industry organization. While I do not bring personal experience working as a QA or at a licensed production facility, I have a solid understanding of many bigger picture industry issues and an understanding of how those can relate to various policy issues at different levels of government.
I’m excited by the opportunity to work with a team that can not only help C-45 reestablish in person events, post COVID-19, but to help the organization continue to liaise with federal and provincial governments to push for more streamlined, practical regulations and procedures.
While there are other industry organizations looking at these issues, I have long felt that by representing QAPs, C-45 has a chance to be a leading industry voice.
Name: Stephanie Bach
Current Employment: President, Bach It Up Agri Consulting
About Me:
Stephanie is classically trained in molecular biology, genetics, plant breeding, and food science. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta, and her graduate degree at the University of Guelph. Since then, her career has taken her through traditional and genetic plant breeding programs, indoor and outdoor agriculture, conventional and organic growing systems, food & microbiology testing laboratories, and through some international food companies.
Stephanie has been working in and around the cannabis industry since 2016, managing product launches across Canada. Most recently, she helped garner the processing sales license and research license for a producer located in Western Canada. There, she has headed up the departments of Regulatory Affairs, Product Development, and Project Management, while also supporting the Operations, Quality, and Sales departments.
With years of governance experience under her belt, Stephanie also has a strong understanding of, and ability to navigate, the regulatory and governance policies in the food, agriculture, and cannabis industries.
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
I've been involved in indoor agriculture since 2016 and have spent the majority of that time since, working in and advocating for the cannabis industry. As a medical patient, the quality and regulatory aspect of the cannabis sector is incredibly important to me. I'd like to join the C45 board to help continue advocating for the the industry, in improving efficiencies and best practices.
Name: Scott Samuel
Current Employment: Founder & CEO, www.c15solutions.com
About Me:
Scott is an ex-investment banker for more than 3 decades with in-depth experience with raising capital and M&A across many sectors. Holds bachelor, MBA, juris doctor, master in laws and chartered director degrees. Founded C15 three years ago and we have the leading QMS solution with customers in five countries. Sit on three boards : i) C15; ii) Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame; and iii) Peninsula Capital Corp (U.S. SFR business).
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
I value the role of C45 and, as a company, we have participated in almost every event. At the core of C45 is an alignment with the objectives I hold : a) elevate the safety and quality of the cannabis products; b) reduce the "costs" of poor quality; c) shed greater light on the risks of non-compliance from an impact on governance - includes product liability ; d) positively influence "gatekeepers" such as insurance carriers, auditors, and the capital markets that the cannabis companies with the "right tone at the top" have way less risk than is perceived across the board; and finally e) speak to the criteria needed for the coming intersection of consumer packaged goods and cannabis. In short make an impact and elevate the debate on "all things quality". C15 and Scott have unique views and data on these top 5 topics.
Name: Jacqueline Menezes
Current Employment: Principal, 7th Wave Consulting
About Me:
Jacquie Menezes is a science and technology, government-relations and marketing communications consultant. She is currently involved in the reform of legislation and regulatory standards of the Canadian Cannabis Act and Cannabis Regulations working in conjunction with the Cannabis Council of Canada and Canadian Women in Cannabis.
She recently organized Grass On the Hill advocacy and government relations events on Parliament Hill, membership drives and a member advocacy program ('All Politics is Local'), encouraging industry members to invite their MP/MPP/Municipal leaders to visit their facilities.
Jacquie holds both a B.Sc. (Agr.) and a Certificate with Distinction in Cannabis Production, Quality Assurance and Regulations from the University of Guelph.
She believes in the power of science-driven policy-making and is a tireless advocate for professional standards and practices in biotech industries, particularly for the emerging cannabis industry.
Jacquie's background spans key areas for the emerging cannabis industry: plant genetics, processing, sustainable best practices and market development. She worked for Alpinemed/ Phivida, shepherding the organization through the early MMPR/ACMPR process. At Allelix Crop Technologies she was on the team that developed the biotech process for edible Canola production and at AGRA Industries, a field-to-table Canola process, in conjunction with CIDA for developing countries and SE Asia. She served on the research group that developed individually quick-frozen (IQF) field-to-table production for fruits and vegetables with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture. As part of the Tobacco Transition Crop research team Jacquie researched high ROI alternatives to tobacco farming, such as ginseng, greenhouse crops & vegetable production for Asian markets
Why I Would Like to Serve as a Director:
As a member of C-45, a QA professional and a lifelong cannabis advocate, my goal in joining the Quality Association Board is to help build C-45 into the preeminent voice for the science of cannabis and a primary influencer of government policy.
I'll actively promote a science-based approach to both product development and as input to the regulatory framework. I would advocate for active participation by QA professionals like C-45 in the legislative process to achieve a regulatory framework that is fair and beneficial to our industry, especially as the Government of Canada goes through the current statutory review process.
I would seek innovative ways to educate government officials, the public, association members and the industry on the safety and benefits of our products and to identify and respond to ongoing issues of importance to our membership.
As an ace networker, dot-connector and event manager I can bring the fun and help grow our association and its influence at a time when our industry is going through tough growing pains.