Team

michael+scherr.jpg — Michael Scherr, CEO

Michael has spent over a decade in the cannabis industry and brings knowledge, experience, and networks to this nascent industry. In 2008, he became one of the first 10,000 patients in Colorado and began growing for himself and eventually cultivating boutique strains for local dispensaries in Denver. Michael was a touring musician for his “day job” and 2012, he cut rock-star locks and moved back to Boston where he graduated summa cum laude from Babson College’s entrepreneurial MBA program, focusing on branding and product development. For the past three and a half years, Michael has dedicated his time to understanding all aspects of the cannabis industry and has a deep understanding of the interplay between them. Currently, Michael has founded and is CEO of Aria Brands. Aria is a product company with several arms including Arbor HempTM and Higher CelebrationsTM. Higher CelebrationsTM has recently launched BirthJaysTM, the candle joint for your birthday.

Sara Gluck, COO

Sara Gluck had her ‘a-ha’ moment when she her pain caused by psoriatic arthritis was alleviated because of cannabis. With the intention of joining the industry she moved to Denver and was able to connect with the AICA team. At AICA, Sara runs the day to day or as she likes to describe as everything between COO work and janitorial work. No task is too big or too small.
Prior to AICA Sara was obtaining her MBA at the University of Virginia- Darden Graduate School of Business. There, she was President of Pride at Darden and received the C. Stewart Shepherd Award for Service.

josh+rubin.jpg — Josh rubin, board member

As Founder & CEO of Day Three Consulting (DTC), Josh works to transfer innovative and disruptive Israeli cannabis technologies and solutions to the U.S. market. With an extensive network in both the U.S. and Israeli cannabis ecosystems, Josh is well positioned to bridge the U.S.-Israel cannabis pipeline. In addition, Josh is a Member of the Board of the America Israel Cannabis Association (AICA), focusing on strategic planning and growth.

jeffrey+zucker.jpg — Jeffrey M. Zucker, President

Jeffrey M. Zucker is a serial entrepreneur with experience in a wide range of industries including real estate, hospitality, entertainment, design, and cannabis. He serves as President of Green Lion Partners and is involved in all company activity.
Born and raised in Charleston, SC, Jeffrey is a graduate of Boston University. While at BU, he began founding multiple real estate businesses, which developed into his parent company, Saltshaker Holdings. Saltshaker continues to manage a thriving real estate portfolio and angel investments. Jeffrey has since founded start-ups in hospitality, film production, and design including Big Smits Entertainment, which develops web and TV series, and Two Bridges Design, a full service digital branding agency. A drug policy activist, Jeffrey is the Vice Chair of the board of directors of the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) and a trustee of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP).

daniel+bornstein.jpg — Daniel Bornstein, Board Member

As the founding attorney of Bornstein Law, real estate broker and expert witness, Daniel Bornstein is the foremost expert in landlord-tenant disputes and other real estate issues with over 23 years of experience in handling complex real estate disputes in San Francisco, Oakland, and throughout the Bay Area.

His expertise in property management, landlord-tenant relations, landlord standards of care, leasing, rent control, and all manner of troublesome real estate litigation has made him a leader in the Bay Area’s real estate landscape.

Our Advisors

We have a vast network of Israeli and American investors, entrepreneurs, and like-minded visionaries who want to help craft the future of the cannabis industry.

Ari Cohen

Ari Cohen joined Dixie Brands, Inc. in March 2017 as the Director of National Operations. In this role, he oversees global manufacturing, product innovation, compliance and organizational scaling. Ari is Co-Founder and Board Member of HeyMary, an AI driven diagnosing, dosing and dispensing device.

Prior to joining Dixie, Ari was a consultant focused on growing brands, recipe innovation, production efficiency, and quality assurance. He has extensive franchise experience garnered from his time with Le Pain Quotidien, where as Corporate Chef he grew the company from eight locations to over 200 worldwide. Prior to Le Pain, Mr. Cohen held a leadership role at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café and worked with Max Brenner and Magnolia Bakery among other global brands.

Ana Hory

Ana Hory, M.B.A. is a business leader at consumer facing Fortune 500 and Startups, currently the C.E.O. of Element of Choice, a startup in the Cannabis industry looking to bring innovation and high quality brands to market.

She’s conducted 2 studies with 1,800 adults across the five largest legal cannabis states in the U.S., where she’s learned that 73% of adults are open to using cannabis. Her studies not only identified the size and what the market segments are, but also what types and product formats consumers prefer, frequency of usage, and how to reach each segment, among other psychographics.

Jeffrey Samuels

Jeffrey Samuels is an active entrepreneur, investor, and proud community member in the cannabis industry. Currently, he is the VP of Business Development & Founding member at HillviewMed, a New Jersey based vertically integrated cannabis company launched in 2018. Jeffrey is also a Principal at Q56 Capital, an early stage investment and advisory firm focused on cannabis, real-estate, and technology. Prior to HillviewMed, he was founding member of AlphaRoot, a first of it's kind insurance and technology platform for the cannabis industry. Jeffrey was named to the National Cannabis Industry Association's Finance and Insurance Committee (NCIA) in it's inaugural year, where he still plays an active role and maintains his insurance licenses as a Commercial Lines Coverage specialist (CLCS).

David Wenger

David Wenger is a New York City attorney and a specialist in the US cannabis industry. He focuses on the policy developments, reforming laws, evolving politics, dynamic economies, and medical discoveries transforming the US cannabis industry. David advises business entrants and institutional, family office, and HNW investors on opportunities in the industry.

David wrote the seminal White Paper on the US cannabis industry, “The Green Regulatory Arbitrage: A Case for Investing in US Multi-State Vertically-Integrated Cannabis Companies,” published on New Cannabis Ventures. He has been invited to discuss the industry at events in the US and abroad for finance and medical professionals.

Allan Steiner

Allan Steiner leads Insights & Development at Green Rush Consulting, an Oakland based consulting firm that helps cannabis businesses obtain the licenses and permits required to operate legally. Since joining the industry, Allan has met with cannabis activists around the world, including Israel, to discuss opportunities for further collaboration.

Tamar Maritz

Tamar Maritz is the current Director of Business Development at BDS Analytics, the leading market research and insights firm in the cannabis industry. With a strong background in market research and analytics consulting for some of the biggest fortune 500 tech companies, Tamar brings years of analytical and insight-driven experience to the cannabis industry, already having helped countless existing and up-and-coming operators thrive in the cannabis supply chain over the past 2.5 years. Coupled with an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry (followed by a research stint at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel) and an MBA with a focus on quantitative marketing strategy, she is able to provide a unique perspective and understanding of the industry from both the commercial and pharmaceutical ends. As an Israeli-born American with a background in science, Tamar immediately found herself closely tied to the Israeli cannabis landscape and is excited to assist AICA in their mission in any way that she can.

Adam Miller

Adam has worked within the Australian startup ecosystem for almost a decade. In 2015, Adam became involved in the medical cannabis space due to his passion for the medicine and belief in innovation stimulating its growth. In 2016, Adam founded BuddingTech, Australia’s first medical cannabis startup incubation program. Additionally, Adam also founded the Medical Cannabis Council, Australia's first national industry body to represent the medical cannabis industry in Australia. Adam has spoken at several international events and sits on the advisory board of several cannabis companies.

Christopher Cohen

Christopher Cohen followed his passion and took an educated risk 9 years ago, entering the emerging cannabis industry after a successful TV broadcasting advertising sales management career. Christopher is currently Founder and Managing Director for TotaLeaf Inc and Square Grouper Holdings llc, companies that specialize in manufacturing, distribution, cultivation, brand licensing, consulting, compliance, and education in both the cannabis and hemp industries. In addition, Christopher has written two classes on guerrilla marketing and lectured as an adjunct professor for University Nevada Las Vegas.

Broadcast TV, academia and cannabis experience gives Christopher a unique perspective of the cannabis and hemp industries.