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Thursday, October 18, 2018

The Luncheon - California Cannabis Forum

12:15 PM - 2:00 PM - Herscher Hall, Guerin B, Additional Ticket

Native American Leadership in the Cannabis Industry

Tina Braithwaite, former, Chairwoman, Benton Paiute Tribe

David Vilapondo, Executive Director, Ilpay Nation, Santa Ysabel Tribal Cannabis Regulatory Agency and Interim Executive Director, California Native American Cannabis Association (CNACA)

John Poss, CEO, GB Sciences

Cameron Keluche, President and CEO, KelSie Biotech

Moderator - Amanda Chicago Lewis, Columnist, Rolling Stone

 

David Vilapondo, Executive Director, Ilpay Nation, Santa Ysabel Tribal Cannabis Regulatory Agency and Interim Executive Director, California Native American Cannabis Association (CNACA): Dave Vialpando is a thirty seven year law enforcement veteran, having served as a police officer in Richmond, California, and for twenty-seven years as a Special Agent with the California Attorney General’s Department of Justice (DOJ). Dave spent twenty years in DOJ’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement where he supervised various drug trafficking and violent crime units. For the last seven years of his career with DOJ, Dave was assigned to the Bureau of Gambling Control where he served as the Special

Agent-in-Charge of the Bureau’s southern California offices. Upon retirement from State service in 2012, Mr. Vialpando obtained his California Private Investigator’s license and he currently served as President and CEO of the Institute for Criminal Justice Training (ICJT). ICJT conducts consulting and training for gaming enterprises and corporate entities in a wide variety of topic areas. Dave also currently serves as the Chairman of the Santa Ysabel Tribal Gaming Commission, for the Iipay Nation of Santa Ysabel, as well as the Executive Director of the Santa Ysabel Tribal Cannabis Regulatory Agency. Dave manages Commission and Regulatory Agency staff in the regulation of the Tribe’s gaming and Cannabis enterprises and adherence to Tribal, State, and County regulations. Mr. Vialpando also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Indian Gaming Association, Tribal Gaming Protection Network. Most recently, Dave joined the innovative team at OnCourse Learning, an online education and compliance training provider, as Director of Gaming Programs. Dave attended the University of California at Berkeley and currently holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Masters in Business Administration degrees. Mr. Vialpando instructs undergraduate and graduate criminal justices courses for several public and private colleges and universities in southern California. Dave has authored articles on gaming regulation and interactive gaming published in Indian Gaming magazine, Global Gaming Business magazine, Pechanga.net, and other trade periodicals, and conducted numerous presentations through various venues on effective regulation in gaming and legal cannabis enterprises on tribal lands.

 

Cameron Keluche, President and CEO, KelSie Biotech: Cameron Keluche has provided Economic Modeling, Business Plan Development and Management Services to numerous Technology based enterprises. Prior to founding KelSie, he directed the development and implementation of a proprietary Big-Data Cloud based Platform and Management Information Systems, including Supervisory Controls and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems, for the management of natural resources valued in the Billions. In addition, he has conducted market research and provided analytical, business planning, feasibility impact studies, economic modeling and management services ranging from large scale community developments and environmental assessments to the management of commercial property portfolios valued in excess of $500 Million. Mr. Keluche is a graduate of the University of Denver with a B.A. Degree in Cognitive Neuroscience with course work in Business Administration at Wake Forest University, and continues his activities in the development and management of new technology based enterprises in the health care industry.

 

John Poss, CEO, GB Sciences: Mr. Poss has over 30 years of experience working as a consultant to companies facing major transitions and transformations. Mr. Poss began his career in the Washington, D.C. office of Arthur Andersen & Co. and has served as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Technology Officer of both public and private companies in such diverse industries as homebuilding, mining, telecommunications, manufacturing, logistics, construction lending and mortgage banking. For the past twenty months prior to joining GB Sciences, Mr. Poss served as Chief Executive Officer of Experiential Teaching Online Corp., an educational content developer and for four years prior thereto owned and operated his own consulting firm. Mr. Poss has also has worked extensively internationally, successfully negotiating agreements in countries throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Mr. Poss graduated from the University of Texas in 1974 with a degree in accounting. In addition to serving as a director of Fourth Coast Mobility and the Homecare Foundation, he is a director of The Life Raft Group, a non-profit organization that provides patient support and funds research to find a cure for GIST, a rare cancer.

 

Amanda Chicago Lewis writes about marijuana and the war on drugs, with an emphasis on public safety, the influence of special interests, and the ways in which the documented racial disparities of drug law enforcement are being cemented into the details of legalization. She writes a biweekly column for Rolling Stone. Her work has also appeared in GQ, BuzzFeed News, Vice, LA Weekly, Pop Up Magazine, and the LA Review of Books.