MJBizCon Reception Celebrates Women Shaping Cannabis Leadership

The annual Empowering Women in Cannabis reception returned to MJBizCon December 4 with the kind of energy that felt part celebration, part reunion, and part reminder of how much collective work remains to ensure women are equally represented in cannabis-industry executive suites. The awards ceremony, led by Women Grow Chief Executive Officer Dr. Chanda Macias, honored four women whose contributions reflect the grit and creativity that have shaped the modern cannabis landscape.

But the deeper story of the evening was not the awards co-hosted by Women Grow and MJBizCon. It was the insistence, spoken plainly from the stage, that women in the cannabis industry “are not labor,” as Macias put it, but leaders, innovators, and architects of the path forward.

Women supporting women

Macias, a physician who also founded and helms dispensary operator National Holistic Healthcare, opened the program by tracing the arc of her own entry into the industry. In 2012, she joined a small cohort of 50 women in Colorado who believed the industry needed equal representation. That early group eventually grew into Women Grow, an organization that since has supported thousands of founders, operators, executives, and advocates nationwide.

Her passion shone as she spoke about the extraordinary effort and sacrifice women exerted to gain visibility in an industry that, even today, does not always treat them as equals. She described the emotional load of building businesses, running households, and pushing back against “no” at every turn.

What she emphasized most was collective endurance. “We still need women supporting women,” she said.

By the time she handed the microphone to Emilie Lewis, senior vice president for MJBizCon, the sense of shared purpose was palpable.

A women-led backbone behind the industry’s largest event

Lewis, who oversees programming for the cannabis industry trade show, spoke candidly about her early mentors and the women inside her organization who power the conference. “This conference is run by women,” she said, adding that detail is a large part of the reason for the event’s inclusivity and depth.  

Lewis then introduced the honorees: Angela Pih, Kristi Palmer, Rachel Wright, and Mary Jane Oatman.

Honoring cannabis leadership and legacy

Marketing executive Angela Pih, founder of Point Brand, was celebrated for her ability to scale high-growth brands in cannabis, wellness, and lifestyle categories. Her work has earned national recognition, but she used her remarks to credit the women who helped her survive and thrive, especially as a woman of color and a single mother.

“Ask for help,” she told the audience. “We’re [in this] together.”

As co-founder and president of multistate product brand Kiva Confections, Kristi Palmer helped shape the national edibles market from her home kitchen. With Kiva turning 15 this year, she reflected on quality, perseverance, and how often the industry “will kick you and shove you.” Her message was frank: Be persistent.

“Regulations will shift and markets will wobble, but a commitment to excellence is non-negotiable,” she said.

Tax strategist and Verdant Strategies founder Rachel Wright was honored for her deep technical expertise and the operational steadiness she provides to cannabis businesses navigating regulatory turbulence. Lewis described Wright as “the heartbeat of this industry,” a reputation earned through years of guiding operators through tax burdens, cross-border complexities, and the emotional weight of entrepreneurship.

Perhaps the afternoon’s most emotional moment came when Mary Jane Oatman, executive director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association, magazine publisher, and a driving force behind indigenous cannabis advocacy, took the stage. Citing the influence of her mother, Oatman revealed her work is rooted in intergenerational courage and cultural preservation.

Oatman spoke about attending her first national cannabis trade show in 2019 with a mission to document the real stories and healing power of cannabis in tribal communities. She grounded her remarks in the experience of grandmother, whose imprisonment for cannabis later transformed into public advocacy at age 85.

“She believed in the medicine so much that she said, ‘I’d do it all over again,’” Oatman recalled.

Her remarks brought the audience to its feet.

A surprise recognition for Dr. Chanda Macias

In an unscripted turn, Lewis and the MJBizCon team presented a final Woman of the Year recognition to Macias. The announcement brought the room to a standstill. Women Grow’s founder has spent more than a decade advocating for equity, representation, and structured pathways for women in the space.

“You are not labor,” she told the audience in closing remarks, echoing lessons learned while watching her mother carry the weight of both home and work. The message landed with unmistakable resonance: Women’s contributions to the cannabis industry are not supplementary; they are foundational.

A collective call to action

As the awards ceremony transitioned into networking, Macias urged attendees to continue the fight for equity, visibility, and one another.

“You are worth the fight,” she said. “And I’ll keep fighting for you.” 

The room dispersed into clusters of founders, operators, advocates, and emerging leaders — exactly the kind of diverse community Women Grow set out to build more than a decade ago.

And on this particular December evening, that community felt strong, loud, and ready for whatever comes next.

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Context and key takeaways on women in cannabis