Faculty
Our faculty features award-winning cultivators, recognized business leaders, and passionate advocates who shaped the early medical cannabis movement in California and who continue to set the pace and tone for the modern commercial cannabis industry.
Oaksterdam helps to address the persistent lack of diversity in the corporate cannabis sector by fostering a faculty base that reflects our entire community, with women and BIPOC persons across departments and in key leadership positions. Most of our instructors have more than 10 years of experience in their field, and many were the driving force behind some of the formative regulations and innovative best practices that continue to shape our industry today. OU faculty members are dedicated to our students, alumni, and the craft of teaching — collectively, they bring passion, purpose, and ethics to our classrooms and curricula.
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Horticulture
Joey Ereñeta
Chair of Horticulture
Mike Jenkins, Ph.D.
Vice-Chair of Horticulture
Eric Brandstad
Oscar Burrola
Noah Hirsch
Jeff Jones
David Perkins
Robyn Pierce
Tom Quick, Ph.D.
Business & Operations
Natalie Darves
Chair of Business
David Abernathy
Tara Bonhorst
Mitchell Colbert
Chris Conrad
Goose Duarte
John Geluardi
Alex Goldstein
Courtney Moran, LL.M.
Daniel Rowland
Stuart Watts
Legal & Compliance
Lauren Vázquez, Esq.
Chair of Legal
Chiara Juster, Esq.
Chair of Government Affairs
Meital Manzuri, Esq.
Drew Sanchez, Esq.
Dale Schafer, Esq.
Luke Zimmerman, Esq.
Extracts & Manufacturing
Anthony DeMeo
Co-Chair
Stefanie Gangano, Ph.D.
Co-Chair
Chad Gilmore
Greg Zeman
Science & Therapeutics
Paul Armentano
Chair of Science
Uwe Blesching, Ph.D.
Tim Byars
Maha Haq
Advocacy
David Goldman
Mikki Norris
Sarah Shrader
Tiffany Watkins
Mike Whitty
Emeritus
Richard Lee
Founder
Ed Rosenthal
Sandy Moriarty
Bruce Margolin
Michael "Big Mike" Parker
RIP
Dave McCullick
RIP