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
Eviane Ita Coton
David Perkins
Mike Jenkins, Ph.D.
Vice-Chair of Horticulture
Jeffrey Hickey
Robyn Pierce
Eric Brandstad
Noah Hirsch
Tom Quick, Ph.D.
Oscar Burrola
Jeff Jones
Business & Operations
Natalie Darves
Chair of Business
Chris Conrad
Courtney Moran, LL.M.
David Abernathy
Goose Duarte
Daniel Rowland
Tara Bonhorst
John Geluardi
Stuart Watts
Mitchell Colbert
Alex Goldstein
Legal & Compliance
Lauren Vázquez, Esq.
Chair of Legal
Dale Schafer, Esq.
Chiara Juster, Esq.
Chair of Government Affairs
Luke Zimmerman, Esq.
Meital Manzuri, Esq.
Drew Sanchez, 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
Mike Whitty
Mikki Norris
Sarah Shrader
Tiffany Watkins
Emeritus
Richard Lee
Founder
Michael "Big Mike" Parker
RIP
Ed Rosenthal
Dave McCullick
RIP
Sandy Moriarty
Bruce Margolin