Business

Business & Operations | Chair | Faculty
Natalie Darves

Bio

As a certified Master Gardener with more than 15 years of experience in outdoor cannabis cultivation, Natalie continues to disseminate her knowledge and philosophy of sustainable, closed-loop, “beyond organic” horticultural models and best business practices as the Dean of Faculty of Oaksterdam University in Oakland, California.

In 2011, Ms. Darves founded Cougar Acres Consulting to further outdoor cultivation pursuits and hands-on research. After attaining her Executive MBA from Sonoma State University, with an emphasis in the Wine Business, Ms. Darves now focuses the firm on extensive corporate and small business projects in the cannabis industry. Regarded for her ability to build strategic partnerships and deliver important insights, she is also skilled in brand positioning, corporate strategy, corporate financial statements, business plan development, operations, team dynamics, organizational design, and executive leadership training. To date, Natalie has assisted 60+ cannabis companies with developing strategies to compete in the burgeoning cannabis market.