Lecturer Bios
Cristina Buccola, Esq.
Cristina Buccola is an attorney, advocate, and business developer in the cannabis sector. She is the former General Counsel of High Times and has been a partner in a large commercial cultivation operation in the Pacific Northwest. Cristina advises on M&A transactions and investment opportunities, designs and negotiates complex corporate matters, intellectual property protection and licensing programs, and develops strategic ventures and back-end compliance suites for her clients. She also undertakes public interest/policy work related to medicinal cannabis issues, and has testified in front of the New York and the New Jersey State Legislatures. Cristina has been admitted to practice law in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Illinois (inactive status), and is a member of the New York Cannabis Bar Association. She received her BA from The Gallatin School at New York University and her JD from The University of Chicago Law School.
Edmund M. DeVeaux
Edmund M. DeVeaux is the Executive Vice President of Burton Trent Public Affairs, LLC. A graduate of Rutgers University and a commissioned officer in the United States Army, Edmund brings a wealth of private, public, and not-for-profit sector experiences to the firm. Edmund's career began in New Jersey state government, where is oversaw the capital budgets for departments of Corrections, Human Services, the NJ State Police, and the Department of State. He went on to serve as Aide to the Mayor of the City of New Brunswick, as well as special assistant to US Senator Bill Bradley, where he specialized in environment, military & veteran affairs, transportation, and municipal government development. Edmund's corporate career includes leadership roles with the country's largest multinational water-related source and environmental companies. He has served on the board of nearly 10 non-profit boards and currently serves on the board of Civic League of Greater New Brunswick and Elijah's Promise.
Hillary Peckham
Hillary Peckham co-founded Etain, LLC, the only women-owned and family-owned business to receive one of the only five competitive medical marijuana licenses in New York State. Etain was awarded the license in 2015, making Hillary the youngest person to ever receive a competitive marijuana license in the Unites States. Hillary and her co-founders share in the singular mission of improving the quality of life for patients in New York State by providing access to the highest quality, pharmaceutical grade medical marijuana treatments available. Hillary’s passion for the medical cannabis industry comes from her own experience with chronic pain and muscular atrophy. After a failed hip surgery, Hillary spent two years unable to walk and suffers from permanent atrophy. From her personal experience, Hillary has a strong interest in alternative therapies that provide palliative care for those enduring long-term suffering. Hillary is a graduate of Hamilton College and the Dartmouth Tuck-Bridge School of Business. She is Vice President of the New York Medical Cannabis Association and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
Leslie Hoffman
Leslie Hoffman is the Communications Director for Harmony Dispensary. She joined Harmony in 2015. She is a pioneer in the field of sustainability and holds a degree in architecture and design, worked as a carpenter and green builder for ten years, and joined Earth Pledge Foundation, where she was executive director from 1994 to 2010. Hoffman supported drug policy reform through philanthropy starting in 1995, and was a partner in a hemp fashion design company from 1996 – 1998. She is a farmer and has a license to grow hemp for CBD on her farm in Asheville, NC.
