Amy McDougal, Founder and President at CLEAResources, LLC, helps companies effectively manage their greatest legal and regulatory risks. She designs compliance and ethics programs to mitigate legal risks so company executives can focus on business.

"Increased emphasis on business transparency makes ethical performance a corporate priority," says Amy. A company's legal counsel may lack experience in developing compliance and ethics programs. Amy draws on her background as a prosecutor and in-house compliance counsel to conduct risk assessments through the skilled eyes of an attorney, without the steep law firm fees. "I keep current on state and federal enforcement trends. My assessments prioritize a company's vulnerabilities and recommend actions so clients get the most legal risk mitigation for their dollar."

Amy's clients range from federal contractors to global corporations including in the nascent cannabis industry. They rely on her expertise in compliance, codes of ethics, staff training, corporate monitoring, auditing, and investigations."The savviest approach is to put your compliance program in place as a sword to prevent misconduct. If an incident occurs, your program then becomes your shield. Prompt reporting, a proactive response, and a solid plan to remediate future misconduct demonstrate a commitment to ethical practices and legal compliance."

A well-published thought leader, Amy is founding director and corporate secretary of the International Association of Independent Corporate Monitors. Through IAICM, she educates businesses and promotes service quality. Amy's place at the forefront of her profession reflects leadership ability honed by service as a U.S. Air Force officer. "The military taught me to translate strategic thinking into tactical action. “That's exactly what I bring to my clients," she concludes. "I translate compliance and ethics into a practical program so businesses can confidently move forward in a clear direction."

Courtney N. Moran’s mission on the National Cannabis Bar Association (NCBA) Board of Directors is to provide leadership and support to fellow attorneys engaged in restoring justice and establishing a solid foundation of Cannabis law as we end prohibition.

Courtney, the founding principal of EARTH Law, LLC and chief legislative strategist for Agricultural Hemp Solutions, LLC, is the leading expert on hemp law championing legal policy for sustainable Cannabis hemp agribusiness development. Courtney's article, Industrial Hemp: Canada Exports, United States Imports was published by the Fordham Environmental Law Review. She participated in the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem in April 2016. In October 2016, Courtney testified before the Senado de la República in Mexico City, Mexico. She successfully lobbies for the Oregon Industrial Hemp Farmers Association passing legislation, HB 4060 (2016), SB 1015 (2017), and HB 4089 (2018), protecting Oregon hemp agricultural interests. She authored H 3559 (2017), establishing the South Carolina hemp program. Courtney provided foundational language for SB 119 (2017), establishing the Wisconsin hemp program. Courtney strategically guided drafting SB 6 (2018), establishing the Alaska hemp program. She also provided pivotal strategy in drafting Missouri hemp legislation HB 2034 (2018), establishing the Missouri hemp program. Courtney is co-petitioner of the Relegalizing Industrial Hemp Project, a formal administrative rulemaking petition to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency that will remove hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. She also worked closely with Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in drafting the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 (S. 2667).

Courtney currently serves on the Oregon State Bar Cannabis Law Section Executive Committee, as Second Vice Chair on the national NORML Board of Directors, and is the national Hemp Industries Association Legislative Review Committee Chairwoman. Her extensive background in Cannabis hemp law reform and program development brings a unique perspective on the administrative, agricultural, and environmental aspects of Cannabis law to the NCBA Board and membership.

Shawn Hauser is a partner at Vicente Sederberg and co-chair of the firm's Hemp and Cannabinoids Department. Shawn helps cannabis and hemp businesses navigate the intersections between state and federal law including hemp laws, food and drug laws, regulatory compliance, licensing, general business representation, investment, and general business matters.

As co-chair of the VS Hemp and Cannabinoids Department, Shawn advises clients on the unique legal landscape governing cannabinoids and hemp, helping them form compliant business structures, maintain compliance with hemp and food and drug laws as they evolve, and develop informed solutions that best position them for success at the at state, national, and international levels. 

With more than a decade of experience in cannabis law and policy, Shawn is a go-to source for businesses, industry groups, governments, and reporters seeking opinions, analysis, and guidance on cannabis and hemp law and policy matters. She is on the Board of Directors of the International Cannabis Bar Association, and was on the steering committee for the American Hemp Campaign, a project of Vote Hemp which was instrumental in legalizing hemp in Texas in 2019. In 2023, Shawn was recognized by her peers in the "Best Lawyers" list for her work in cannabis law. In 2021 and 2022, Shawn was recognized by Chambers and Partners as one of the top cannabis lawyers in the United States. She has been named one of "Denver's Top Lawyers" by 5280 magazine since 2015 and was listed in Denver Business Journal's "40 Under 40" in 2021. 

Since directing Sensible Colorado's local government implementation team following the passage of Amendment 64, Shawn remains active in policy work with local and state governments in Colorado and Texas and is passionate in supporting the development and implementation of marijuana and hemp regulations that advance the cannabis industry in a dynamic and responsible manner. After attending law school at the University of Denver, Shawn was an associate attorney at McAllister, Darnell & Gottlieb PC, one of the first marijuana-focused law firms in Colorado.

Jonathan Havens is the co-chair of both the Cannabis Law Practice and the Food, Beverage, & Agribusiness Practice at Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP.  He counsels state cannabis license applicants and awardees, ancillary service and product providers, investors, management companies, and various other entities that are affected by federal and state cannabis laws.  In addition to his cannabis law practice, Jonathan maintains an active food and beverage practice, particularly with regard to cannabidiol (CBD) products, in which he counsels manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers of conventional foods, dietary supplements, and beverages on product development, claim substantiation, labeling, promotion, registration, reporting, and recall issues to ensure compliance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and state and local requirements.
 
Jonathan was listed in Chambers USA 2019: America's Leading Lawyers for Business for his nationwide cannabis law practice and named to the National Law Journal's Cannabis Law Trailblazers list in 2018. He is regularly interviewed by mainstream and trade press outlets, alike, and has been quoted by or authored pieces for CNBC, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, WIRED, MarketWatch, Engadget, Law360, High Times Magazine, Cannabis Business Times, and HEMP Magazine.   Jonathan currently serves on the Food and Drug Law Institute’s Cannabis-Derived Products Committee.
 
Before entering private practice, Jonathan served as a regulatory counsel with FDA, where he focused on compliance and enforcement related to promotion, advertising, and labeling.  Prior to law school, Jonathan served as a legislative aide in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Fatima Afia is a cannabis attorney and civil litigator at Rudick Law Group, PLLC, with a background in commercial and business litigation, land use and landmarks law matters, and disability insurance law. As a litigator, Fatima was an instrumental member of the litigation team behind Washington v. Barr, a pro-bono lawsuit brought against the federal government that sought to declare the federal law criminalizing cannabis unconstitutional. As part of her work in Washington v. Barr, Fatima led the effort in securing overwhelming amicus support before the U.S. Supreme Court from seven members of Congress, 19 disparate and highly regarded organizations, and two eminent cannabis researchers and scientists. In connection with her disability insurance work, she has helped secure and maintain disability benefits for clients from some of the largest disability insurance companies in the United States, playing a vital role in the firm's successful administrative appeal against Unum Insurance Company which resulted in an award of approximately $1 million in retroactive benefits for the client. 

As a cannabis attorney, Fatima assists cannabis clients navigate the legal cannabis and hemp industry in the areas of corporate law and regulatory compliance, business transactions, litigation, and state licensing applications in various jurisdictions including New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Fatima is also a social equity advocate, providing instrumental testimony to the Cannabis Control Commission in Massachusetts in 2019 which resulted in an expedited license application-review process for women-and-minority-owned businesses that were unfairly excluded from the regulatory definition of a social equity applicant. Fatima is also an article contributor for Marijuana Venture, has regularly organized and chaired CLE panels and events for the International Cannabis Bar Association (“INCBA”), and is the Co-Chair of INCBA’s CLE Committee. She was the Moot Court Winner at the Medical Cannabis Conference held at Columbia University in 2019, and in 2021 was named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Fatima attended Brooklyn Law School where she graduated in the top 20% percent of her graduating class.