Kellie Rivera, Esq,

Senior Counsel

Columbia Care

Kellie Rivera serves as Senior Counsel at Columbia Care, one of the largest and most experienced cultivators, manufacturers and providers of cannabis products and related services, with licenses in 16 U.S. jurisdictions. Kellie currently leads Columbia Care's legal, licensing and regulatory compliance teams in existing and emerging east coast markets including Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Kellie’s former role included providing support for the Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia markets as well. Kellie maintains operational knowledge of current and proposed laws, regulations, and policies impacting company operations, while proactively identifying potential impacts and legal risks. She provides creative, solution-oriented legal advice to senior leadership to inform business operations and strategic decision-making. Additionally, Kellie manages relationships with state and local cannabis regulators to serve as a subject matter expert on comparative, emerging eastern US markets and to ensure operational compliance across each state market.

A member of the New York State Bar, she received her J.D. with a concentration in International Law from Suffolk University Law School and her B.A. with Russian and International Affairs Dual Majors and Political Science minor from the University of New Hampshire. Kellie is personally passionate about alternative medicine access and the therapeutic potential of medical cannabis due to her own experience as a chronic pain patient from a spinal injury.