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\;A panel of experts\, including a represent ative from the Champaign Police Department will provide facts and address questions from the audience. \;
\nKeynote Presenter:
Eli McVey
Eli has been a data-driven researcher thro
ughout his career. He previously worked as an analyst for Nielsen\, where
he provided analysis to Nielsen&rsquo\;s retail clients for use in pricing
\, promotion and assortment decisions. He&rsquo\;s also been a consultant
for data companies in the cannabis industry. Eli now employs his analytica
l expertise for Marijuana Business Daily. \;
Moderator:
\nChristine Herman is a chemis t turned audio journalist. She's a reporter for Illinois Public Media\, th e NPR member station serving east-central Illinois. In that role\, she's a lso part of the Midwest health reporting \; collaboration Side Effects Public Media and the NPR/Kaiser Health News partnership. Christine is a m om of three small children and aspiring aerial artist. Bylines include NPR \, Kaiser Health News\, CNN Health\, Chemical &\; Engineering News and Scientific American&rsquo\;s 60-Second Science podcast. \; \;
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Panelists:
\nBret L. Bender\, J.D.\, \;Deputy Director Medical Cannabi s Unit Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation\n
In 2013\, Bret was a legislative attorney in the Illinois House of Representatives where he wrote substantial portions of the Compassionate U se of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act. Bret left the legislature after the 2015 legislative session to help start up a cultivation center in Chic ago and dispensary in Springfield\, holding the titles of Agent-in-Charge and General Manager at each location. His responsibilities included establ ishing and enforcing compliance procedures\, providing employee training\, personnel\, and cultivation center building and equipment maintenance.&nb sp\; While still working in the Illinois medical cannabis industry in 2017 \, Bret and a partner formed B&\;B Grow Solutions and earned a contract with the State of Ohio to advise the Department of Commerce on writing th at state&rsquo\;s medical cannabis cultivation administrative rules. \ ; After spending 2018 writing cannabis cultivation and dispensary license applications in several states\, Bret returned to Illinois state governmen t in 2019 to begin working in his current role overseeing the state&rsquo\ ;s regulation of dispensaries.
\nJim Dey\, is a sta ff writer for The \;News-Gazette
\nChampaign Po lice Department
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