Christine De La Rosa, M.A. - National Co-Founder & CEO, The People’s Ecosystem
Christine De La Rosa was recently named one of the 22 Cannabis Leaders Who Will Shape the Industry in 2022, in 2021 she was on the list for 10 Women to watch out for:
Industry luminaries and rising stars, and in 2020 one of 35 Most Influential Women in Cannabis in 2020. As a thought leader and one of the most sought after advisors in the cannabis industry she sits on the advisory boards of Tetragram, Regennabis, and Cannabis Doing Good.
She was recently appointed to the Board of the National Cannabis Industry Association
and is the chair of their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is the lead author
of Gender Parity in the C-Suite and co-author of Pathways to Equity Ownership in the Cannabis Industry as part of National Cannabis Industry Association’s and The Arcview
Group’s co-sponsored Gender Equity Cannabis White Papers. She has advised both local, state, and federal governments across the US on social equity in cannabis, as well as written position papers for New York, California, and Arizona with recommendations on their legalization and implementation of cannabis regulation. Additionally, she serves as part of the New York Cannabis Industry Association Special Advisor Group - Social and Economic Equity and Social Justice.
Christine spent 20+ years as a systems and database architect in telecom. Throughout her entire career she has straddled the worlds between corporate and community. She is a social entrepreneur who has spent most of her adult life building businesses that creatively engage and employ the local communities that surround them. She has owned and operated along with her business partners two restaurants, three event production companies in two states, an art gallery and a retail outlet prior to embarking on her cannabis journey. A history in technology, business consulting and entrepreneurship were part of the trajectory that led to co-owning cannabis businesses in both California and Oregon. She is a well-respected business leader, advocate, and activist in the cannabis industry.
Christine is passionate about the industry that saved her life. At the top of her tech career she almost died from complications of undiagnosed Lupus. In 2015, she found cannabis as an alternative medicine to treat her lupus. No longer bound to 11 pills a day or monthly infusions, she was inspired by her experience to open The People’s Dispensary in 2016, along with her co-founders to help those who most need access to cannabis. Together they continue to grow their multi-state supply chain footprint and build a fiercely sought after national social equity model and enterprise now known as The People’s Ecosystem and its subsidiaries. She is currently the CEO and National Co-Founder of The People's Ecosystem, Founder & Fund Manager of The People’s Group, Founder of The People’s DAO and Founder of CBxShield.
