Board of Directors

Abner Kurtin is the Executive Chairman and Founder of Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) and the Portfolio Manager for JM10 Partners Fund. Established in 2018, JM10 Partners operates two private equity funds that invest growth capital into the cannabis industry. Mr. Kurtin has been managing opportunity capital for over 20 years. Prior to AWH, he was the founder of K Capital Partners, a multibillion-dollar hedge fund, and Ca2 Group, a high-end real estate development firm in Massachusetts. He started his career at The Baupost Group and served as a member of the President’s Council of Massachusetts General Hospital and Chairman of the Hill House. Mr. Kurtin graduated from Harvard Business School and completed his BA at Tufts University.

Frank Perullo is the Strategic Advisor and Co-Founder of AWH. Mr. Perullo’s leadership has been key to Ascend Wellness Holdings’ impressive growth trajectory and brand success. He spent his first three years as Chief Strategy Officer, during which time he spearheaded the company’s retail expansion strategy and built out AWH’s footprint. Previously, Mr. Perullo served as a strategic consultant for multi-national corporations. He was Founder of Novus Group and Sage Systems, one of the leading providers of web-based data management software, which he founded in 2002.

Scott Swid is the General Partner and Managing Member of VROOM E Holdings and SLS Management. Prior to starting SLS in 1999, Mr. Swid was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Kingdon Capital and an Analyst at Perry Capital. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Swid is also a member of the Advisory Council for Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Henry Street Settlement. Mr. Swid received an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in History from Stanford University.

Mr. Gold serves as a general partner of Inverness LLC and Blue Flag Partners LLC in Boston, MA. Mr. Gold was the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Three Bays Capital in Boston, MA. Previously, he was a Managing Director at Jefferies & Co., where he served as Head of Client Relationship Management and member of the Equity Operating Committee. Prior to Jefferies & Co., Mr. Gold served in various roles at Goldman Sachs & Co., Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, DeMatteo Monness LLC and Bear Stearns & Co. He recently served on the board of Urbn Leaf in San Diego, CA.

Mr. Gold has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Managed Funds Association (MFA) in Washington D.C. He also served on the Investment and Finance Committees at The Rivers School in Weston, MA. Mr. Gold is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of Team IMPACT and the Co-Founder of the Boston Investment Conference. He received a B.A. in Government & Law from Lafayette College in Easton, PA.

Samuel Brill has more than 25 years of experience in capital markets, corporate finance, investment banking and business operations. He has served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Seventh Avenue Investments (SAI) since August 2017. SAI is the private equity arm of a single-family office in New York City with a multibillion-dollar asset portfolio. At SAI, Sam is focused on direct investing in special situations through debt and equity securities in a wide range of private companies. In many of SAI’s investments, he has played a critical role in helping management with strategic decisions, including mergers, acquisitions, corporate reorganization, and financial planning. Mr. Brill has served on numerous public and private boards and committees and is currently on the Investment Committee of NewLake Capital Partners.

Before joining SAI, Brill was the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of Weismann Capital, a single-family office in Stamford, CT. Prior to joining Weismann in November 2003, Brill was the Chief Operating Officer and a Director of Amedia Networks (formerly TTR Technologies), a publicly traded technology company. Prior to joining Amedia, Brill was a senior financial analyst at JDS Capital Management.

John Hartmann is CEO of AWH and an accomplished business leader with a track record of success in a variety of industries. Hartmann served as President of BuyBuy Baby from May 2020 to August 2022. He also served as President and CEO of True Value Company from May 2013 to May 2020. During his tenure at True Value Company, he successfully led the company's transformation and growth strategy, resulting in significant value creation for shareholders. Hartmann currently serves as an Independent Director of the Board for Boyd Group Services, Inc (TSX: BYD) and HD Supply, Inc (a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Home Depot).

Hartmann has also served as an Independent Director on the Board of AmeriGas from March 2016 to September 2019. AmeriGas was acquired by UGI Corporation during his tenure. He was a member of the Board of Directors, Audit, and Special Conflict Committee. Hartmann also spent 10 years as a Supervisory Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Earlier in his career, Hartmann held leadership positions at HD Supply, The Home Depot, and Cardinal Health. He has a wealth of experience in M&A, operations, integration, and long-range strategic planning.

Hartmann received his JD from Syracuse University College of Law in 1988 and completed an Accelerated Leadership Program at Emory University's Goizueta Business School in 2004. He also holds a Bachelor of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology.