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.

Daniel Neville is Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Neville joined AWH as SVP of Finance in March 2019, and in August 2020, he was promoted to Chief Financial Officer. Before AWH, Mr. Neville worked at SLS Capital, a special situations hedge fund based in New York. He served as a Managing Director from January 2015 to March 2019 and as an Analyst from April 2010 to January 2015. Previously, he worked as an investment banker at Credit Suisse in the Technology Group, where he worked on mergers & acquisitions and IPO transactions. Mr. Neville earned his Bachelor of Science in Economics from Duke University.

Christopher Melillo currently serves as the Chief Revenue Officer for Ascend Wellness Holdings. Chris has 20+ years experience in retail leadership and store operations. Mr. Melillo was formally the SVP Retail/Wholesale at Curaleaf. Prior to that he was the Senior Director of Stores at Nike North America, and Vice President of Stores at DTLR/Villa. He has held significant leadership roles in Equinox, Pet Smart and Home Depot. He has been instrumental in retail expansions, store design, construction, merchandising and omni-channel commerce in hundreds of stores, in addition to developing and leading retail teams across the country.

Robin Debiase joined AWH as Chief People Officer in March 2021. In this role, Ms. Debiase leads the people team and strategy for the company. Prior to joining AWH, Ms. Debiase was VP of HR at WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) for over 12,000 associates across North America. Prior to WW, she was the Head of HR for Delta Galil Industries, a global manufacturer and marketer of private label apparel products, with owned brands such as 7 For All Mankind, Splendid and PJ Salvage, and licenses for Tommy Hilfiger, Columbia, Wilson and Calvin Klein. In her role there, Ms. Debiase led a cultural transformation of the human resources department into a high-functioning, accountable team focused on associate advocacy.

Prior to her time at Delta Galil Industries, Ms. Debiase’s career took her to Circuit City, as the Director of HR, Walgreens, where she was the Senior Director of HR, and Hanesbrands, Inc, where she served as the Senior Vice President of HR. Robin has an MBA from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and a BA from St. Joseph’s College.

David Gacom serves as Chief Operating Officer of Ascend, reporting to Frank Perullo. Mr. Gacom brings more than 23 years of cross-functional experience spanning sales, operations, marketing, supply chain, and commercialization, in the Cannabis and Food and Beverage industries. Most recently Mr. Gacom led Cresco Labs as Western Regional President, covering California and Arizona and leading all functions. Prior to cannabis, Mr. Gacom was the Chief Commercial Officer at Grecian Delight Foods, a leading provider of authentic Mediterranean foods servicing, and he held progressive leadership roles across Kraft Foods. He has launched over 30 new product lines while driving operational efficiencies across facilities, both domestically and abroad private companies servicing Retail (CPG) and Distribution (Wholesale/Private Label). Mr. Gacom holds an MBA from Kellogg’s Executive Management Program and a BBA in Marketing and Management Information Systems from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Miesieski joined AWH in 2022 and serves as Chief Brand Officer. Mr. Miesieski is a twenty-four-year CPG brand marketing veteran, with the greater part of his career being in the highly-regulated and consumer-friendly beverage alcohol industry, including stints with industry powerhouses AB-InBev and Diageo. Most recently Mr. Miesieski led transformational change overall as CMO for now Top 10 craft brewer SweetWater Brewing Company in both all facets of the marketing and innovation functions, as well as the organization overall as it grew from the 20th largest to #10 while the industry exploded from approximately 4,000 breweries to now 9,000+. During his tenure, while leveraging a core cannabis-adjacent “420 Lifestyle” brand positioning strategy, Mr. Miesieski was a key driver of extending SweetWater’s footprint from eight states to 42, expanding the brand portfolio via a major innovation agenda and into total beverage alcohol, and ultimately orchestrating the company’s sale to Canadian cannabis conglomerate Tilray Brands, Inc as their first foray into the US market.

Specializing in 360-degree, through-the-line CPG brand strategy, consumer/commercial marketing, and innovation, Mr. Miesieski drives all elements of the marketing mix and core to his approach is to not only deliver great marketing behind the organization and its brands to the world, but also as a key partner to internal stakeholders and teams across functions and with customer partners.

Rebecca Conti Koar joined AWH as Head of Investor Relations in June 2021. She is a business professional with an Engineering education. Ms. Koar has 10+ years of professional experience spanning Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Strategy, Investor Relations, and Venture Capital at both public and private companies. She has held prior positions at Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Covanta Energy (NYSE: CVA), Conduent (NASDAQ: CNDT), and Golden Seeds. Prior to her professional work, Ms. Koar graduated with a B.S. from the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Sciences with concentrations in Materials Science, Engineering Business, and Applied Math. At AWH, Ms. Koar is responsible for Primary responsibilities include the planning, development, and implementation of investor programs, messaging, and activities. She also serves as Corporate Liaison to the Board of Directors and oversees all Corporate Communications. If you are an investor or a potential investor, please reach out to her at [email protected].

Danielle Drummond is VP of Social Equity for AWH. Drummond has been a leader in advancing social impact agendas in the education, criminal justice, and community health space for over 15 years. A native Bostonian and Spelman College graduate, she has worked in community engagement and social equity at the state and local level in the public and nonprofit sectors. Her career has allowed her to see how systemic barriers across institutions affect the quality of life for individuals. Most recently she served under Rachael Rollins as Deputy Chief of Community Engagement where she was able to implement Rollins' criminal justice reform agenda; increasing the amount of funding to grassroots community based organizations, forming strategic partnerships, and implementing healing centered programming to supplement a punitive system.

Drummond’s work is centered in the belief that to make real change we have to keep the voices of those communities that have been harmed by systemic oppression at the forefront. She believes in community based solutions, supported by institutions.

Drummond’s commitment to community healing is seen not only in her career but her personal life as well. As the mother of a young son, she understands the importance of positive adults in the lives of youth and has mentored many young women and men. Drummond is a skilled facilitator on topics such as restorative justice, DEI, and positive youth development, she is a reiki practitioner and someone who deeply believes in Bell Hook's idea of the Beloved Community to transform society.