LEADERSHIP TEAM
CYNTHIA PETRONE-HUDOCK | LEADERSHIP TEAM CHAIR
Hemp-Alternative, LLC
Cynthia has over 15 years of consulting experience, ranging from financial institutions to healthcare and now the cannabis industry. She has worked with cannabis companies for over 5 years assisting with strategic plans, go-to-market tactics and operational execution by focusing on people, process and technology. Cynthia is an investor and advisor to New Frontier Data, Co-Chairs the PA Hemp Steering Committee and is a member of the Chester County Agriculture Development Council (the first County in the State to incorporate hemp into the strategic plan). She manages cannabinoid, fiber and grain grows, formulates and distributes hemp-derived cannabinoid infused consumer products, is Co-Founder of a cannabis supply chain evaluation company (CSQI, LLC) and hemp food line (Intention Lifestyles).
DAN SUMMA
ArgiHemp Industries
Dan Summa is the Founder and CEO of AgriHemp Industries, a hemp processing company. Mr. Summa is also the Executive Director of the U.S. Ecological Advanced Research & Conservation Hub (USEARCH). USEARCH is focused on research around agricultural technologies and products derived from them. It is through USEARCH that Mr. Summa got involved in the hemp and cannabis industries. USEARCH has received a research permit to grow industrial hemp and Mr. Summa consults on technology related to plant growth. It is Mr. Summa’s vision for a vertically integrated hemp company that has resulted in assembling the pieces for AgriHemp Industries. He lives in Pennsylvania on a 16-acre farm where he grows hemp, corn and hay.
CARLA GARZON
Delaware Valley University
Dr. Garzon is the K.H. Littlefield Endowed Professor of Plant Science in the Department of Plant Science, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Sciences at Delaware Valley University. She serves as the Director of the Cannabis Studies Academic programs at DelVal, that include a Horticulture Major and a professional certificate on Cannabis Studies. Dr. Garzon teaches an introductory course on Cannabis and another course on hemp production, and horticulture courses on hydroponics and greenhouse management. She is also the director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Laboratory. Her hemp research program conducts research on horticultural production of hemp, hemp diseases and hemp breeding. Dr. Garzon received her BS degree in Biological Sciences from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, her PhD in Plant Pathology from Pennsylvania State University, and a Certificate on Cannabis Horticulture from Oaksterdam University. Before joining Delaware Valley University, she spent 12 years at Oklahoma State University as a tenure track faculty. As a Professor in Plant Pathology, Dr. Garzon taught courses on introductory plant pathology, soilborne plant pathogens, population genetics of plant pathogens, and scientific presentations, and conducted research on soilborne pathogens of horticultural and field crops.
ERICA STARK
PA Hemp Industry Council
Erica Stark is committed and knowledgeable hemp professional who has dedicated herself to the growth and development of the industry. As the Executive Director of the National Hemp Association (NHA) since 2017, she has become a trusted voice for policymakers and industry leaders. She was honored to be invited to testify at a US Senate Ag Committee hearing in 2019.
Erica’s service to the hemp industry can be traced back to her grassroots advocacy work in 2014. She went on to become a founding member of the Pennsylvania Hemp Industry Council (PAHIC), serving as both Secretary and Executive Director. She was part of a small team that successfully pushed through hemp legislation in Pennsylvania. In 2023 she was elected as Chairwoman of PAHIC.
SARAH PICKEL | EX OFFICIO MEMBER
PA Department of Agriculture
Sarah Pickel is the Hemp Program Coordinator in the Bureau of Plant Industry at the PA Department of Agriculture. She’s been in the position since the fall of 2019, administering the permitting of hemp growers and processors, but has been working on Hemp in the Department since 2016. Sarah served over 14 years at the Department as an Integrated Pest Management education specialist (contracted through Penn State University) focusing on outreach to the nursery industry and school facility managers. Before her work through Penn State, she worked in the Department’s Plant Pathology Laboratory. Sarah is a graduate of Messiah College and has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Education.
MIKE ROTH | EXECUTIVE POLICY SPECIALIST
William Penn Fellow at PDA
Michael Roth is a William Penn Fellow with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Based in the policy office, his work focuses on food security, urban agriculture, climate change, and hemp.
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