The Board of Directors of Ascend Wellness Holdings (the "Company") sets high standards for the Company's employees, officers, and directors. Implicit in this philosophy is the importance of sound corporate governance. It is the duty of the Board of Directors to serve as a prudent fiduciary for shareholders and to oversee the management of the Company's business. To fulfill its responsibilities and to discharge its duty, the Board of Directors follows the procedures and standards that are set forth in these guidelines. These guidelines are subject to modification from time to time as the Board of Directors deems appropriate in the best interests of the Company or as required by applicable laws and regulations.

Documents

Board of Directors

  • Samuel Brill

    Samuel Brill

    Chief Executive Officer and Director

    Samuel Brill

    Chief Executive Officer and Director

    Samuel Brill was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024. Mr. Brill has served on our Board since May 2023, when he was also appointed as Lead Independent Director. Mr. Brill is Chairman of the Board of Invacare Holdings Corporation (OTC: IVCRQ), a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of medical products. Sam served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Seventh Avenue Investments, LLC (“SAI”) for the last seven years. At SAI, Mr. Brill managed all aspects of the private equity business of a multibillion-dollar single-family office in New York City. He played a critical role in helping the management teams of portfolio companies with strategic decisions, including mergers, acquisitions, corporate reorganization, and financial planning. Before joining SAI, Mr. 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, Mr. Brill was the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Amedia Networks (formerly TTR Technologies), a publicly traded technology IP company. Prior to joining Amedia in November 2001, Mr. Brill was a senior financial analyst at JDS Capital Management, a hedge fund that was also the largest shareholder of TTR, which he joined as the first employee in February 1998. He has served on numerous public and private boards and committees, including the Investment Committee of NewLake Capital Partners, Inc. (OTCQX: NLCP), a cannabis REIT.

  • Julie Francis

    Julie Francis

    Director

    Julie Francis

    Director

    Ms. Francis currently serves as Chief Operating Officer for The Schwan’s Company, a leading U.S.-based manufacturer and marketer of quality foods offered through retail-grocery and food-service channels. Prior to her appointment as Chief Operating Officer in January 2021, Ms. Francis served as President, Consumer Brands, Americas since October 2018. Prior to Schwan’s, Ms. Francis served as Senior Vice President, Commercial and Category Development – Total Beverage Alcohol at Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ), a Fortune 500 company and leading international producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits, from 2017 to 2018. Ms. Francis also served as Chief Commercial Officer - North America, Coca-Cola Refreshments, a subsidiary of The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories, from 2010 to 2015. Ms. Francis holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Alfred University and is an alumni of The Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.
  • gold

    Josh Gold

    Director

    Josh Gold

    Director

    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.
  • Abner CEO

    Abner Kurtin

    Executive Chairman and Founder

    Abner Kurtin

    Executive Chairman and Founder

    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 P

    Frank Perullo

    Co-Founder, President, and Director

    Frank Perullo

    Co-Founder, President, and Director

    Frank Perullo was appointed President of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024. Prior to that served as the EVP of Corporate Affairs and a Co-Founder of AWH. He also serves on the Board of Directors. Perullo previously served as interim-CEO of Ascend. 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 initial 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

    Scott Swid

    Director

    Scott Swid

    Director

    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.
  • jh

    John Hartmann

    Director

    John Hartmann

    Director

    John Hartmann served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of Ascend Wellness Holdings Inc. from May 2023 through August 2024. He is currently a Director on the Board of Ascend. Hartmann is the former President of buybuyBaby and COO of Bed Bath & Beyond from 2020 to 2022. Previously, from 2013-2020, he was the President & Chief Executive Officer at True Value Company, a privately owned U.S. hardware wholesaler and manufacturer. Hartmann also led New Zealand-based Mitre 10 as Chief Executive Officer from 2010 to 2013, and held various executive positions at HD Supply, The Home Depot, and Cardinal Health. Prior to his corporate career, he served as a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hartmann previously served on the Board and Audit Committee of AmeriGas and Board of HD Supply. In addition to serving on the Board of Boyd Group Services (dba Gerber Collison & Glass), he currently serves as an Independent Director of Freedom VCM Holdings, owners of The Vitamin Shoppe, American Freight, Pet Supplies Plus, amongst others.

Committee Composition

Audit Compensation & Corporate Governance
Samuel Brill
Julie Francis Compensation & Corporate Governance
Josh Gold Audit
John Hartmann
Abner Kurtin Audit Compensation & Corporate Governance
Frank Perullo
Scott Swid Audit Compensation & Corporate Governance
= Chairperson = Member