Management

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.
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.
Roman Nemchenko

Chief Financial Officer

Roman Nemchenko

Chief Financial Officer

Roman Nemchenko was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024, following his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since April 2020. He played a key role in the company’s 2021 IPO and has driven significant financial and operational improvements. With approximately 15 years of experience in finance and accounting, Mr. Nemchenko has a strong background in initial public offerings, financial analysis, M&A, restructurings, SEC reporting, technology implementations, tax strategy, and regulatory compliance. His career includes leadership roles at Acreage Holdings, Oscar Insurance, and Fortress Investment Group, as well as auditing and consulting experience at PwC. Mr. Nemchenko holds a CPA, a BS in Finance and Accounting, and an MS in Forensic Accounting.
David Gacom

Chief Commercial Officer

David Gacom

Chief Commercial Officer

David Gacom serves as Chief Commercial Officer of Ascend Wellness, following his stint as Chief Operating Officer over the past two years. Reporting to CEO John Hartmann, Mr. Gacom brings 25 years of cross-functional experience spanning sales, operations, retail, marketing, supply chain, and commercialization in the cannabis and food and beverage industries. Prior to Ascend, Mr. Gacom led Cresco Labs as the Western Region President, leading all functions. Prior to cannabis, Mr. Gacom was the Chief Commercial Officer at Grecian Delight Foods, a leading provider of Mediterranean foods servicing the Retail and Foodservice channels and held progressive leadership roles at Kraft Heinz. Mr. Gacom has launched over 40 new product lines in commercial businesses worldwide, while driving operational efficiencies across manufacturing and cultivation facilities in public and privately held companies. 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.
Melissa Feck

Chief People Officer

Melissa Feck

Chief People Officer

Melissa Feck joined AWH as Chief People Officer in January 2024. Ms. Feck has over 25 years of experience as a human resources leader. She was Chief Human Resources Officer most recently at Latham Pool Products (Nasdaq: SWIM) from 2016-2024, VP, HR and Member Education at the Healthcare Association of NYS in Rensselaer, NY from 2011-2016 and, previously, VP HR and Corporate Services at Broadview (CAP COM) Federal Credit Union in Albany, NY from 1993-2010 (during which she held prior management positions). While at Latham, Melissa was part of the leadership team responsible for the company’s IPO in 2021. In her former roles, Ms. Feck was responsible for HR strategy which includes talent management (recruitment, retention and career development), succession planning, total rewards/compensation/benefits, ESG/proxy human capital contributions, board relations, DEIB, Compensation Committee, performance management, culture, employee engagement, workforce planning, employee relations, mergers & acquisition people strategy, learning & development, employee safety and HR compliance/risk management.

Ms. Feck received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University at Albany in 1993 She received her Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification in 2007. She has served as a member of Capital Region, NY non-profit boards including St. Catherine’s Center for Children, Whitney M. Young Health Center, and CAP COM Cares Foundation. She has also participated in many HR educational programs as a speaker and facilitator on myriad HR topics.

Melissa resides in Altamont, NY with her husband Jim (Founder & President of DrumART, LLC) and their daughter Abby who is a student at Northeastern University and their son Andy who is a student at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Rebecca Conti Koar

Executive Vice President of Investor Relations & Strategy

Rebecca Conti Koar

Executive Vice President of Investor Relations & Strategy

Rebecca Koar joined AWH as Head of Investor Relations in June 2021. She currently serves as Executive Vice President of Investor Relations and Strategy. She previously also held the role of Corporate Secretary. Ms. Koar has 12+ years of professional experience spanning Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Strategy, Investor Relations, and Venture Capital at both public and private companies. She has held progressive leadership positions at Verizon (NYSE: VZ), Covanta Energy (NYSE: CVA), Conduent (NASDAQ: CNDT), and Golden Seeds. She has produced quarterly earnings communications for nearly 20 quarters, participated in over 30 completed acquisition processes, developed comprehensive corporate strategies for 3 companies, and participated in the evaluation of hundreds of venture offerings. At AWH, Ms. Koar is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of investor programs, messaging, and activities, as well as near- and long-term corporate strategy initiatives. She also serves as Chair of the Editorial Committee for the National Investor Relations Institute's IR Update Magazine. 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.