According to NHCC, in 2017 Hispanic business owners and founders comprised 5.7 percent of business owners in the legal cannabis industry. Green Thumb understands how the war on drugs has disproportionately impacted the Hispanic community, and how there are still numerous roadblocks preventing Latino entrepreneurs to thrive in this sector. Although Green Thumb cannot fully repair the damage that has affected the Hispanic community, becoming a member of the NHCC provides Green Thumb with the ability to offer support and advance equity within the cannabis space. Connecting with Hispanic entrepreneurs and individuals interested in launching their own canna-career is important to Green Thumb as a member.

Jai Kensey serves as the director of Social Impact at Green Thumb Industries leading restorative justice, community engagement, environmental and DE&I efforts. Jai joins Green Thumb after serving as the Manager of Development Communications at the American Red Cross, National Headquarters.

While at the Red Cross, she served as the liaison between Communications and Development departments to develop, implement and evaluate corporate social responsibility and strategic communications plans on behalf of corporate and foundation partners.

Prior to the Red Cross, Jai served as an Account Director at Young Communications Group in Los Angeles where she serviced community relations and communications campaigns, such as the California Department of Health’s Undo Tobacco campaign, The California Wellness Foundation’s Make it in Scrubs campaign and the Her Heart Community heart disease education national tour.

Before Young, Jai managed and supported various internal and external communications and community relations efforts in the non-profit, government and corporate sectors while working at companies such as Publicis Life Brands in Sydney, Australia, Edelman Public Relations in Sydney, Australia, Sprint, and Boost Mobile in Irvine, California, as well as Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide in Washington DC.

Jai received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Marketing from Georgia State University.