“As the cannabis industry matures, it is imperative the industry includes everyone. The National Hispanic Cannabis Council provides a coordinated strategy to create a platform of cannabis research, advocacy, and education for Latinx and Hispanic communities”
Mykel Selph is the Vice President of SEED at Cresco Labs. The Social Equity & Education Development (SEED) initiative was established in 2019 with a mission to develop tangible pathways into the cannabis industry for communities impacted by the war on Drugs through three pillars: restorative justice initiatives, community business incubators, and educational and workforce development programming. She oversees all SEED activities, from justice-oriented partnerships to expungement events to educational workshops to jumpstarting entrepreneurial cannabis businesses, to ensure that Cresco Labs is an active participant in supporting and uplifting those in impacted communities and upholds the companies commitment to restorative justice.
Mrs. Selph is a seasoned social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and change management professional with more than 15 years of experience in the public and private sectors. She is recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for leading teams and organizational development programs through strategic planning, goal setting, and coaching, as well as translating strategic plans into concrete deliverables. Her personal and professional mission is to create safe spaces for ongoing dialogue about social justice issues that are non-judgmental and empathic. She believes that dialogue is an opportunity for everyone to acknowledge the context in which we exist and begin learning to peacefully coexist.
Before joining Cresco Labs, Mrs. Selph was a Sr. Consultant at Deloitte, responsible for directing and managing all diversity and inclusion research and projects and eminence opportunities. She also served as a Project Manager at ICF International and an independent justice consultant. Mrs. Selph is a thought leader on social equity and justice who is frequently called on to lend her perspectives and expertise at industry events, including the 2020 American Psychological Association Convention, City of Chicago Cannabis Resource Fair, Georgetown University’s Center for Justice Reform- Supporting LGBTQ Youth Certificate Program (2017, 2018, 2019), American Parole and Probation Association Training Institute, Grand Valley State University Juvenile Justice Vision 20/20, Youth Collaborative Connections 2015, National Partnership of Juvenile Services Symposium (2011, 2012, 2013), Chicago NORMLs Women In Cannabis and the Chicago Cannabis Entrepreneurial Roundtable. She is currently an ambassador of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Mrs. Selph graduated from Roosevelt University with a master’s degree in Public Administration & Non-Profit Management. She also holds a master’s degree in Community Counseling from Argosy University Chicago and is working towards a Ph.D. in Public Policy Administrations from Walden University.