David Lakeman will keep his job with the Illinois Department of Agriculture and will not be running the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
The Cannabis Control Commission’s search to find a new and permanent executive director was a long-running whirlwind.
Last November, founding CCC Executive Director Shawn Collins announced his resignation from the agency. Prior to that, his employment status had been unclear since July 2023, when then-CCC Chair Shannon O’Brien shocked industry stakeholders, fellow members, and Collins alike with an unwelcome impromptu human resources announcement during a public meeting which prefaced much uncertainty around the top position.
Last October, members tapped Chief People Officer Debra Hilton-Creek to serve as acting ED, but then clashed eight months later as some members moved to redelegate her director duties to various department heads.
In January 2024, the CCC established an executive director search committee to “identify and engage search committee participants,” and to write a new job description. The regulations that established the agency left room for interpretation when it came to who does what around here and who is basically in charge, aggravations that demonstrably spurred confusion and disagreements between hired and appointed employees. Toward the end of her active tenure, O’Brien even questioned the intended statutory pecking order at a public meeting.
With a new job description, commissioners made clarifications. And in late October, roughly 10 months after officially starting their search, the three active members—Nurys Camargo, Kimberly Roy, and Bruce Stebbins, the chair—chose former CCC Director of Government Affairs David Lakeman to fill the position Collins left last December. The unanimous vote came after interviews with four finalist candidates.
In his hour-and-a-half long interview, Lakeman spoke about his journey in cannabis regulation, from the early CCC in Massachusetts to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, where he has served as the cannabis division manager since 2022.
“Having an individual who has already accomplished some of the things that we are trying to accomplish here for the industry, I think would be extraordinarily helpful,” said Commissioner Roy, who liked that Lakeman had worked with overlapping agencies in Illinois.
“There’s a lot of innovation with the experience he has and can bring to the table,” Commissioner Camargo said. “The industry moves fast, so we need to move faster, and I think David will help us do that.”
But that’s not going to happen according to plan. Today, the Boston Globe reported that Lakeman isn’t going to accept the job. He told the paper in a statement: “After receiving an offer from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to serve as its Executive Director, I have declined the opportunity and will remain with the Illinois Department of Agriculture.”
Here’s what the CCC has to say:
“The Cannabis Control Commission is appreciative of Mr. Lakeman’s consideration of our offer to take on the Executive Director role in Massachusetts and respects his decision to remain in Illinois.
“After reviewing more than 170 candidates for the position, on Oct. 28, the Commission interviewed four finalists who conveyed interest in managing our 140-person staff and helping to maintain and grow the Commonwealth’s reputation as a leader in legal cannabis nationwide. The Commission is considering next steps for the hire, and any decisions to move forward will be noticed and voted upon as part of a future public meeting, according to the normal course.
“We remain committed to the process of bringing on the next, permanent Executive Director to lead the agency’s administration and Massachusetts’ regulated industry into the future. To protect the Commission’s negotiating position, we cannot comment further at this time.”
The CCC is reportedly negotiating with another candidate to be the “next, permanent Executive Director.” To be continued …
