Gretchen Gailey has worked in the cannabis industry for the past seven years in a communications and government affairs role advancing the industry through its data and the stories of those involved. She works specifically with cannabis clients to tell their stories to make sure they have the traction they need to grow their businesses and influence policy makers.I am currently the founder of Panoptic Strategies, a Public Relations and Strategic Communications consulting firm with experience in event production, marketing, and relationship management. Prior to Panoptic, I worked at KCSA Strategic Communications where I spearheaded and ran the KCSA Congressional Cannabis Day Forum, which was the first cannabis event ever to be held under the dome of the U.S. Capitol. The day was sponsored by the Cannabis Caucus and at that event, panelists presented the latest concerns in the sector to lawmakers, staffers, media, and industry participants. They covered pivotal issues, like, social equity, banking, CBD, veterans, and opioids abuse. The day concluded with the Washington D.C. premier of Ricki Lake’s documentary, Weed the People, which chronicles the struggles of families across the country trying to obtain medical cannabis for their dying children.As the Executive Vice President of Communications & Government Affairs for New Frontier Data, I developed and implemented an integrated strategic communications plan to advance the company's brand identity, broaden awareness of its services, and increase its visibility across key stakeholder audiences; making it one of the most recognized companies in the cannabis space. In my last year alone there, I grew our earned media coverage by over 800%. I also worked with lawmakers to inform them on tax policy and provided the U.S. Senate Finance Committee with the data necessary to draft cannabis tax legislation. Before joining the cannabis movement, I served as the Communications Director for Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I also have a wide depth of knowledge in communications from my experience as a journalist with Fox News and NBC News in Washington, D.C.Over the past 20 years, I have gained a wide depth of knowledge in communications. I have worked in network news, cable news and local news, on and off the camera, as well as in print journalism. I have interviewed heads of state, covered natural disasters, political campaigns, terrorist trials and told the stories of countless Americans across the country.