Creating education, engagement & training opportunities for brands, healthcare institutions, higher learning, policymakers & the public through consulting, curriculum & media. Sara Payan is a nationally recognized & award-winning educator, public speaker, policy advocate, writer & the host of the "Planted with Sara Payan" podcast. For over a decade, Sara worked for the Apothecarium as their Director of Education & Public Education Officer. An industry veteran with over 20,000 hours of experience guiding & educating the public, Payan has her finger on the pulse of the industry regarding consumer trends & product development & trained cannabis professionals on consumer relationship building & the art of the sale. She has consulted with numerous brands on product development, public outreach, marketing & engagement for businesses.Sara sits on the California Cannabis Advisory Committee & the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee & was Co-Chair of the San Francisco State Cannabis Legalization Taskforce. As a Stage III cancer survivor & former civil rights professional, she believes that educating consumers & policymakers makes for safe access, sound policy and equitable industry opportunities. Sara consults with large healthcare organizations such as Kaiser & UCSF, helping them understand the role cannabis can play in patients' lives and offering educational sessions for their patients. She leads large-scale industry training & lectures nationwide, including CEU credit classes for healthcare practitioners. Sara created & taught the first cannabis education workshops for City College of San Francisco. She has presented her educational series at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, SF Public Library & Glide Memorial Church.Sara was named among the 100+ Most Important Women in Cannabis for 2019 & 2020. She is a subject matter expert for lifestyle publications such as Self Magazine. Her work has been highlighted in Forbes, High Times, MG Retailer, Magnetic Magazine, The Bold Italic, SF Weekly, SF Chronicle, California Leaf, & Damian Marley's "Medication" video series. Sara is a contributing writer for Rolling Stone & Cannabis Now. She has been honored to speak & lecture at MJ Unpacked, the Cannabis Business Times Conference, New West Summit, Women in Cannabis Expo, Patients Out of Time (faculty), Women Grow, The Women's Visionary Congress & the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association.