PHOENIX–Harvest Health & Recreation, Inc., a vertically integrated cannabis company with one of the largest and deepest footprints in the U.S., announced the appointment of Nicole Stanton as VP and General Counsel and Allyson Wilcox as Assistant General Counsel.
The two important additions expand Harvest’s world class executive team, bolstering its growing legal division of seven experienced lawyers to oversee and manage regulatory legal growth, compliance and licensing deals as Harvest continues their national expansion. Stanton and Wilcox will develop ethical best practices to position Harvest as the leading vertically integrated cannabis company, navigating state regulations and driving national cannabis legality and policy approaches.
“Our success is driven by our best-in-class team of experts who understand the complexities of how to manage the regulatory uncertainty that exists within the legal cannabis market. We focus on why cannabis is important for each community we enter into and it takes an in-depth understanding of community relations and law to allow us to enter the markets with extreme professionalism,” said Steve White, CEO of Harvest. “As Harvest continues our growth, we need the highest level of expertise in understanding regulatory, compliance, management and corporate ethics. We are thrilled to bring on Nicole and Allyson to guide us in setting the best standard of operations to create safe and transparent experiences nationally.”
Prior to her role at Harvest, Stanton held the position of Managing Partner in the Phoenix office of Quarles & Brady while simultaneously serving as the firm’s Assistant General Counsel. As a veteran legal and ethics expert, Stanton was responsible for overseeing over 100 lawyers and 75 professional legal staff in Phoenix covering 11 different legal practice areas. Her practice has been in commercial litigation and real estate. Her storied success as defense counsel for several local and national law firms, along with representing accounting firms, financial institutions, and insurance brokers, has garnered her an established and credible reputation across business practices. Stanton is also a leading Phoenix figure serving as the First Lady of Phoenix while her husband was Mayor from 2011-2018 and now a member of the United States Congress representing Arizona’s Ninth Congressional District. She continues to serve the community dedicated as an activist for children’s safety and wellbeing, specifically through her anti-bullying initiative, Stop Bullying AZ/The Dion Initiative.
Joining the company in April of this year, Wilcox leads a team of 14 in the Regulatory Compliance and Licensing Departments. Her exemplary background of navigating complicated markets stems from her prior experience at Beam Suntory where she served as the Associate General Counsel for the Americas Region among other legal roles. At Beam Suntory, Wilcox had a wide range of responsibilities for the company’s legal and regulatory strategies. In addition to her general corporate practice, she was a member of the Americas’ Leadership Team and Beam Suntory’s Environmental Management Committee. Wilcox led the Industry Affairs group which was responsible for legal and corporate social responsibility compliance for the marketing, advertising and sales functions.
“Harvest is at the forefront of shifting the model of licensing and regulation and I could not think of a better time to join the exceptional team that has paved the way for disrupting the industry and is setting a new standard of success for entry into new markets,” said Stanton. “It is an incredible opportunity to help navigate an emerging industry while bringing cannabis and its positive uses to more consumers nationally,” added Wilcox.
Harvest’s legal division plays a pivotal role in setting industry best practices as Harvest continues a fast-paced growth track, building, acquiring and expanding brands and distribution across the U.S. to more than 16 states and territories.
