NCIA’s Founding CEO Stepping Down After 15 Years

[PRESS RELEASE] – WASHINGTON, D.C., July 23, 2025 – The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), the nation’s largest and most established cannabis trade group, announced that its founding CEO, Aaron Smith, will step down on Aug. 15. Smith will continue to serve on NCIA’s Board of Directors to help ensure a smooth transition and support the organization’s continued success and impact. 

“It’s been the honor of a lifetime to serve this organization’s members and help build a great new American industry,” Smith said. “NCIA was founded to give cannabis businesses a seat at the policymaking table at a time when we were fighting just to be taken seriously. Today, our industry is safely serving tens of millions of adult consumers, generating billions in economic activity and tax revenue, and is more politically engaged than ever. I’m proud of what we’ve built together and look forward to supporting NCIA’s continued impact from a new vantage point.”

Smith’s departure marks a shift in organizational structure and management, with leadership transitioning to NCIA’s Board of Directors. The board is chaired by Adam Rosenberg, a longtime cannabis industry advocate, adviser, and executive at Vlasic Bioscience, an NCIA Evergreen Member since 2023.

NCIA’s Board of Directors is composed of leaders from across the legal cannabis supply chain who have been selected by the association’s broader membership. The board brings deep expertise in policy, business and advocacy that will guide the organization through this transition and into its next phase of impact.

Additionally, the board has promoted Chief Strategy Officer Brooke Gilbert to the role of chief operating officer (COO), where she will oversee all day-to-day operations, including staff and contractor management. Gilbert has served in leadership roles at NCIA for more than a decade and brings a steady hand and deep institutional knowledge to this transition.

The NCIA staff and board remain firmly committed to advancing the organization’s mission: championing policy reforms that support small and independent businesses while delivering exceptional service to members. With those goals in mind, the board is undertaking a purposeful and thoughtful process to identify new leadership, while also supporting the organization’s next phase of growth and impact.

“NCIA is in incredibly capable hands. Brooke has been a driving force behind the scenes for years, and our board brings unmatched experience and commitment to this mission,” Smith said.

“One of NCIA’s greatest strengths is the ability to unify a diverse industry around shared priorities,” Rosenberg said. “Aaron built an organization with lasting influence, and we are grateful for his leadership. As we turn the page and enter a new era for cannabis, I am honored to lead the organization forward with such an exceptional team.

“We are more committed than ever to delivering our members the strategic, coordinated advocacy that reflects the full potential of the cannabis movement.”

Smith’s next chapter will focus on advancing structural reforms that address political dysfunction and polarization—barriers that have long impeded federal progress on cannabis policy. He will serve as political director at Unite America, a leading cross-partisan organization working on electoral reforms like open primaries.

“In a sense, I’m still working on cannabis reform,” Smith said. “But I’m moving further upstream to help fix the broken political systems that have stood in the way of meaningful federal progress.”

During this transition, the organization’s leadership can be reached at [email protected] or (888) 683-5650.