Shanita R. Penny, MBA, is a Senior Vice President of Public Affairs at Forbes Tate Partners (FTP) and serves as Director of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education and Regulation’s (CPEAR) Center of Excellence. Before joining FTP, she launched and still runs Budding Solutions, a boutique cannabis consultancy, and continues to positively impact the burgeoning cannabis industry and the greater community. Penny also co-founded DocHouse, a craft cannabis cultivator and manufacturer that was acquired in 2020 by AYR Wellness.

Penny served as vice president and president of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) from February 2017 to October 2019. Under her leadership, the MCBA hosted its inaugural Congressional Black Caucus Lobby Day, multiple policy summits and produced a model municipal ordinance that has influenced social equity policy throughout the country. Penny has provided testimony on equitable cannabis legalization in multiple cities and states and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Small Business Committee for a hearing to examine the role of small businesses in the cannabis industry. 

She lives to “end the stigma associated with cannabis” through her advocacy, businesses, and responsible consumption.