Deborah Klein, JD, has more than 30 years of experience in the music business with expertise including strategy, intellectual property, deal making, touring, merchandise, brand management, royalty statements, film and tv, new technology, online social and retail strategy, recording, marketing and artist relations.

Deb graduated from Suffolk University Law School in Boston with a concentration in intellectual property and contracts. She started her own law practice while simultaneously running the iconic punk label TAANG! Records, releasing over sixty albums in three years. In the early nineties, she started her own management company in Boston, finding and developing indie music icons and working with numerous major and independent record labels.

Deb moved to Los Angeles in 2001 to serve as in-house legal counsel for Spivak Sobol Entertainment as well as manager for Eve Six, Vanessa Carlton, Flyleaf, Yellowcard, Alexi Murdoch and Liam Finn. Spivak Sobol was acquired by The Firm, where Deb worked with artists from Smashing Pumpkins to Korn and Five Finger Death Punch. As GM for Prospect Park, Deborah was responsible for breaking Five Finger Death Punch with multiple Gold and Platinum Albums and multiple top ten singles.

Ten years ago Deb joined Primary Wave as a Joint Venture Partner. Her current roster includes Melissa Etheridge, Cypress Hill, Plain White T’s, Flyleaf, Ashlynn Malia, and Morphine. She loves music and art of all kinds, and when she is not working you will often find her in the kitchen or riding her bike.

Alabama-born Juli Crockett is a bona fide Renaissance woman: singer/songwriter, playwright/theater director, (undefeated) professional boxer and amateur champion, ordained minister, proud owner of a PhD (summa cum laude) from The European Graduate School, leader of the alt-country/Americana genre-defying band The Evangenitals, comedy writer, improviser, and weird mom.

Dr. Crockett has been a trusted compliance consultant to cannabis licensees across the supply chain since 2015. Elected to the CCIA Board of Directors in 2017, over the years Juli also served as Co-Chair of NCIA’s Federal Policy Committee, Chair of CCIA’s Legislative Committee, and a member of CCIA's Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Equity committee.

A published playwright, Juli’s works include 'Void Creation: Theater and the Faith of Signifying Nothing' (Atropos Press) and [or, the whale] (Delere Press). Excerpts of her play 'Saint Simone', appear in the collection 'I Might Be the Person You Are Talking To' (Padua Playwrights Press).

Unique to her career, Juli was also a professional boxer who was featured in Sports Illustrated, US News, and Music Connection Magazine (due to her professional connection to Jerry Boyd, aka F.X. Toole), and the film Million Dollar Baby. Juli retired from boxing professionally in 2002, undefeated at 3-0 (2 KO’s).

Joe Greenberg is a bon vivant-in-training and student of human connection. He has worked in California, New York, and now Nebraska as a production manager in television, community organizer, and blossoming counselor respectively. Joe is a graduate student at the University of Nebraska, nearing completion of a master’s degree in social work (MSW).

Erin Samueli is a philanthropist, advocate for education, and community leader, recognized for her commitment to fostering equity, innovation, and well-being.

Along with the Etheridge Foundation board, Erin plays an active role in advancing the mission of the Samueli Foundation as a board member. She also serves as board chair for Alianza Translatinx, the first and only trans-led nonprofit in Orange County, CA. Erin is particularly passionate about initiatives that bring power to underserved populations, especially LGBTQ+ and communities of color. Known for her thoughtful and hands-on approach, Erin strives to ensure that the causes she supports achieve meaningful, long-lasting outcomes with an eye toward justice and healing.

In addition to her work in philanthropy, Erin is a naturalist, ecologist, and mycologist. A former middle school science teacher, Erin focuses on bringing the knowledge that the Earth holds within it to others. Inspired by her experience learning from Indigenous peoples, she hopes to emulate stewardship of nature in all her work. Erin uses every opportunity she has to spread knowledge of the healing power contained in the Earth and its inhabitants and uses this ethos to create resilient connections with like-minded individuals who hope to change the world for the better.

Sylvia Kim is honored to serve as a strategic advisor for the Etheridge Foundation, leveraging her expertise to further their transformative mission of healing the root causes of opioid use disorder.

Sylvia is also the Founder & CEO of Rebel For Good – a strategic consulting firm specializing in catalyzing capital for good. With an ecosystem-building approach to capital formation, Sylvia works with visionary investors and impact-driven leaders who use their power for good.

As an award-winning human rights lawyer turned investor, Sylvia has dedicated her career to empowering underserved and underinvested communities and has a successful track record of initiating and growing mission-driven ventures.

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Sylvia practiced criminal law as both a defense attorney and as an Assistant Crown Attorney. Sylvia received her Bachelor’s Degree at Queen’s University, her Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School and completed her Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law (LL.M. equivalent) at Oxford University.

Beverly Snow is the Program and Communications Manager at the Etheridge Foundation, where she leads communications, supports Foundation programs, and helps advance the Foundation's mission to accelerate groundbreaking scientific research into plant medicine and psychedelic-assisted treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD).

With a background in education and supporting nonprofit organizations and foundations, Bev specializes in strategic communications and program management. She is passionate about creating thoughtful communications that connect people, elevate ideas, and inspire meaningful action.

Bev holds a Master's degree in Communication Management from the University of Southern California and brings experience supporting nonprofits, foundations, and community-focused initiatives in service of meaningful, mission-aligned impact.

Steven Girmant’s experience in the music industry spans over 45 years, from his humble beginnings loading trucks, culminating in his role as Tour Manager. For more than 31 of those years, he has had the privilege of working closely with Melissa Etheridge, witnessing her personal journey with plant medicines and her evolution into an advocate.

A passionate supporter of Indigenous Rights, Steven aligns closely with the Etheridge Foundation’s mission to educate the public on psychedelic research. 

After losing his youngest sister to addiction, Steven is dedicated to supporting groundbreaking scientific research into plant medicine and psychedelic treatments, particularly for opioid use disorder, by developing nature-based therapies that go beyond conventional pharmaceutical approaches.

Delilah Panio has been in the capital markets for over 20 years. She is currently Vice President of U.S. Capital Formation for Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) based in Southern California. In this role, Delilah advises U.S. companies on the opportunity to list and raise capital on Canada’s premier equity markets. Previously, Delilah spent 10 years at TSX and TSXV in business development and strategy in Toronto. She has advised many companies from bootstrapping to I.P.O. and of private and public financing options in Canada and the U.S.

Delilah is also the founder of Fortuna Funding which provides practical and intentional guidance on accessing aligned capital, particularly for female founders. She is an active investor, frequent speaker, advisory board member, Coralus Activator, and a partner with UBS and Coralus on Project Female Founder (a global investor-readiness program).

Delilah holds an MBA in Enterprise Development and a BA in English and has completed a certification as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner.

Delilah has a very personal experience with plant medicines catalyzed by a breast cancer diagnosis in 2019. She is very passionate about access to the medicines with integrity and discernment.

Greg Mech is a Managing Director of Caprock in Newport Beach, CA., bringing global private wealth management and strategy expertise from over 40 years of experience in financial markets to families in southern California. The firm acts as a family's CFO and CIO providing wealth strategies and intensive risk management with access to solutions throughout the capital markets and wealth management universe.  

Prior to joining The CAPROCK Group, Greg worked for over thirty five years as a consultant, wealth manager, entrepreneur and senior executive. He is the former Managing Director of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., where he was responsible for the Global Private Client Wealth Management Business and Strategy in the Western US.

In addition to being an Advisor at The Etheridge Foundation, Greg is a board member at Bring Change to Mind. He has served as a board member of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Alzheimer’s Orange County, Freedom Writers Foundation, Operation Underground Railroad and an advisor to Shatterproof.  

Greg has been a dedicated mentor to many professionals, and is also enthusiastic in promoting education and financial literacy for the children in our communities. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, and resides in Laguna Beach CA.

Davina is a doula, Chinese medicine practitioner, wellness coach and devoted student of the plants. The Founding Minister of Allin Kawsay Ministries, she has been engaging in spiritual work for more than 15 years, including extensive study with Doña Cristina Mendoza, the matriarchal lineage holder in Peru.

In addition to leading meditation retreats at home in Hawaii and across the US throughout the year, Davina directs all aspects of Allin Kawsay’s trajectory and growth. She is a mom of two sons with Tony, her partner of more than 30 years.

Dr. Chantelle Thomas, Executive Clinical Director of Windrose Recovery, is a Clinical Health Psychologist specializing in the treatment of addiction and trauma.

Since 2013, Dr. Thomas has been studying the therapeutic use of psychedelics for individuals with PTSD, substance use disorders, and depression via clinical and mechanistic research trials at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She is certified in both MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy and Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) and established Integrata, an integrative KAP treatment program that implements a relational, inner-directed model for trauma reprocessing for both residential and outpatient clients. 

Dr. Thomas is directly involved in teaching, training, and consulting with clinical trials in the academic and private sector involving LSD, MDMA, Psilocybin, Ketamine, and 5-MeO-DMT. She also hosts a podcast, Blind Spots: Exploring What We Cannot See, that examines therapeutic blind spots in both established and novel treatments for substance use and trauma-related conditions.

Our beloved friend “Mama Lynne” Whitesides passed into Spirit on July 7, 2025 at the age of 73.

A cherished Advisor to the Etheridge Foundation, Lynne provided vital elder wisdom to help guide our work. Her spirit and legacy guide us still.

Lynne’s 30 years of experience as a medicine worker and life coach touched and influenced countless lives, including many people struggling with addiction. She worked with Jungian therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists, along with extensive work with the spiritual lineage matriarch, Cristina Mendoza, in Peru.

Some perfect words about Lynne from her obituary:

“She loved and was loved by so many people all over the world. She was a light, a sign post, pointing the way to the divine. She knew that we are all one. Our relationships with her will continue.”

Read more about Lynne’s remarkable life here.

Rick French is chairman & chief executive officer of French/West/Vaughan (FWV), a 40x National PR Agency of the Year recipient with offices in Raleigh, New York City, Detroit, L.A. and Tampa. He has been named CEO or Agency Leader of the Year 9x by various PR industry trade publications and was named one of the World’s 300 Most Influential Communicators by both Forbes and PR Week in recent years. He has also been named one of NC’s Most Influential People each of the past four years by Business North Carolina magazine.

Rick is also an accomplished, award-winning film and television producer who has partnered with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Lin Manuel Miranda and Dwayne Johnson on recent projects.

He is co-owner of the Daytona Tortugas, the Single A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds, and he owns minority stakes in the Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association through his single-member capital fund.

In addition to serving the Board of Trustees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum in Cleveland, Ohio; he is Chairman of the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation; and Is Vice Chairman of Teen Cancer America, which was founded by Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend of The Who. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors of the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association. He is presently serving a four-year term as Chairman of PBS North Carolina, the country’s third-largest public broadcasting network.

Rick grew up in the Metro Detroit area where he attended Oakland University, graduating with a B.A. in journalism.

Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Dr. Christopher Nicholas is Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health with expertise in clinical and experimental trial design, training, and neuroimaging in the field of psychedelics. His research examines the clinical efficacy and therapeutic mechanisms of psychedelics and other psychoactive compounds for addiction (alcohol, opioid, and methamphetamine use disorders), trauma, chronic pain, and depression. Dr. Nicholas is also a supervisor for the UW Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, and provides specialty clinical services focused on opioid medication management and taper in the context of chronic pain, addiction, and trauma.

Danielle Nova is a world-leading expert in microdosing and psychedelic-assisted approaches for addiction recovery. She is the Executive Director of the first and largest psychedelic society in the United States, San Francisco Psychedelic Society, as well as the Founder of Lumeria and the Microdosing Facilitator Training, the first such certification training in North America.

Danielle transformed her life out of 15 years of severe drug addiction through the intentional use of psychedelics and microdosing. She went on to found Psychedelic Recovery, a harm reduction peer support group that has provided integration services for thousands of individuals around the globe who are utilizing psychedelics to interrupt addictive patterns. 

As a leader in the field, Danielle has professionally trained and certified over 100 clinicians, coaches and wellness practitioners to become ethical, trauma-informed microdosing facilitators. With nearly a decade of experience, Danielle has made a significant global impact by creating and delivering educational programs, integration groups and addiction recovery services to more than 25,000 individuals worldwide.

Danielle was also instrumental in working on the founding team of Decriminalize Nature Oakland, which passed the first resolution in the United States to deprioritize all entheogenic plants and fungi. Featured in esteemed outlets such as CBS News, SXSW and the MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference, Danielle is a trailblazer in microdosing training, advocacy and addiction treatment.