NBPA Exec. Dir. Michele Roberts Becomes the First Female Board Director of Cannabis Company Cresco

National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Executive Director Michele Roberts announced her latest play earlier this week. The respected business leader and distinguished trial lawyer was tapped to join the board of directors at Cresco Labs, one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the U.S. This appointment makes Roberts the first woman and first black woman to join the board.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on Cresco Labs’ Board and work alongside the senior leadership and management teams in their efforts to elevate the company to the next level of excellence,” said Roberts in a statement sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE. “I look forward to advancing Cresco Labs’ distinctive brands of high quality products and services, particularly those focused on the promise held by medicinal cannabis to treat conditions and illnesses where more traditional protocols have not met the patients’ needs, and I am also committed to supporting Cresco’s Labs’ social responsibility efforts which are focused on the industry’s first national Social Equity and Education Development initiative to better both individual lives and underrepresented communities.”

Roberts has served as the Executive Director of the NBPA since 2014, where she works on behalf of NBA players to ensure that their rights are protected and that they are fairly compensated. Prior to that, she was an esteemed trial lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Her practice focused on complex civil and white-collar criminal litigation before state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings. She also served as a former member of the adjunct faculty at Harvard Law School, where she taught trial advocacy. She joins the Cresco Labs board during a time of heightened awareness and increased demand for diversity on corporate boards.

“Ms. Roberts is an outstanding addition to our board,” said Tom Manning, Cresco Labs’ executive chairman, in a press release sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Drawing on her experience in leading one of the most important player organizations in the sports world and her expertise in law and litigation as a highly-accomplished trial attorney and educator, Michele will provide a unique perspective at a critical time of continued growth and expansion in the industry.”

Charlie Bachtell, Cresco Labs’ CEO and co-founder added, “We are advocates of a more diverse and inclusive cannabis industry, and we are thrilled to have Michele’s counsel, experience and leadership to help influence the development of both our Company and this industry. We believe her contributions will be invaluable to Cresco.”