Wanda James
Wanda James | |
---|---|
Member of the University of Colorado Board of Regents from the 1st district | |
Assumed office January 5, 2023 | |
Preceded by | John "Jack" Kroll |
Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
Wanda L. James is the first
In 2022, James was elected to represent Congressional District 1 on the
Life
James is married to Scott Durrah, a former United States Marine. He is a certified chef.[1][5][2]
Education
In 1986, James graduated from the
Career
James is a former naval officer, who served as an
Her political career has spanned over two decades, beginning in Los Angeles working on numerous campaigns as the communications director. After moving to Colorado, she became a campaign manager for numerous candidates. She managed Colorado representative Jared Polis's first campaign, and ran the 2006 congressional race in Colorado Springs, Colorado for Lieutenant Colonel Jay Fawcett.[8] She worked on former President Barack Obama's 2008 National Finance Committee.[1][7][5][2] She worked on Colorado governor John Hickenlooper's task force for Colorado's Amendment 64. She also served on Senator Kamala Harris' National Finance Committee as she ran for POTUS.
She has served as the President of the Nation Women's Political Caucus - Los Angeles. She was named a Junior League Board Fellow in 2002 and also served on the board of directors of the Starlight Children's Foundation and the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce. She was appointed to the Los Angeles Small and Local Business Commission.
Moving to Colorado, her first board appointment was on the Alumni Board at the University of Colorado. She worked on Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper's task force for Colorado's Amendment 64. She also served on Governor Jared Polis' 2019 Transition Team and Mayor Mike Johnson's 2023 Transition Team. She was appointed to the Colorado Tourism Board in 2019.
She was drawn to get into the cannabis industry after discovering that America's prison system was fueled by Black and Latino arrests for possession of cannabis, an issue that her brother faced in the early 1990s.[9] Before opening a dispensary, she worked as an executive for two Fortune 100 companies (Avery and Unum) and one of the largest non-profits in California (SCPH). She and her husband also owned five restaurants in Los Angeles and Denver.[1][2] When she opened a dispensary in 2009 with her husband, she became the first Black dispensary owner in the United States.[10][1][7] The pair opened Simply Pure Medicated Edibles in 2010 and became the largest edible medical cannabis company in Colorado. In 2015, Simply Pure became a dispensary in the LoHi neighborhood in Denver.[11] She is a managing partner at the Cannabis Global Initiative.
Honors and appearances
James has appeared on the covers of seven national magazines. In 1997 she graced the cover of the February issue of Black Enterprise for following her passion and leaving corporate America.[5] She was featured on the inaugural edition of the April 2016 issue of Sensi Magazine, the January 2018 issue of Dispensary Magazine the Fall 2018 cover of Cannabis & Tech, the November 2020 cover of Vanguard Magazine, the October 2021 cover of the Denver Urban Spectrum, and most recently the cover December 2023 issue of Cannabis Business Times.
In 2023, she was honored by Grow Up Cannabis in Canada as the Champion of Justice and Equity, and she was the first cannabis professional named to Ad Week's 2021 Trailblazer Award alongside VP Kamala Harris and Tracee Ellis Ross. In 2019, Wanda was the first person inducted into the MJ Biz Cannabis Hall of Fame. In 2018, James was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the cannabis industry by
She has appeared on numerous television shows, including SMOKE on BET,
References
- ^ a b c d e Ostrow, Joanne (16 February 2017). "Other Roots: Wanda James, the first black dispensary owner in Colorado, talks marijuana motivation". The Cannabist. Other Roots: Wanda James, the first black dispensary owner in Colorado, talks marijuana motivation. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d Thomas Whitfield, Chandra. "Capitalizing On Cannabis: Meet Colorado's Black 'Potrepreneurs'". NBC News. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Colorado election results: November 8, 2022, general election Regent of the University of Colorado congressional district 1". Colorado Secretary of State. State of Colorado. December 12, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ Dedrick, Jay (November 10, 2022). "James, McNulty to join Board of Regents; Montera returning". CUConnections. University of Colorado. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c Brown, Carolyn (25 November 2014). "Marijuana Inc: Growing Opportunities For Black Businesses". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Needelman, Joshua (January 25, 2024). "In a New Cannabis Landscape, a Navy Veteran Battles for Racial Equity". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c d e f West Savali, Kirsten (10 February 2017). "The Pioneer: Wanda James, the 1st Black Woman to Own a Marijuana Dispensary, Gets Real". The Root. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ a b Roberts, Michael. "Wanda James on Closure of Edibles Business, MMJ Banking, Obama, and More". Westword. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ Zhang, Mona (24 June 2016). "The High Times Interview: Wanda James". The High Times. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "The Evolution of Women and Cannabis | Marijuana and Women". 25 September 2021.
- ^ Mitchell, Thomas. "Marijuana Comeback: Wanda James, Scott Durrah Return with Highland Pot Shop". Westword. Retrieved 2 May 2017.