With confusion still looming over the hemp industry, Ola Lessard hopes 2021 will see some crucial support for CBD businesses.
Lessard, the chief marketing officer of HempFusion, was re-elected in February for a second term as president of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a nonprofit organization that advocates for national hemp legislation.
“This year, our immediate objective is to achieve full clarity for CBD as a dietary supplement,” Lessard says. “It’s an important and necessary step for the entire hemp community, including everyone from farmers and extractors to manufacturers and retailers, to be able to flourish and realize our industry’s full potential.”
Lessard says she’s is honored by the confidence her peers have shown in her by electing her to a second term to lead the U.S. Hemp Roundtable.
“I strongly believe this organization will continue to be the driving force behind much of the legislative progress for hemp-derived products,” she says.
Prior to joining HempFusion in June 2020, she spent more than 14 years working in a variety of marketing and strategy roles, including the vice president of marketing and communications at Barlean’s, a Washington-based natural supplements company.
As president of the Hemp Roundtable, Lessard works with elected officials and policymakers on both the state and federal levels with the goal of ensuring a clear, legal path for hemp and hemp-derived products, including CBD.
— Brian Beckley