Cresco Labs announced it has appointed Michele Roberts to its board of directors, effective immediately.

Roberts is the current Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association (“NBPA”), a distinguished trial lawyer, and a former member of the adjunct faculty at Harvard Law School.

Roberts becomes the 10th director on Cresco’s board and its first female director.

“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. “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.”

Since 2014, Roberts has served as the Executive Director of the NBPA, working on behalf of NBA players to ensure their rights are protected and are fairly compensated for the value they bring to the sport and their impact on society.

Prior to joining the NBPA, 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.

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“We are advocates of a more diverse and inclusive cannabis industry,” said Charlie Bachtell, Cresco Labs’ CEO and co-founder, “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.”

Roberts has tried more than 100 cases to jury verdicts, representing clients in a wide variety of areas, including products liability, white collar, racketeering, securities regulation violations, Title VII issues and premises liability.

She is a top-ranked attorney who has received numerous accolades from Chambers Global, Chambers USA and Benchmark Litigation, among other notable publications.

Roberts is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. She worked for eight years in the office of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she was named Chief of the Trial Division and served as counsel in more than 40 jury trials.

Roberts is a frequent lecturer and presenter to both the bench and bar on a variety of topics related to litigation and trial practice. She taught trial advocacy as an adjunct member of the faculty at Harvard Law School and was an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

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“Ms. Roberts is an outstanding addition to our board,” said Tom Manning, Cresco Labs’ Executive Chairman and former Chairman and CEO of Dun & Bradstreet. “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.”