Brittany Williams is the Illinois Regional Director of Social Equity and Educational Development at Cresco Labs. The Social Equity & Education Development (SEED) initiative was established in 2019 with a mission to develop tangible pathways into the cannabis industry for communities impacted by the War on Drugs through three pillars: restorative justice initiatives, community business incubators, and educational and workforce development programming. In this role, Williams supports SEED’s national strategy by developing and implementing Illinois programming. She manages the Illinois Community Business Incubator which provides qualifying social equity applicants with the resources, knowledge and guidance need to successfully apply for dispensary, craft grow and infuser licenses, as well as establishes partnerships with local organizations that align with SEED’s mission. Her efforts led to SEED being recognized by Cabrini Green Legal Aid with the Bill Leslie Visionary Award for Outstanding Involvement.

Previously, Ms. Williams was the Program Director at Chicago-based cannabis cultivator, Justice Grown. She has spoken about education and careers in cannabis at notable industry events and universities, including the Cannavation Analytics’ HCBU Cannabis Education Series and Waubonsee Community College’s Cannabis and the Workplace Event. She is a board member of Literacy Works, a Chicago-based nonprofit focusing on adult literacy, and volunteers as a cooking instructor with Kitchen Possible, a Chicago nonprofit that teaches children life lessons through cooking.

Ms. Williams graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication and has a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management with a focus on program development from DePaul University’s School of Public Service.