The New Jersey CannaBusiness Association announced Thursday it is looking for a new president, following a reshuffling of its senior leadership this week.
Edmund DeVeaux, who took over as president in December 2020, announced he has stepped down, effective this week. DeVeaux, who is taking a yet-to-be-announced new job in the state, will remain a member of the board.
Scott Rudder, the founder of the NJCBA and its first president, will take over as interim president while a search for a new leader is conducted.
Though stepping down as president, DeVeaux will remain an active NJCBA board member, lending his voice and policy experience to the association in the ever-evolving cannabis marketplace.
“I have been fortunate to be at NJCBA during the most transitional period of growth in the state’s cannabis history,” he said. “What we have been able to achieve together, while by no means the end of the road, is still remarkable. It has been my honor to work with a dedicated group of individuals and companies to bring New Jersey’s cannabis industry into focus.
“At the same time, we’ve been able to take the NJCBA from an advocacy organization to New Jersey’s cannabis chamber of commerce, and I thank everyone who helped get us there.”
Rudder founded the NJCBA in 2016 to serve as the state’s premiere cannabis trade industry association. The organization has helped lead several prominent efforts around cannabis in that time, including adult-use legalization and expansion of access for medical patients. Currently, NJCBA aims to help create a more equitable and fair market in the New Jersey cannabis space.
About the NJCBA
The New Jersey CannaBusiness Association’s mission is to promote jobs and growth in a sustainable and responsible cannabis industry. Starting with the pioneers in the medical cannabis market to the emerging players in the adult-use space, the NJCBA’s focus is to make certain that decision makers and regulators understand and respect the needs of the CannaBusiness community and that our community remain responsible corporate citizens.
“We are saddened to be losing Ed, but grateful for his years of service to the cannabis industry,” he said. “Ed took the reins of NJCBA at a critical moment in the state’s history and led this organization with a distinct sense of purpose and an expertise that is second-to-none. He was there at the start of this endeavor, and I can think of few people who have done more to positively push forward the cause of cannabis in New Jersey than Ed DeVeaux.
“Looking to the future, we still have many and varied challenges to the industry. Those challenges must be met, in part, by working with state and local governments to ease the pathway to cannabis business creation and ownership.”
Rudder is a former New Jersey state legislator and mayor with Fortune 100 corporate experience. In addition to his 16 years in elected office, he has worked in senior staff positions in multiple government organizations, to include a member of Congress, governor of New Jersey, speaker of the General Assembly and as director of legislative affairs for New Jersey Transit. Rudder also spent 13 years as a business development executive with Lockheed Martin, the nation’s largest defense contractor, where he worked on missile defense programs, Special Forces technologies as well as energy programs.
