Management

Samuel Brill was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024. Mr. Brill has served on our Board since May 2023, when he was also appointed as Lead Independent Director. Mr. Brill is Chairman of the Board of Invacare Holdings Corporation (OTC: IVCRQ), a global leader in the manufacturing and distribution of medical products. Sam served as the President and Chief Investment Officer of Seventh Avenue Investments, LLC (“SAI”) for the last seven years. At SAI, Mr. Brill managed all aspects of the private equity business of a multibillion-dollar single-family office in New York City. He played a critical role in helping the management teams of portfolio companies with strategic decisions, including mergers, acquisitions, corporate reorganization, and financial planning. Before joining SAI, Mr. Brill was the Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager of Weismann Capital, a single-family office in Stamford, CT. Prior to joining Weismann in November 2003, Mr. Brill was the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Amedia Networks (formerly TTR Technologies), a publicly traded technology IP company. Prior to joining Amedia in November 2001, Mr. Brill was a senior financial analyst at JDS Capital Management, a hedge fund that was also the largest shareholder of TTR, which he joined as the first employee in February 1998. He has served on numerous public and private boards and committees, including the Investment Committee of NewLake Capital Partners, Inc. (OTCQX: NLCP), a cannabis REIT.

Roman Nemchenko was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Ascend Wellness Holdings in August 2024, following his role as Executive Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer since April 2020. He played a key role in the company’s 2021 IPO and has driven significant financial and operational improvements. With approximately 15 years of experience in finance and accounting, Mr. Nemchenko has a strong background in initial public offerings, financial analysis, M&A, restructurings, SEC reporting, technology implementations, tax strategy, and regulatory compliance. His career includes leadership roles at Acreage Holdings, Oscar Insurance, and Fortress Investment Group, as well as auditing and consulting experience at PwC. Mr. Nemchenko holds a CPA, a BS in Finance and Accounting, and an MS in Forensic Accounting.

Anita Wilson Wellen currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Human Resources reporting to President Frank Perullo. She joined AWH leading the field human resources team as Senior Vice President of Human Resources in July 2024. Ms. Wilson Wellen has 25+ years of professional experience spanning human resources and employment law both at public and private companies. She has created high-performing teams who have led impactful change in her leadership positions at McDonald’s Corporation, Sara Lee Corporation, TreeHouse Foods, Inc., and BCU Credit Union, a national credit union that manages 6B+ in assets. At AWH, Ms. Wilson Wellen is responsible for leading the human resources team that drives associates’ focus on the customer and passion for the plant.

Ms. Wilson Wellen holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois College of Law, and a B.A. from Northern Illinois University.

Michael McLaughlin was appointed as Chief Operations Officer of Ascend Wellness in October of 2024, reporting to President Frank Perullo. He previously served as the SVP of Supply Chain and the company’s Center of Excellence. Over the past three years at Ascend, he has led a broad range of functions including supply chain, extraction manufacturing, construction, quality improvement, engineering and facilities, regulatory compliance, retail delivery, and public affairs. He also managed Ascend’s cross-functional scale-up for several state conversions to adult use.

Mike has extensive experience driving business growth in highly regulated and segmented markets. He previously worked at Sevita where he led regulatory and reimbursement strategy for the company’s $1.2 billion Medicaid segment at the federal level and across 26 states. Prior, he worked in strategy consulting, advising corporations, public officials, and non-profits on regulatory, political and land use matters. Mr. McLaughlin holds an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and a B.A. from Boston College.