The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission expects to wrap up its search for a new executive director, including its public interviews of finalist candidates, by the end of October, its interim administrative head said Thursday.
When the CCC launched its search for the second full-fledged executive director in its seven-year history this spring, commissioners said they were looking for a "visionary leader" and a "tough, strategic thinker" who can lead the agency that has been under a harsh spotlight for more than a year as the legal marijuana industry it oversees matures and prepares for potential shifts at the federal level.
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The CCC's inaugural executive director, Shawn Collins, resigned in late 2023 and Chief People Officer Debra Hilton-Creek has been serving as acting executive director in the meantime.
The subcommittee of commissioners and staffers that reviewed applications will meet next week to finalize its recommendation of three top candidates, but Hilton-Creek said the CCC has already "informally" notified those people that they are finalists who will move on to a public interview with the commission later this month. The date of that "Interview Day," as Hilton-Creek dubbed it, will be set and communicated to finalists next week, she said.
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"We are hoping to meet our goal by the end of October. So this is super exciting," Hilton-Creek told commissioners Thursday. She added, "We expect to wrap up the ED search by the end of October. So that is my report, super exciting. And, again, I hope you guys are more excited than I am, because I think this is a wonderful report and day for our commission."
Once a new executive director is hired and starts, the CCC will be about six months behind its original schedule, which contemplated a July 1 start date for its new executive leader.
Hilton-Creek said the CCC got 173 or 174 applications for the executive director job, 60 of which were reviewed in greater detail by a subcommittee. At least 15 applicants were subsequently advanced for virtual screenings held in the second half of August and a smaller group moved on to first-round interviews in early September.
Of the top three candidates, two are from Massachusetts and one is from out of state, Hilton-Creek said in response to a question from Commissioner Kimberly Roy. But that revelation irked Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins, who plays a large role on the subcommittee.
"Debbie, Debbie, I think that's a little bit too much information to share at this point," he said.
Commissioner Nurys Camargo said she wanted the CCC to think about how it can make the finalists more comfortable being themselves during the public interviews, acknowledging the potential that candidates could feel awkward interviewing for a job in front of the public and press.
"This is a lot of pressure. Obviously, they signed up for it and I'm excited for them, but it's a lot of pressure, especially if Interview Day is in public. And, you know, sometimes people think commissioners are scary," she said. Camargo added, "So I want to make sure that we incorporate some of that stuff, whether it's have them walk around the offices, kind of look at the place; you know, just a little kind of meet-and-greet before we grill these folks for a job."
The candidate chosen following the public interview will be offered a salary within a range with a midpoint of $187,000 and the new executive director is expected to work out of the agency's headquarters at Worcester's Union Station "according to a hybrid work schedule," according to the job posting.
Amid a slew of controversies at the CCC, a key House lawmaker said this summer his committee "recognizes the need for clarity in structure and accountability at the Cannabis Control Commission" and "foresees a legislative path forward addressing the sources of concerns about the CCC’s administrative function."
The Cannabis Policy Committee's House chair, Rep. Daniel Donahue of Worcester, plans to hold a hearing at the end of October on "identifying the best path forward" for the CCC. In July, Donahue identified three areas of the CCC's enabling statute that his committee would like to revisit, including two potentially contradictory sections delineating powers of the CCC chair and the agency's executive director.
"Further, the Committee has identified broader opportunities for reconsideration, including appointment and removal powers, as well as the structural model of the agency itself," Donahue wrote.
