The Team
CEO
Andrew Thut
Andrew joined 4Front in 2014 and has immersed himself over the past three years in every facet of the medical cannabis industry, including regulatory compliance, the relevant financial drivers of the industry, and hands-on experience with dispensaries and cultivation facilities. After spending a career in finance, Andrew brings a wealth of mainstream business experience and professionalism to the emerging medical cannabis industry. Prior to his role at 4Front, Andrew was managing director of the BlackRock Small Cap Growth Fund at BlackRock Advisors LLC. During his 11-year involvement, the $2 billion fund ranked in the top five percent of all domestic small cap growth funds. He also had past stints at MFS Investment Management and BT Alex Brown.
Chief Operating Officer
Sean Gallagher
As COO, Sean helps lead the development of Mission projects throughout the country. Prior to entering the medical cannabis industry, he held multiple executive roles in the real estate, finance and technology sectors. He is a former officer in the U.S. Navy and served as a military liaison to the U.S. Ambassador of Jamaica. Sean is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and has a master’s degree in philosophy from Arizona State University.
Chief Experience Officer & Regional Leader, Maryland
Leah Heise
Leah Heise is a Maryland-based regulatory compliance attorney that joined Mission in 2017. She’s been involved in the cannabis industry since 2014, when Maryland passed comprehensive legislation that legalized the cultivation, processing, and dispensing of medical cannabis. Utilizing her legal expertise, she began counseling individuals and companies joining the cannabis industry on business operations, infrastructure, and regulatory compliance. In mid-2015, she assembled a management team and formed Chesapeake Integrated Health Institute LLC to pursue a dispensary license in Maryland, which the company successfully received at the end of 2016. She was also the former CEO of Women Grow, the largest professional networking group in the cannabis industry. Prior to entering the cannabis industry, Leah was an Enforcement Attorney for the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Facilities Leader
Scott Shank
Scott is responsible for the development of Mission’s projects on the East Coast. As an electrical engineer, Scott spent twelve years designing and managing the implementation of military base security systems in eight countries and thirteen states. The desire to put his talent and energy into a different kind of global effort, one which has the potential to heal millions and make the world a better place, drew him away from a comfortable career and toward the emerging, chaotic world of cannabis. For the last two-and-a-half years he has leveraged his engineering and project-management skills to improve existing and startup cannabis operations in Colorado, Nevada, Illinois, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Retail Leader
Don Schaefer
Don is responsible for the retail development and roll-out of Mission dispensaries throughout the country. Don is an Army vet with multiple U.S. and overseas assignments under his belt. After leaving the military, Don applied his team-building experience to the retail and hospitality sector, where he helped best-in-class brands like Hillstone Restaurants, Starwood, and Le Pain Quotidien develop their cultures by coaching them to adopt thoughtful recruiting, hiring and training practices. As former VP of Operations for Sweetgreen, Don helped the restaurant expand from one location to 30 across the Northeast. He joined 4Front in early 2014.
Production Leader
Hunter Holliman
Hunter has worked in the medical cannabis industry for more than a decade in almost every role imaginable, from cultivation and dispensary operations to grassroots advocacy and public policy. He was a member of the San Francisco Medical Cannabis Task Force before moving to Washington, D.C., to serve as Chief of Staff for Americans for Safe Access, a medical cannabis advocacy organization. During his time at ASA, Hunter was closely involved with the passage and implementation of several state-level medical cannabis programs. Hunter joined Mission in April 2015 and is now applying his multi-faceted experiences to help the company develop its production and cultivation facilities in multiple states.
Regional Leader, Massachusetts
Cory Ravelson
Cory has been working in the cannabis industry since graduating from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies. He has extensive experience in cannabis cultivation and medical marijuana dispensary operations. He previously served for five years as general manager and cultivator for Headquarters MMC’s locations in Boulder and Lyons, Colo. Cory plays an important role in the design and construction of Mission’s state-of-the-art cultivation and dispensary facilities and in the implementation of cultivation methods that will ensure Mission has the highest quality medicinal cannabis that meets the specific needs of our patients.
Regional Leader, Illinois
Scott Harney
Scott has 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry in the United States and Mexico, including stints with brands such as Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Fairmont, Westin, and Intercontinental hotels. His roles have included experience in both the design and construction of hotels, and day-to-day operations. No matter the managerial role he’s found himself in, he always tries to set an atmosphere of mentorship. Scott came to the cannabis industry because of a history of cancer in the family and an interest in the aspects of pain relief.
Director of Marketing
Lana Goodrich
With more than a decade of experience building brands for companies like Ford, Kellogg’s, and Kimberly-Clark, Lana’s turning her expertise to growing the relationship between Mission dispensaries and their patients. She’s most excited about making medical cannabis approachable to new audiences through modern design, updated branding, and friendly social media. She manages the marketing for all our cultivators and Mission dispensaries, and the branding for our burgeoning product line.
Research Director
Dr. Lirit Franks
Dr. Lirit Franks received her doctorate in cannabinoid pharmacology in December of 2016 from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Her doctoral dissertation focused on novel cannabinoid compounds as potential therapeutics. Previous to her doctoral studies, she worked as a Certified Pharmacy Technician at Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock, and, before then, as a tutor and public school coordinator for Tutorpedia in Oakland, Calif. She received her bachelor’s degree at the University of California at Berkeley in integrative biology. With her combined expertise on cannabinoid science, drug discovery, and education, Lirit is an important addition to the Mission team. She works with patients and physicians on the use of cannabis as medicine and continues her research into the use of various cannabinoids as therapeutics.