Cresco Labs adds Michele Roberts to its board of directors

Michele Roberts

Cresco Labs has welcomed current executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Michele Roberts, to its board of directors, effective immediately. A distinguished trial lawyer, celebrated business leader and former member of the adjunct faculty at Harvard Law School, Roberts becomes the 10th director on Cresco’s board and its first female director.

“Ms. Roberts is an outstanding addition to our board,” said Tom Manning, Cresco Labs’ executive chairman and former chairman and CEO of Dun & Bradstreet. “Drawing on her experience in leading one of the most important player organizations in the sports world and her expertise in law and litigation as a highly-accomplished trial attorney and educator, Michele will provide a unique perspective at a critical time of continued growth and expansion in the industry.”

Prior to joining the NBPA, Roberts was an esteemed trial lawyer with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Her practice focused on complex civil and white-collar criminal litigation before state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings. She has tried more than 100 cases to jury verdicts, representing clients in a wide variety of areas, including products liability, white collar, racketeering, securities regulation violations, Title VII issues and premises liability.

Roberts is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. She worked for eight years in the office of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she was named Chief of the Trial Division and served as counsel in more than 40 jury trials. A frequent lecturer and presenter to both the bench and bar on a variety of topics related to litigation and trial practice, she also taught trial advocacy as an adjunct member of the faculty at Harvard Law School and was an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on Cresco Labs’ board and work alongside the senior leadership and management teams in their efforts to elevate the company to the next level of excellence,” said Roberts. “I look forward to advancing Cresco Labs’ distinctive brands of high-quality products and services.”

Cresco Labs , one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, recently opened numerous Sunnyside retail cannabis locations, including one in Danville, Illinois and the first adult use dispensary in Chicago, located in the River North neighborhood.

“We are advocates of a more diverse and inclusive cannabis industry, and we are thrilled to have Michele’s counsel, experience and leadership to help influence the development of both our company and this industry said Charlie Bachtell, Cresco Labs’ CEO and co-founder. “We believe her contributions will be invaluable to Cresco.”