President
Melanie Rose Rodgers has been advocating and fundraising for nonprofits since 2006. Prior to working in the cannabis industry, Melanie worked in advertising, marketing and business development roles for nonprofits, a top South Florida advertising agency, a CPG manufacturer, a market research firm and Cigna Healthcare, a global healthcare insurance company. After realizing the motivations that fuel the private healthcare system, Melanie left the corporate world for a career in cannabis working for startups and two nonprofits. In 2017, Melanie started a company of her own, Influential X, providing marketing consulting and organizing community events and fundraisers. Dedicated to education, advocacy and social responsibility, Melanie curates multiple events throughout the year and brings together an engaged community in action. In 2018, she organized two local benefit concerts raising money for Colorado’s Coalition for the Homeless and disaster relief efforts serving Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria ravished the island. In May 2018, Melanie and a team of volunteers delivered two community-sized clean water filtration systems on a mission trip to Puerto Rico.
Melanie’s passion for cannabis advocacy and civil engagement has brought her to U.S. Federal Court lawsuit hearings and on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, advocating for medical cannabis and patients’ rights at a state and national level. In October 2018, Melanie founded Safe Access Colorado, a Colorado chapter of Americans for Safe Access (ASA) to help unify Colorado’s medical cannabis community and advocate for medical cannabis patients rights. In 2019, Safe Access Colorado was recognized and awarded ASA’s 2019 Chapter of the Year. Safe Access Colorado was successful this legislative session by expanding medical cannabis access, adding Autism and ‘Any Condition for Which an Opiate Prescription is Prescribed’ to the list of qualifying conditions. Feel free to connect with Melanie at InfluentialX.com.
Vice President
Michelle Walker started lobbying in 2015 and was instrumental in passing both Autism and marijuana in lieu of opioid prescriptions as qualifying conditions for the medical marijuana registry. In addition, Michelle helped in the successful passage of Quintin's Amendment, allowing school personnel to administer cannabis derived medicines on school property.
Treasurer
Tyler and Samantha Prock met during college marching band in Texas, married, and moved to Colorado in 2015 as medical refugees to pursue the freedom of using medical cannabis. Tyler and Samantha have successfully eliminate a combined 16 pharmaceuticals per day and have both remained pharmaceutical free for the past 4.5 years.
Tyler works as an accountant for cannabis companies, while Sam crochets many exciting projects and teaches yoga classes, some of which incorporate using cannabis. Their free time is filled with exploring the mountains, testifying at the capitol, going to concerts, and educating others about the benefits of medical cannabis.
Legal Counsel
Alex Buscher, Esq. is the founder and principal attorney at Buscher Law LLC, a firm focused on regulatory compliance, corporate law, securities, trademarks, food & drug law, and commercial transactions in the legal cannabis industry. Current clients include cultivators, processors, retailers, exporters, investors, and retail product manufacturers.
Alex has a wide array of regulatory, negotiation, and drafting experience through his work lobbying cannabis related bills at the Colorado State Capitol, sitting on multiple state regulatory workgroups including Marijuana Sunset and the CHAMP initiative, and negotiating country music performance contracts at William Morris Endeavor in Nashville, Tennessee. During law school, Alex was integral in launching a highly innovative cannabis brand, where he learned first-hand the importance of conscientious legal, marketing, formulation, and business practices in such a layered and complicated industry. Alex earned his J.D. at Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver, and his B.A. in political science from Vanderbilt University.
Asst. Vice Presdient
Vicki Trujillo has been involved in the cannabis community since 2015. Vicki was introduced to the Safe Access Colorado community by a dear friend because Vicki was tired of seeing her son’s health decline because of the pharmaceutical drugs he was on. Vicki’s son has been a cannabis patient since 2017 and it allows him to thrive. Vicki wouldn’t have it any other way.
Secretary
Katie Peterson became a medical cannabis patient in 2017 after fracturing her spine in a traumatic car accident. She owns a Colorado based cannabis staffing company and fiercely advocates for patients to have access to the safer alternatives than those that are currently being prescribed. Katie believes that cannabis in addition to other natural medications are the way for people to take back control over their health. She advocates for thoughtful progressive reform and knows if given the opportunity this plant has the ability to transform all of our lives for the better.