Choose Happy Symposium

You are invited to join us for a free Manhattan Community Board 9 & Happy Munkey event, The Choose Happy Symposium on April 18th at The Forum, at Columbia University!

The Choose Happy Symposium, produced by Happy Munkey is the first of its kind in collaboration with Community Board 9 aimed at exploring the opportunities and health benefits now available in New York State with the emerging cannabis industry.

In the past, Happy Munkey has been known for bringing New Yorkers some of the best cannabis nightlife scenes and parties. As the market shifts, Happy Munkey founders Vlad Bautista and Ramon Reyes believe it is their duty to lead legacy operators toward the future of legal cannabis.

Happy Munkey in collaboration with Community Board 9 will host its first-ever community educational event, at an Ivy League institution located in the heart of West Harlem at Columbia University’s new campus on 125th. Providing attendees and the community with the knowledge to make informed decisions about the newly legal cannabis industry. Topics such as social equity, diversity and inclusion in the market, and the economic impact the cannabis industry has on the community will be explored.

The symposium will bring together leading experts from medical professionals to industry pioneers to lead educational panels on an array of topics ranging from wellness to economic opportunity in cannabis. The symposium will also feature resources and activations from CB9 such as translation services, tenant housing lawyer, and medical card registration.

Run of show:

9:00 – 9:30: Registration and Community Vendor Pavilion

9:30 – 9:45: Opening Remarks

9:45 – 10:30 AM: Fireside Chat – “Cannabis Health, Wellness, and Harlem”

Moderator:

• Councilmember Shaun Abreu

Panelist:

• Rachel Knox, PhD

10:30 – 10:45: Break and Community Vendor Pavilion

10:45 – 11:30: Panel 1 – “Budding Opportunities: The Economic Impact of Cannabis in New York City”

Moderator:

• Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine

Panelist:

• Dasheeda Dawson(Cannabis Czar, NYC SBS)
• Tanisha Robinson(Successful Cannabis Entrepreneur)
• Vikiana Reyes (Program Coordinator of Cannabis Education at CUNY Medgar Evers College & Founder of Legacy CORE (501c3)

11:30 – 11:45: Break and Community Vendor Pavilion

11:45 – 12:15: Panel 2 – “Meet The Happy Munkey Team”

Moderator:

• Scheril Murray Powell, Esq.

Panelist:

• Vanessa Perez (Director of Human Resources and Operations)
• Vladimir Bautista (CEO & Co-Founder)
• Ramon Reyes (Co-Founder)
• David Hernandez (Director of Brand Development)

12:15 – 12:20: Closing Remarks

12:20 – 1:00 PM: Networking and Community Vendor Pavilion