Akele Parnell 2

Akele Parnell is an attorney at Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights where he works to advance racial equity and inclusion in the marketplace, particularly within the cannabis industry. He is a member of the board of the Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition where he co-led the negotiation and implementation of the cannabis industry’s first community benefits agreement (CBA), and a member of the board of Chicago NORML. He is also a member of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force of the Cannabis Trade Federation. Previously, Akele was an in-house attorney for Chicago-based cannabis company, Green Thumb Industries Inc.