Dr. Jessica DeBord MD, MPH–
Chief Medical Officer 

Jessica DeBord is an early member of BioSciences of Louisiana and became the team’s Chief Medical Officer in 2018. Dr. DeBord will oversee the effective management of BioSciences of Louisiana’s therapeutic cannabis program and is directly responsible for managing clinical-grade operations, liaising between administration and medical patients and ensuring that patients receive the highest quality of therapeutic products. As CMO, Dr. DeBord will manage the performance of the company’s medical program and all aspects of strategizing, implementing, supervising, reporting and remediation of medical activities. She will ensure that all healthcare, safety, and production regulations are met or exceeded. 

Dr. DeBord is currently an attending hospitalist physician at Tulane Hospital and Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. Her extracurricular work in the form of professional society memberships, editorial activities, and presentations at national convention displays a true commitment to her work. Dr. DeBord is always looking for innovative ways to make people healthier and in her role with BioSciences of Louisiana, she will have the potential to drastically improve health outcomes throughout the community and state of Louisiana. 

Dr. Spencer Krane MD– Chief Science Officer

Dr. Spencer Krane is an early member of BioSciences of Louisiana and became the team’s Chief Science Officer in 2018. Dr. Krane will oversee the scientific functions of the company, including basic and applied research projects, as well as the development of new processes, technologies and products. Dr. Krane is responsible for staying up to date with the latest technological advances and industry trends, and communicating those trends to the management team including all future projects and scientific procedures.

Dr. Krane specializes in personalized medicine for patients with urologic malignancies. His goal is to use new biomarkers, genomic classifications, epigenetic signatures, and imaging modalities to allow patients to receive patient care individualized to their tumor and produce improved cancer outcomes while minimizing the side effects of therapy. He currently runs a research laboratory which focuses on early detection of serum based biomarkers for kidney cancer and helps to identify mechanisms for resistance to chemotherapy. Dr. Krane’s expertise in the medical field will be a key component of BioSciences success as not many teams in the cannabis industry are privy to such incomparable knowledge from a medical professional. 

Mr. Brandon Brooks –
Quality Assurance Supervisor 

Brandon Brooks is recognized as a leader for his extensive knowledge in the cannabis industry. Mr. Brooks became BSL’s Quality Assurance Supervisor and General Manager of Cultivation in 2019. In addition to overseeing development of production and cultivation operations on behalf of BioSciences of Louisiana, Mr. Brooks ensures the Company’s compliance with regulatory and operational requirements and will manage the medical cannabis cultivation facilities expected to be housed in a building expected to total over 45,000 sq. ft. He is also responsible for the development of operational design and vendor relationships. 

Brandon is the C.E.O. and Co-Founder of Ascended Genetics, a company that is dedicated to a balanced ecosystem and strives to reduce the energy footprint of production. Through the use of micropropagation, regenerative agricultural practices, alternative energies, energy efficiencies and automated systems, Mr. Brooks has excelled in the environmentally responsible production of both hemp and medical cannabis while at the same time maximizing their genetic potential and reducing the cost of production.

Mr. Cameron Noble– Lead Manufacturer

Cameron Noble is a pioneer in the science of cannabis processing and derivative product creation. Mr. Noble will oversee the development, process, packaging and labeling for the entire line of products. Mr. Noble will work closely with the testing procedures, state guidelines and labeling requirements for the security and safely of the various product lines. 

Cameron Noble is the Founder and CEO of Peak Wellness Ltd., a Canadian cannabis processing and analytics company based in British Columbia. As the head of Vancouver’s first cannabis CO2 processing company, Noble worked with cannabis processing hardware manufacturers to develop more innovative processing hardware based on in-house research. Noble has been leading R&D investigating what could be developed and manufactured in the drive for new and innovative cannabinoid applications.

Mr. Chris Kane, J.D.–
Lead Counsel 

Chris Kane, a partner at Adams and Reese LLP, became the team’s Lead Outside Counsel in 2020. Mr. Kane will oversee the compliance, legal and corporate governance functions of the company. Mr. Kane is responsible for staying up-to-date with the latest regulatory advances, risk analysis and industry trends, and communicating those trends to the management team including all future projects and operational functions. 

Recognized for his work on many economic development projects, Chris channels a convergence of people, factors, and revenue streams to help make public-private partnerships produce new or expand existing enterprises and create solid and sustainable jobs.

Each of these valuable pieces of Mr. Kane’s previous business history, community engagement, legal acumen, and diverse life experiences will contribute to the successful compliant operation of the proposed cultivation and manufacturing facility in Louisiana. Mr. Kane’s input and involvement on these matters will help BioSciences of Louisiana to stand out as a qualified applicant and further ensure the success of the company’s long-term goals. 

Ms. Staci Ritchie, CPA– Chief Financial Officer 

Mr. Jeff Schmidtke–
Executive Director

Jeff Schmidtke is a founding member of BioSciences of Louisiana and became the team’s Executive Director and Recruiting Coordinator in 2018. Mr. Schmidtke is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and strategic plan of the organization and reports directly to the Board of Directors. Mr. Schmidtke will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for the staff, programs, expansion, and execution of the company’s mission and will ensure ongoing local programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, communications, and systems.

Mr. Schmidtke graduated from Christian Brothers University in 2001 and has a Masters Degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. He has over 13 years of experience working with businesses facing transitions and transformations, which will lend well to his role with BioSciences as they transition and grow into the premier cannabis provider in Louisiana.