Jody McGinness started as just the fourth Executive Director in HIA’s nearly 30-year history during the first wave of the pandemic in mid-2020. The intervening months were spent learning the history and capacity of the hemp industry, working to adapt the organization in order to survive, and working with the elected leaders to transform this storied membership organization to be positioned to serve its founding mission and nonprofit purposes in service of a new national hemp industry. Jody’s background includes, most recently, Director of Advancement for the Marijuana Policy Project, where he had the opportunity to be part of an incredible advocacy and policy team that ran successful campaigns in Michigan, Illinois, Vermont, and Utah.

Jody has spent his career serving nonprofit associations and membership organizations, and what
excites and inspires him about the HIA is the opportunity to be part of purpose-driven organization at a
time of such momentous potential for the industry it serves.