Alumni Events
Industries Unlocked: Parker Alumni in Cannabis
Join the Alumni Association's first Industries Unlocked event on Monday, May 5, featuring Parker graduates who are pioneering the cannabis industry. Learn about their professional journeys and how they have used their Parker education to become leaders and innovators in this rapidly evolving field. Please note that this is for parents/guardians and alumni only.
Monday, May 5 | 6–7:30 p.m.
Harris Center
Reception to follow panel
Questions? Please contact Director of Alumni Relations and Institutional Events Chuck Lira at clira@fwparker.org.
Speakers include:
Charlie De Mar ’08, CBS News Chicago reporter
Mikus Kins ’91, co-founder, owner Confluence Cannabis and Alumni Association President
Julia Jacobson ’03, CEO/Co-Founder, Aster Farms
Julia Turner ’16, Co-Founder, CashBox Media
Steve Weisman ’04, Co-Founder Thensome, Co-Founder and former Chief Strategy Officer Grassroots Cannabis, Co-Founder and former CEO Windy City and Co-Founder LeafTrade
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Charlie DeMar ’08, CBS News Chicago reporter (panel moderator)
Charlie De Mar ’08 is an Emmy Award-winning reporter for CBS Chicago and a national correspondent for CBS News. He appears regularly on CBS Mornings, The CBS Evening News and CBS Saturday Morning. Since returning to Chicago in 2016 from Indianapolis, De Mar has covered some of the biggest stories impacting the Chicagoland area and the country, including key developments in the Jussie Smollett case, the 2020 protests in Chicago and Kenosha and the Kansas City Super Bowl parade shooting. His investigative reporting has led to the exposure of deficiencies in the Department of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and a new federal law that would hold all Veterans Affairs hospitals more accountable for their prescribing practices. He previously reported for WTTV and WXIN, the CBS and Fox affiliates in Indianapolis. A native of Chicago’s north side, De Mar graduated cum laude from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in broadcast journalism and a minor in marketing.
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Julia Jacobson ’03
Julia Jacobson ’03 is the CEO and Co-Founder of Aster Farms, a sustainable cannabis company rooted in transparency and responsible growing practices. Before founding Aster Farms, she spent a decade in retail and tech, including roles as a buyer at Bloomingdale’s and as Co-Founder and CEO of NMRKT, a retail tech startup. Jacobson transitioned to the cannabis space in 2016, launching Aster Farms in California’s famed Emerald Triangle with a focus on clean cannabis and regenerative agriculture. She is a strong advocate for sustainability and social equity within the industry and often shares her insights at conferences and panels. Jacobson earned her B.A. in Comparative Literature from Brown University and currently lives in upstate New York.
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Mikus Kins ’91
Mikus Kins ’91, Parker Parent of Sloane ’27 and Davis ’29, is a seasoned capital markets professional with over 25 years of experience in domestic and international financial markets working closely with alternative fund managers, banks, developers and institutional and high net worth investors. Kins now applies his capital markets experience to real estate investment, advisory and consulting services with a specific focus on the cannabis industry in Illinois. Kins is also the co-founder and owner of Confluence Cannabis, one of the most successful cannabis dispensaries in Southwest Michigan. Previously, he held senior roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, ABN-AMRO and LaSalle Bank, and while in London, served as Director of Bank of America Trustees Ltd. and led the Global Securities Solutions Division. Kins presently serves as the President of the Francis W. Parker Alumni Association and is a member of the Board of Trustees. He holds a B.A. in International Relations from Brown University and an MBA in Finance, with minors in Real Estate and International Business, from The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.
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Julia Loni Turner ’16
Julia Loni Turner ’16 is the Co-Founder and CEO of CashBox Media, an in-store advertising network reimagining how brands connect with consumers. She has over six years of experience in the cannabis industry, having worked at leading startups and Multi-State Operators including Green Thumb Industries, Cann Social Tonics and Chill Steel Pipes. Turner turned to cannabis after suffering multiple concussions in high school. Discovering the benefits of microdosing during her recovery, she became deeply committed to socially conscious entrepreneurship and cannabis advocacy. While in college, she launched her first company, BUZZBOXX by NEKKTAR, which she scaled and sold after five and a half years. Turner is committed to inclusive brand building, operational excellence and collaborative partnerships. She brings a Gen Z energy and an old soul to everything she does—often paired with standout sneakers. Turner holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University.
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Steven Weisman ’04
Steven Weisman '04 is the Co-Founder of Thensome, a hemp-derived THC drink enhancer. He was previously the Co-Founder, Director and Chief Strategy Officer of Grassroots Cannabis, where he expanded the company into 12 markets and led the 2019 merger with Curaleaf Holdings, forming the world’s largest cannabis company at the time. Steven also co-founded and served as CEO of Windy City Cannabis and co-founded Leaf Trade, an SaaS-based wholesale cannabis marketplace that merged with Sweed POS in 2023 and was acquired by LeafLink in 2025. Earlier in his career, he practiced law at Kirkland & Ellis LLP and worked as a capital markets equity research analyst at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital in New York. Weisman holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.