Professional Summary

Amanda is the co-founder and COO of BestBuds, a certified women owned business dedicated to educating consumers on the power of cannabis. Seeing a need for compliance and education in the cannabis space, BestBuds launched their online retail business in 2019 providing consumers with cannabis education and trustworthy Hemp CBD products. As members of the National Hemp Association BestBuds is proud to be one of their first Social Equity Conscious Business Awardees.

BestBuds is expanding their business into the adult-use market as an applicant for a Dispensary permit in New Jersey. They are social equity recipients of the Harvest 360/CHT Application Accelerator Grant for NJ Cannabis Insider, and The New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association sponsored scholarship in collaboration with NJ Cannabis Insider.

Amanda is passionate about cannabis education having earned her Dispensary Training Certification from Hemp Staff, a Master Certification from the Cannabis Training University, and is currently enrolled in the Green Flower for Business Retail Certification and Stockton University’s Cannabis Studies Certificate program.

She is a member of the National Ski Patrol, the Greater Woodbury Chamber of Commerce, the Gloucester County United Way, and the Emerging Industry Committee and the Access & Equity Committee for the Gloucester County Economic Recovery Collaborative. She is a former Director for the Women’s Golf Association of New Jersey and Leadership Committee Member for the Business Network International-Developers NJ Chapter. She was recently appointed as Director of Operations for the Support the Ukrainian Nation Foundation.

Amanda is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University. Prior to launching BestBuds, she spent over 15 years working on Wall Street and 5 years in other highly regulated industries including insurance and banking. She currently resides in New Jersey with her husband Erik and is a new Canna-Mom to their son Tyler.