Leadership

Felicia A. B. Reid is the Deputy Executive Director and Acting Executive Director of the NYS Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). She oversees the rebuilding and expansion of OCM operations, including priorities on public health, economic development, licensing, compliance, medical cannabis, labor standards, and market practice enforcement. Felicia understands that, as a public-serving agency with an equity-centered mission, OCM must work in deep collaboration with cannabis industry stakeholders to guide the positive development of New York’s cannabis market.
 

Felicia has over a decade of practice in State government, including positions at the NYS Office of Children and Family Services as Deputy Commissioner overseeing juvenile justice; and at the Appellate Division, Third Department and the NYS Assembly. She is admitted to the New York bar, and holds degrees and certifications from New York Law School, Fordham University, and the Sorbonne University. She is a former Master Gardener Volunteer and gardens on a smallholding in Schenectady County along with her husband Carl, a luthier and audio engineer. As a land steward, she focuses on regenerative agriculture, medicinal and food crops, pollinator and predator habitats, and climate-conscious landscaping. 

 

Susan Filburn has been appointed Chief Administrative Officer. This new position will focus on stabilizing and formalizing administrative functions of the agency to support licensing, compliance and enforcement operations. She will also work closely with the licensing and technology teams to implement process improvements to streamline the license review process and improve responsiveness.  

Susan has more than 20 years of experience in State government, including the last four years as Deputy Commissioner of Employment Security at the Department of Labor. Susan is a U.S. Army Veteran who served in numerous locations as an Aviation Officer. Susan holds a Masters of Public Administration from the Syracuse University Maxwell School, as well as a Bachelor of Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

 

Tom Donohue currently serves as the Office of Cannabis Management’s Acting General Counsel. He joined the agency in January 2024 as Director of Operations. Prior to joining OCM, Tom was at the New York State Liquor Authority, serving in several leadership positions including General Counsel and Deputy Commissioner of Licensing. A graduate of Albany Law School, Tom previously was Counsel to the Commissioner of Social Services, First Assistant District Attorney and First Assistant Public Defender in Columbia County, as well as being a partner in the law firm of Hogle and Donohue.

 

Daniel G. Haughney serves as Director of Enforcement and Investigations at the NYS Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). He is responsible for all operations within the Enforcement and Investigations Division, including policy decisions, procedures, agency regulations, investigations, and liaising between OCM and enforcement leads at other state and local agencies. Dan has more than 28 years of law enforcement experience, handling both criminal and administrative investigations, at positions with the State University of New York, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, and the New York State Gaming Commission. He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Plattsburgh State University.

 

John Kagia serves as the Director of Policy for the Office of Cannabis Management. He leads the team responsible for policy development and implementation for the medical, adult use, and cannabinoid hemp programs in New York. John also manages development of research and data systems to measure and track industry performance, and he oversees deployment of the Office’s educational public health campaigns. Since joining the cannabis industry in 2014, John has been a pioneering industry analyst delivering groundbreaking research into emerging global markets, investment and capital flows, supply chain trends, product innovation, and evolving consumer behavior. He works with policy makers, investors, and business owners to capitalize on emerging opportunities, hedge against risk, and predict market defining trends. Prior to joining the cannabis industry, John spent a decade delivering market research and strategic intelligence to high-performing organizations across the federal government, technology, and non-profit sectors.

 

 

Robert MacGiffert serves as Director of Audit, Quality Assurance, and Internal Control (AQI), reporting to the OCM Executive Office. In this role, he is responsible for establishing policies governing all aspects of auditing and compliance, which includes testing the reliability of OCM internal controls and quality assurance systems. Rob will develop and execute OCM’s annual audit plan and assess and ensure that the assets and resources of OCM are adequately safeguarded and utilized appropriately. Prior to his role in OCM, Rob worked for OCFS for over 25 years in the Division of Juvenile Justice and Opportunities for Youth.  He held several roles including the Director of Quality Assurance and Improvement. Most recently, Rob served as the Associate Commissioner for the OCFS Office of Facilities Management. During this time, he was responsible for the general oversight, compliance, and operations of juvenile justice facilities across New York State. 

 

 

Patrick McKeage serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Office of Cannabis Management. Patrick has worked on the cannabis file in New York State for the past five years helping to implement the cannabinoid hemp program, expand the medical cannabis program and create the adult-use cannabis program. Patrick has extensive knowledge of cannabis policy and regulations and has been managing the operational logistics associated with implementing the Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act and standing up the new Office of Cannabis Management. Patrick brings prior experience working in New York State Government from previous roles at the Department of Health, Office of General Services and the Department of Taxation and Finance. Patrick also has experience working in the New York State Assembly and an Albany based government relations firm.

 

Stephen Geskey, Esq. serves as the Executive Deputy Director over Licensing, Compliance and Laboratories. In this capacity, Steve oversees OCM’s regulated operations. Steve comes to the OCM with a breadth of public sector legal and executive management experience. Steve began his legal career serving as House Judiciary Counsel, for the Michigan House of Representatives, Democratic Caucus, drafting legislation and providing strategic policy counsel. From there, he served as an Assistant Attorney General under three Attorneys General (Michigan Department of Attorney General) and during his near decade of service, Steve drafted opinions of the Attorney General, served as legal counsel for the State Board of Ethics, and litigated employment and campaign finance cases in both state and federal trial and appellate courts. Later, Steve was appointed to serve as the chairperson over an appellate-level quasi-judicial tribunal presiding over unemployment benefit and contribution cases. In this capacity, Steve oversaw rule promulgation processes, cast the deciding vote in contested case proceedings, and drafted select Board decisions. 
 

Equipped with substantial legislative, litigation, and administrative law experience, Steve transitioned into public sector executive management by leading Michigan’s unemployment insurance program during the Great Recession and New York’s unemployment insurance program during the pandemic. Steve comes to the OCM with nearly seven years of service within the NYS Department of Labor as a Director and as an Associate Commissioner. Steve earned both a BS and MBA from Michigan State University and his JD from the University of Detroit, School of Law.

 

John F. Udochi, Esq. serves as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the Office of Cannabis Management. With over 27 years of progressive experience in administrative law, John Franklin Udochi has dedicated his career to ensuring fairness, integrity, and impartiality in adjudicatory proceedings.
 

As a former Supervising Administrative Law Judge at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services—overseeing regional hearing operations in New York City, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties. Judge Udochi brings a wealth of expertise in managing complex legal processes and developing best practices for judicial decision-making.
 

A certified trainer for Continuing Legal Education and an advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, Judge Udochi combines his extensive legal background with a commitment to serving diverse communities. His insights into effective adjudication and leadership in promoting inclusive practices make him a distinguished voice on issues of diversity and equity.

 

Jessica Woolford serves as the Director of Public Affairs for the Office of Cannabis Management, where she leads public relations, media and marketing to ensure a constant flow of accurate, relevant, and timely information to the public and key stakeholders. Jessica is an experienced bilingual communications and media professional, with over ten years of service in government, labor, and advocacy. She previously worked for U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and has contributed to numerous high-profile projects and campaigns. She holds a B.A. from Williams College.
 

In her new role, she is tasked with ensuring that communication and community engagement are prioritized as the agency implements transformational change. She will also build out the agency’s first customer service team to provide transparency to applicants, licensees and consumers about the agency’s processes and the marketplace.