Jeff Brown

Executive Director

New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission

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Jeff Brown serves as the executive director of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, managing the staff, functions, and operations of the Commission in regulating New Jersey’s cannabis industry.

Prior to being appointed to the position by by Governor Phil Murphy, Jeff served as assistant commissioner at the New Jersey Department of Health, overseeing the Division of Medicinal Marijuana. Under his leadership the Division of Marijuana expanded access to New Jersey patients, increasing enrollment from 17,000 in early 2018 to more than 100,000 at the end of 2020, and tripling the number of dispensaries in operation.

He also served a critical role in the Department of Health's COVID-19 response efforts, serving as the department lead for the Atlantic City Field Medical Station and assisting the department’s COVID-19 testing task force.

Jeff's commitment to and work in public health goes further back than his time with the New Jersey Department of Health. Jeff worked extensively on the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act - particularly the creation of health insurance exchanges and the expansion of Medicaid. He also led an association of community-based providers to implement innovative new payment models in Medicaid, and fought to expand access to healthcare in New Jersey’s urban communities by developing sustainable financing policies.

He has served in leadership roles in the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, the Hospital Alliance of New Jersey, and New Jersey Citizen Action, and has served on the boards of the Trenton Health Team Accountable Care Organization and New Leaders Council, New Jersey.

Before entering the field of public policy, Jeff worked on a number of electoral campaigns including Joe Sestak’s successful primary bid for Senate in 2010, for Barack Obama’s grassroots organization Organizing for America, and President Obama’s re-election campaign in New Hampshire in 2011.

Jeff grew up in Mercer County, New Jersey. He attended Mercer County Community College, and Rutgers University where he graduated Summa Cum Laude .