Leadership Team
Travis Ahern
Executive Director
Travis.Ahern@CCCMass.com
Travis Ahern joined the Cannabis Control Commission in March 2025 as its Executive Director, bringing with him nearly two decades of experience in public service and the private financial sector. Most recently, Executive Director Ahern served as the Holliston Town Administrator, a role he held since July 2020. In his capacity as Town Administrator, he had the opportunity to engage with Marijuana Establishments operating in Holliston, working to implement local changes related to Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022, the state’s equity reform law, and securing Town Meeting approval of local by-laws allowing delivery to take place.
Executive Director Ahern previously served as the Policy and Finance Director for the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) Advisory Board, Finance Director for the Town of Danvers, Financial Analyst for the Town of Weston, and as a Portfolio Associate II, Internal Auditor at State Street Corp. He helped lead both the towns of Danvers and Holliston to achieve a AAA rating from S&P Global Ratings.
Executive Director Ahern holds a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Northeastern University and BA in Political Science from Hobart College. He also completed a Leading Educating and Developing (LEAD) Program through the University of Virginia, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, and a Leadership Development Program through UMass Amherst, the Collins Center for Public Management and the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA).
Andrew Carter
Chief of Staff
Andrew.Carter@CCCMass.com
Chief of Staff Andrew Carter joined the Commission in 2018 and has held various legal and compliance roles at the agency. Previously, Andrew served as Interim General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, responsible for the legal affairs of the Commission, including the promulgation of the regulations mandated by Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022: An Act Relative to Equity in the Cannabis Industry. Earlier, Andrew served as counsel in the Commission’s Investigations and Enforcement division, advising on legal matters related to compliance with cannabis laws and regulations.
Andrew has served in federal, state, and municipal government, including the United States Senate, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the City of Newton. Andrew holds a B.A. from the University of Connecticut, an M.A. from Northeastern University, and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
Kajal Chattopadhyay
General Counsel
Kajal.Chattopadhyay@CCCMass.com
Kajal Chattopadhyay joined the Cannabis Control Commission in October 2024 as its General Counsel, bringing more than 20 years of experience in various state government posts. Most recently, he worked with the Department of Correction’s legal department, handling a variety of litigation matters involving civil rights, torts, and parole. Prior to that, he served as Senior Legal and Policy Advisor at the Massachusetts Office for Refugees and Immigrants. He previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Department of Transitional Assistance, and briefly worked as Deputy Chief of Front Door Operations on the Healey administration’s cross-secretariat team to address and respond to unprecedented demand for emergency family shelter and the lack of supply of affordable housing.
Other notable posts Kajal has held include Director of Criminal Investigations Bureau/Director of Legislative Affairs and Counsel to the Commissioner with the Department of Revenue, General Counsel/Deputy General Counsel with the Department of Telecommunications and Cable, Assistant Attorney General with the Office of the Attorney General, and Assistant District Attorney with the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office.
Kajal also served as co-chair of the Massachusetts Illegal Tobacco Task Force from 2015 to 2019, was chair of the Asian American Commission, and in 2008 was named “Fraud Fighter of the Year” by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Greater Boston Chapter. He has a J.D. Degree from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Hamilton College.
Paul Clark
Chief Technology and Innovation Officer
Paul.Clark@CCCMass.com
Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Paul Clark comes to the Cannabis Control Commission after spending more than 25 years in senior IT leadership roles across a variety of industries including healthcare, management consulting, print and marketing services, warehouse and distribution, and business web hosting. Most recently he was Chief Information and Technology Officer/Privacy Compliance Officer for a global healthcare company focused on medical second opinions.
Paul has extensive experience in all aspects of information technology including infrastructure, system administration, security, cloud platforms, and customer service. In addition, he brings a background of overseeing global patient and individual privacy and compliance programs.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Debbie Hilton-Creek
Chief People Officer
Debra.Hilton.Creek@CCCMass.com
Debbie Hilton-Creek joined the Cannabis Control Commission in August 2023 as the agency’s Chief People Officer (CPO). As a professional Human Resources Practitioner, Debbie brings multi-state employment, labor, and workforce development experiences and background to the CPO’s role. She has more than 20 years’ experience in organizations with 700-plus team members, and multiple union representations. She is a coach and advisor to C-Suite Executives and Senior Level Management.
Ms. Hilton-Creek has served in the roles of HR Director, Chief HR Officer, Deputy Director, and Executive Director in social services and healthcare organizations. Locally, she held the title of HR Director for the Town of Hopkinton, Massachusetts, where she managed the Town’s Human Resources and Benefits Trust functions, and as the HR Director within the Fine Hotels Corporation in Massachusetts. Ms. Hilton-Creek’s professional experience also includes serving as the Chief HR Officer (CHRO) for Greater Lawrence Family Health Center for seven years, and the Chief HR Officer for Codman Square Health Center for four years.
Prior to relocating to Massachusetts from Colorado, Ms. Hilton-Creek also served in the role of Executive Director for Home and Health Care, Inc. of Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to these executive level roles, she has more than 25 years’ experience leading organizational change and development, and strategic planning within the non-profit, healthcare, social services, government, and hospitality industries.
Debbie holds an Executive Master’s in Business Administration (EMBA) from Colorado Technical University and a Bachelor of Science (BS) with a minor in Psychology from Denver Technical College, both located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Among her successes and accomplishments are her collaboration with the Colorado Department of Health and Human Services (CDHS) to develop Colorado Springs’ first Options for Long Term Care Program and Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). She further collaborated with senior level management within her organization to develop and implement the agency’s Private Care Management Program, which resulted in the first non-profit entity to also operate a for-profit component under separate Employer Identification Numbers (EINs).
Julie K. Johnson
Chief of Research
Julie.Johnson@CCCMass.com
Chief of Research Julie K. Johnson, PhD, is a former National Institute of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award Fellow at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She formerly worked at Boston Children’s Hospital as a Research Study Coordinator at the Center of Adolescent Substance Abuse Research and Brandeis University as a Research Associate at the Prescription Drug Monitoring Center of Excellence.
During her 10-year academic career, she taught health policy courses at Brandeis University and Simmons College and authored varying peer-review papers and editorials, textbook chapters, reports, and professional meeting presentations to advance the knowledge and understanding of marijuana laws, youth and emerging adult health, and substance use prevention.
Johnson graduated from Simmons College with a BA in Society and Health, Sociology, and Communications, Brandeis University with a PhD in Social Policy, and completed her Postdoc in the Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training program at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Lisa Schlegel
Chief Financial and Accounting Officer
Lisa.Schlegel@cccmass.com
Lisa Schlegel joined the Cannabis Control Commission in March 2024 as the Chief Financial and Accounting Officer. In this role, she is responsible for financial management and budget development, as well as strategic planning and managing key procurement projects for the Commission.
Lisa brings broad experience and skills in accounting and audit, budget development and oversight, financial statement preparation, financial reporting to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and external agencies, strategic planning, contract management, and compliance and internal controls.
Most recently, Lisa served as Comptroller for Quinsigamond Community College for the past four years, and as Assistant Comptroller for eight years prior. She is a Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official (MCPPO) with a B.A. in Accounting from Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, and an MBA from Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
Department Leadership
Michael Baker
Deputy General Counsel
Legal
Katherine Binkoski
Director of Investigations
Investigations and Enforcement
AnnMarie Burtt
Director of Digital and Creative Services
Communications
Dr. Sudeshna Chatterjee
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Employee Relations
Human Resources
Maryalice Curley
Director of Communications
Communications
Armond Enos
Director of Enforcement Training
Investigations and Enforcement
Kate Fiske
Interim Director of Constituent Services
Constituent Services
Danielle Freeman
Director of Information Technology and Security
Information Technology
Matt Giancola
Director of Government Affairs and Policy
Communications
Timothy Goodin
Enforcement Counsel
Investigations and Enforcement
Olivia Koval
Director of Licensing
Investigations and Enforcement
Mark McDevitt
Director of Budget and Accounting
Finance
Marianne Sarkis
Director of Data Analytics
Information Technology
Silea Williams
Director of Equity Programming and Community Outreach
Communications
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