Meeting: April, 2022

Speaker Bios

Helen Gomez Andrews

Helen, a lifelong supporter of cannabis legalization, was one of the first recipients of a medical marijuana caregiver’s card in the state of New York, for her daughter with epilepsy - an experience that has shaped her perspective in the business she is building.

Helen lived in Hong Kong, Manila, and Florence before heading to New York City to pursue a degree in Finance and International Business at the NYU Stern School of Business. She spent 13 years growing a fruitful career on Wall Street (Lehman Brothers, Barclays, and Morgan Stanley) during which she became inspired by the triple-bottom-line approach taken by the impact investment network that she became aligned with. In this community she encountered an aspirational range of trailblazing conscious capitalists, social venture founders, regenerative agriculturalists, and the like.

Following a successful campaign to push the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission to create pathways to equitable industry access for women and people of color, The High End became the first-ever Certified MBE and WMBE cannabis company in the Commonwealth. Helen will continue this vital advocacy work as the business grows. With The High End, she sees an unmistakably lucrative venture, but also an opportunity to build a business that is a vehicle for positive change.

Helen sits on the Leadership Advisory Board, and is a Business Accelerator Mentor, at EforAll Holyoke, supporting the organization’s work to accelerate economic and social impact in Holyoke through inclusive entrepreneurship. She is also a Founding Member of the National Cannabis Industry Association's Sustainability Collaboration. And most recently, she was appointed by Attorney General Maura Healey to serve on the Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board for her expertise in women-owned business.

Mindy Miraglia

After a 30+ year career in Corporate America as a marketing and market research executive, Mindy took a leap of faith in 2017 to follow a road less traveled. This led her to the Camino de Santiago, a long-distance pilgrimage in Spain. She has walked this journey twice, covering 500 miles while learning many lessons along the way that inform her life, career and business today. She is the Founder and CEO of Berkshire Camino LLC, a tour operation that supports her passion for travel, hiking, nature and authentic human connection.

Berkshire Camino curates and leads walking and hiking excursions that integrate the natural landscape, history, culture and spirit of the Berkshires; making it easy, safe and engaging for casual hikers to explore the Berkshires on foot.

Mindy is an EforAll alum having participated in a pitch contest, Winter 2020 Accelerator and is now a reader, interviewer and member of the Berkshire County EforAll Advisory Board.

Mary Stucklen

Mary Stucklen is the owner of Tommy’s Compost Service, which is named after her young son Thomas. Her goal is to contribute to a greener future for future generations by providing a food waste pickup service for both residences and commercial entities. This food waste is composted at a local farm and customers receive some compost in return. This model allows for our local communities to have access to composting, which reduces waste and greenhouse gasses, as well as helps our local food systems.

Deborah Gallant and EforAll Berkshire County

Deborah Gallant is the Executive Director of EforAll Berkshire County, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people bring their business ideas to life. Deborah holds an MBA from Columbia University and has worked for many years as a business coach.