Cannabis Control Commission acting chair Ava Callender Concepcion, who is pregnant, will take medical leave for at least the next month, adding to a spate of key vacancies at the embattled state regulatory agency.
The move comes days after reports that the directors of licensing and testing had left their jobs at the commission for unknown reasons. The agency also has around 10 other openings, including general counsel and executive director — a role that was assumed temporarily by chief people office Debbie Hilton-Creek late last year. Commissioners are in the midst of reviewing applications for executive director with the hope of naming someone by the fall.
Concepcion, who is due in January, said her upcoming leave is “unavoidable, per medical advice.”
“I appreciate the pressing challenges with the governance charter on the cusp of being approved and the promise of finalizing our selection of a new executive director,” Concepcion wrote in an email to colleagues Monday. “Unfortunately, I cannot help with that right now. Together we have been making progress and I hope you will be able to focus on this important work in my absence.” [Read More @ The Boston Globe]