{"id":5158,"date":"2024-06-06T10:34:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/?p=5158"},"modified":"2024-06-06T10:41:45","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:41:45","slug":"new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-42-no-5\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"New Council Leader at OCM seeks to grow member engagement and cannabis awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"NYS<\/p>\n

\"Nevillene
Nevillene White, Manager of Community Relations within the External Affairs department at OCM.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

June 10, 2024<\/em> — On March 31, 2021, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act was signed into law in New York, legalizing the adult, recreational use of marijuana or cannabis. The legislation also created the new Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). Since then, the office has hit the ground running to help create and regulate the market in the state.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevillene White is the Manager of Community Relations within the External Affairs department at OCM. She is also now the council leader of Division 412. The staff working at OCM, a brand-new agency, is largely a younger workforce and a workforce new to state work and to unions. White said it is her mission to make sure that everyone who comes on board, regardless of age or state service experience, knows that PEF is here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven before I was made the council leader, I was working with the administration to make sure PEF was being included in onboarding new employees,\u201d said White. \u201cPEF is now put on the schedule for onboarding and I make a point to discuss why it is important to join, become a dues-paying member, and how to work with management.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

White\u2019s background has prepared her for both her role at OCM and her role as council leader. Before joining OCM, White worked for many years at the Department of Health and was a PEF steward for 10 years. Though PEF has been her first and only union for 24 years, White said that she is a \u201cunion baby,\u201d born in New York City to parents who were both career city workers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI heard union talk all my life,\u201d White said. \u201cBeing in a union and joining PEF already felt very familiar to me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At OCM, her work is not too different than the work she did as a DOH employee. As a part of external affairs, her work is rooted in equity, community, and education.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI get to go into the community to talk about licensing, procedures, and how those who have been disproportionately impacted can build a space in the industry if they wish to,\u201d White said. \u201cI\u2019m given the chance to educate about the stigma behind use and sale of cannabis and I\u2019m able to take what questions, concerns and ideas the community has back to the office.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the agency being so new and with the workforce at OCM seeing more younger staff members, White said it is important to make sure anyone coming into service at OCM knows PEF is there for them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

White said that she wants to prevent issues with new members and management in her division before they arise, but also assure members that the relationship with management does not need to be a combative one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want them to know that we can have a good relationship with management\u2014and we have so far\u2014and maintain a kind of open-door policy with them,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though some employees are provisional and may be hesitant to come into the fold, White said she still wants to look out for them and bring them in as soon as they are ready.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still building a team here\u2014I still need a VP, and some other positions filled\u2014but I will take all the help I can get,\u201d she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Her first goal as a council leader is to drive up member engagement. She has planned the Division\u2019s first membership meeting for this month.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

White believes in the work being done at OCM and is excited about the office\u2019s future. She is also excited about the potential for the staff at OCM to bring quality work to New York and hopefully soon to PEF.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe impact we will have on peoples\u2019 lives and on New York is big. The jobs, the entrepreneurship, the industry\u2014a billion-dollar industry\u2014are all here and happening in New York,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is a dedicated, brilliant, innovative group of problem solvers here. To see them work has revitalized my love for my work, and I am happy to be part of the foundation and the groundwork for OCM.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

White is hopeful that her co-workers will see the passion she has not only for her work, but for being a part of PEF. She also hopes that New Yorkers see the value of the work being done at OCM and by PEF members.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people here doing the work are working overtime, working hard and are some of the most dedicated workers I\u2019ve ever seen,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope the public will see the value we bring to New York.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

June 10, 2024 — On March 31, 2021, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act was signed into law in New York, legalizing the adult, recreational use of marijuana or cannabis….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"division":[],"allowed_regions":[],"allowed_divisions":[],"class_list":["post-5158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","issue-volume-42-no-5"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew Council Leader at OCM seeks to grow member engagement and cannabis awareness - PEF Communicator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-42-no-5\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New Council Leader at OCM seeks to grow member engagement and cannabis awareness\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"June 10, 2024 — On March 31, 2021, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act was signed into law in New York, legalizing the adult, recreational use of marijuana or cannabis....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/issue\/volume-42-no-5\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PEF Communicator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-06T14:34:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-06T14:41:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/communicator.pef.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/06\/OCM-Logo.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ksheehan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ksheehan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-5\\\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-5\\\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ksheehan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b56382350a9a958e03dcd60443bfbf7e\"},\"headline\":\"New Council Leader at OCM seeks to grow member engagement and cannabis awareness\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-06T14:34:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-06T14:41:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-5\\\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":797,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-5\\\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/2\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/OCM-Logo.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-5\\\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/communicator.pef.org\\\/issue\\\/volume-42-no-5\\\/new-council-leader-at-ocm-seeks-to-grow-member-engagement-and-cannabis-awareness\\\/\",\"name\":\"New Council Leader at OCM seeks to grow member engagement and cannabis awareness - 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