An agency on a mission within a movement

Annette Fernandez spent 19 years driving high-volume flagship locations with specialty retailers including Macy’s, Gap and Victoria’s Secret. After her retail career Annette joined a prime broker as a vice president of operations, where she was responsible for building a team from the ground up. Growing up, and now raising a daughter in Washington Heights, a community disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition, led her to become a community advocate for equity and economic empowerment via the cannabis industry. In September 2020, Annette started the Washington Heights Walking Crew to help build bridges in the segregated neighborhood. She co-founded High Exposure Agency in July 2023 to support social equity outcomes in the New York market. Also, she is an applicant for provisional retail licensure and dreams of the day that La Casa Lola, a dispensary and community hub, opens as an homage to her Dominican grandparents.

Kassia Graham is an advocate, consultant (strategy, events, R&D, social impact, etc.), digital strategist, and creative. As a co-founder and managing partner at High Exposure Agency they lead a variety of initiatives including strategy, community building, content creation, event production (more than 25 years of experience), partnerships, and more. They’re often sought out for their expertise in the industry including policy, DEI, branding, marketing, and trends. In addition to their work in the US, Kassia has was part of the team that helped bring the first legal brick-and-mortar cannabis dispensary to life in Europe.They have been seen in Cannabis & Tech Today, High Times, USA Today, Now This News, New York Magazine, Leafly, and other publications. Kassia sits on the Oregon Cannabis Commision Patient and Health Equity Subcommittee. Previously, they directed the day-to-day at Cannabis for Black Lives (CfBL), a charitable collective that supported organizations serving communities most impacted by the war on drugs. Kassia was a founding board member of Broccoli Magazine’s Floret Coalition and between October 2021 and September 2022 they helped raise over $135,000 to support Black, Indigenous, and Latine community organizations. They have dedicated their life and career to making space for those who are LGBTQ2IA+, disabled, BIPOC, and other marginalized intersections.