kelsea appelbaum

head of community partnerships, vangst

I am a passionate individual who has built a career in Recruitment and People Operations; my success has been in establishing relationships with candidates that will contribute to a company's overall success. Throughout my career, I have connected professionals with their next role in various industries worldwide while establishing partnerships that will attract, excite, and enhance the professional development of my network.

As one of the original team members at Vangst, I've had the ability to grow within the Cannabis Industry for five years. Partnering with companies ranging from those participating in the license application process, to multi-state operators, my expertise has been in finding candidates with exceptional leadership skills, cannabis experience, and a proven track record in leading robust teams. To date, I've worked with cannabis companies in 25+ states and 5 countries by acting as a consultative partner and extension of their leadership team.

In my current role as Head of Community Partnerships at Vangst, I focus on educating the cannabis community on building effective teams as well as analyzing industry trends to identify business opportunities. My goal has, and always will be, to act as a resource and advocate for the cannabis industry by acting as a partner for companies globally.