Maren Schroeder, Director of Advocacy & Public Affairs

Maren is a veteran policy strategist, advocate, and regulatory expert with a lengthy and proven track record of shaping cannabis policy in Minnesota. Maren has spent over a decade at the forefront of cannabis legalization and medical cannabis advocacy. She served as Coalition Director for MN is Ready, where she led stakeholder engagement and policy development for Minnesota’s historic 2023 cannabis legalization bill. Prior to that, she served as the Policy Director for Sensible Change Minnesota, a consumer and patient led non-profit focusing on cannabis and drug policies that promote public health and compassion, since 2019.

A testament to her deep subject-matter expertise, Maren currently serves of the state of Minnesota’s inaugural Cannabis Advisory Council. She has served on the Stewartville Planning & Zoning Commission since 2013 and is a board member for Mediation and Conflict Solutions in Rochester, Minnesota.

Maren holds a Master of Business Administration in Legal Administration and a B.S. in Paralegal Studies. She is the recipient of the National Federation of Paralegal Association’s Justice Champion Award, the inaugural Minnesota Cannabis Culture Award for Medical Cannabis Advocacy, and Outstanding Paralegal of the Year Award from the Minnesota Paralegal Association.