Last verified: April 2026
OCM’s Three Executive Directors in Five Years
Few state regulatory agencies have cycled through leadership the way OCM has. Three different executive directors have led the office in less than five years — a turnover rate that has shaped both the agency’s policy choices and the broader political environment around NY cannabis.
| Period | Executive Director | Notable |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 2021 – May 2024 | Christopher (Chris) Alexander | Drug Policy Alliance veteran; resigned at Hochul's request after OGS review found OCM had failed to act on 90% of license applications. |
| June 2024 – Dec 2025 | Felicia A. B. Reid (Acting) | Former NYS OCFS deputy commissioner; never confirmed by Senate; forced out December 8, 2025 after the Omnium Health compliance case. |
| Dec 2025 – present | Susan Filburn (Acting) | OCM's Chief Administrative Officer; 20+ years in NY state government; former U.S. Army aviation officer. |
Hochul launched a national search for a permanent executive director; no nominee as of April 2026.
Chris Alexander — The Founding Director
Christopher (Chris) Alexander served as OCM’s founding executive director from September 2021 to May 2024. A Drug Policy Alliance veteran with deep equity-policy roots, Alexander was Hochul’s choice to launch the agency and chair its founding mission. His tenure produced the CAURD program, the early-stage retail rollout, and the 50% equity-goal architecture — and ended in May 2024 after a state Office of General Services (OGS) review found the agency had failed to act on 90% of license applications. Hochul requested his resignation; Alexander left.
Felicia Reid — The Acting Director Who Was Forced Out
Felicia A. B. Reid served as acting executive director from June 2024 to December 2025. Reid, a former deputy commissioner at the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, was never confirmed by the State Senate — a structural weakness that compounded political pressure on her tenure. She was forced out by Hochul on December 8, 2025 following a botched compliance case against processor Omnium Health. Reid’s departure marked the second OCM director Hochul had pushed out in 18 months.
Susan Filburn — Acting Director Since December 2025
Susan Filburn, OCM’s Chief Administrative Officer, was elevated to acting executive director in December 2025. Filburn has 20+ years in NY state government and is a former U.S. Army aviation officer. She was the internal candidate Hochul tapped to provide operational continuity while a national search for a permanent director proceeds. As of April 2026, Hochul had not yet submitted a nominee to the Senate.
The Cannabis Control Board Turnover
The five-member Cannabis Control Board (CCB) also turned over significantly:
- Tremaine Wright, the former Brooklyn assemblymember who chaired the board from September 2021, was replaced by Jessica C. García, the assistant to the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, on June 9, 2025, after the FY26 budget eliminated the chair’s $229,000 salary.
- L. Simone Washington became Chief Equity Officer in 2025, succeeding equity director Damian Fagon.
The 90% Application Backlog
The OGS review that triggered Alexander’s ouster found OCM had failed to act on 90% of license applications. The findings exposed both the operational complexity of standing up a new state regulatory agency under MRTA’s ambitious timeline and the political consequences of failing to clear the backlog. The CAURD-era applicant pool was particularly large; many had paid significant due-diligence costs without seeing application processing.
The 50+ Lawsuits
By March 2026, more than 50 lawsuits had been filed against OCM, covering:
- The CAURD program’s residency-priority structure (Variscite NY One, Variscite NY Four, Carmine Fiore v. NYS Cannabis Control Bd.)
- The school-buffer measurement methodology (the 152 mismeasured-buffer dispensaries)
- Unlicensed-shop enforcement (Cloud Corner / A S A 456 Corp., Moon Rocket Inc.)
- True Parties of Interest (TPI) regulations
- Various individual licensee disputes
The 152 Mismeasured-Buffer Dispensaries
In July 2025, OCM disclosed that 152 already-licensed dispensaries had been measured incorrectly by OCM’s own 2022 guidance and were now technically too close to schools or houses of worship under 9 NYCRR Part 119 buffer rules. Legislation (S8469) was introduced to grandfather those locations. A judicial preliminary injunction has prevented OCM from forcing those 152 closures pending the legislative fix. The episode crystallized the broader operational concerns about OCM and contributed to Reid’s December 2025 ouster.
The CCB September 2025 License Extension
The CCB approved a resolution on September 9, 2025, extending all provisional CAURD and adult-use licenses through December 31, 2026, recognizing that real-estate and proximity issues — not licensing — had become the binding constraint. The extension provided breathing room for licensees facing build-out delays or proximity challenges.
The CAURD Grant Program
The CAURD Grant Program ($5 million, up to $30,000 per licensee, launched March 2025) was a partial response to the Sweet Justice campaign demands from CAURD licensees facing predatory MSO partnerships and high-cost loans. The first 52 awards went out in June 2025. Additional rounds are anticipated.
What to Watch
- Hochul’s permanent director nominee — the choice will signal whether equity remains central to the office’s mission
- S8469 enactment — the legislative fix for the 152 mismeasured-buffer dispensaries
- OSC application window opening — on-site consumption rule-making is unscheduled
- Next general adult-use retail application window — closed since December 2023
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