Precision In Practice, Power
In Results.

Welcome to KND, where we bring our combined experiences as government officials, in-house counsels, regulators and strategic consultants to provide solutions to your business challenges.  With extensive experience in the heavily-regulated cannabis industry, we have worked inside of national cannabis companies to steer their policy objectives and help them grow from a single retail store to multi-state operators. We have also worked within startups in the ancillary space, and within government agencies, boards, and task forces. We know firsthand what laws, regulations and policies allow businesses to thrive, and we advocate for legal and policy solutions with state regulators, legislators, and other stakeholders accordingly.

Our co-founders collectively have more than two decades of experience in all aspects of the cannabis industry, and more than two decades as practicing attorneys working within and around government. We stand ready to guide you through every twist and turn of the ever evolving, ever unpredictable cannabis industry.

Through our Government Affairs roles at competing companies, we learned the value of fostering coalitions that lift all boats. We can help your company develop beneficial relationships with diverse stakeholders and unified  strategies to optimize your business. We understand your business priorities and use our robust experience, wide networks, and problem-solving skills to ensure your desired outcomes are not just envisioned but realized.

At KND Group, we don't just represent: we empower and lead. Let's shape the future of the cannabis industry together.

Meet KND

We pride ourselves on being a women-led team of attorneys and government affairs leaders. Our diverse backgrounds, passion for problem-solving, and unwavering dedication to advancing our clients’ goals converge to deliver exceptional results for our clients.

  • Katie assists clients on a variety of regulatory and legislative issues. She focuses her practice on heavily regulated industries, including cannabis, gaming, and financial services.

    Katie has held roles in-house at a multi-state-cannabis company as the Director of Government Affairs and as General Counsel for a cannabis tech-start up. She previously served as Chair of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, a group that she still works with today.

    Prior to working in cannabis, Katie served as Assistant Secretary for General Government and Financial Services in the New York State Governor’s Office where she negotiated key policy initiatives and oversaw policy and operations for six agencies. Katie’s depth of experience within government, in-house a regulated entity, and in the ancillary startup space, uniquely qualifies her to provide unmatched legal and business advice to her clients.

    Katie was recognized in The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch,” List for Administrative and Regulatory law in 2021. In 2018, she was profiled as an Albany 40 Under 40 Rising Star.

  • Ngiste is an experienced cannabis policy expert. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of Virginia’s Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council.

    Previously, she was VP of Public Policy at Columbia Care, a publicly traded national cannabis company, President of the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association, and in the executive leadership for cannabis associations in DC, Illinois, and Delaware.

    Before entering cannabis policy, Ngiste was a founding partner in Undaunted Ventures, a political consulting firm which specializes in innovative narrative, training, and leadership coaching services.

    Ngiste holds a BA in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a Masters in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She happily gives and receives recommendations for sci-fi novels and board games.