OUR TEAM
BRENT VANZIlE
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
Brent VanZile has over ten years of experience in the cannabis industry, with five years managing licensed commercial grows.
As Director of Cultivation at Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center, one of New Englands first dispensaries, he retrofitted cultivation to adhere with strict state regulations and maintained a yield of 2.5 pounds plus per light. During his time as head grower of Theory Wellness in Massachusetts, Brent helped bolster its reputation as one of the top tier boutique dispensaries on the East Coast. Despite Massachusetts having one of the strictest microbial standards in the country, he maintained an under one percent flower fail rate. Brent is now an owner of Talaria, a licensed cultivator in Rhode Island. At this facility he continues to test new technology to the market such as LED lights, fertigation, nutrient lines, and genetics.
In addition to his cultivation experience, Brent founded Get A Grower, a staffing firm, that focuses on high level cultivation roles such as Director of Cultivation and Head Grower. He has interviewed and placed growers from almost every legal market. Brent works with the client to identify their brand’s story and find a grower shares their values. This also includes vetting the growers skills in various cultivation techniques, as well as their ability to pass state guidelines.
Brent also spends his time consulting around the US and Canada. He has helped design over half a million square feet of state of the art cultivation space. States that he has operated in include Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oklahoma, as well as Canada. His areas of expertise include cultivation SOPs, employee management, yield optimization, vertical integration, pest management, and extraction.
Brent has been a multi year speaker at NECann, New England’s first cannabis expo, as well as Cannabis World Business Conference. He has also taken continuing education classes such as Chemistry for Hash Makers from Cloverleaf University.
NISHAN HAN
FOUNDER & CEO
Nishan Han is the founder and owner of Rhode Island Reef, a cannabis-adjacent wellness brand rooted in Rhode Island and established in 2015. His career in the industry began long before hemp became federally legal, through Rhode Island’s medical marijuana program, where he was a state-licensed caregiver working directly with patients in need. In that role, Nishan cultivated and supplied medical cannabis for multiple licensed patients, gaining hands-on experience in plant science, compliance, and compassionate care.
Nishan studied biology and plant science at the University of Rhode Island, which laid the foundation for his approach to cultivation and product development. He later worked with Full Circle Incorporated, one of Rhode Island’s first licensed medical marijuana cultivation centers, where he further refined his expertise in large-scale growing operations and regulatory standards.
When the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, Nishan recognized the opportunity to bring high-quality, responsibly sourced cannabis products to a wider audience. He launched his own line of CBD products and, in 2020, established the first hemp farm on Aquidneck Island, and one of the first hemp farms in Rhode Island with the goal of creating seed-to-shelf products made from hemp he grew himself. As Rhode Island Reef expanded, Nishan made the strategic decision to shift away from farming in order to focus on scaling the business, retail operations, and brand development—now sourcing from trusted partner farms while maintaining strict quality standards.
Today, Nishan leads Rhode Island Reef as a community-driven retail and wellness brand, combining deep cultivation experience, scientific understanding, and a long-standing commitment to responsible cannabis and hemp advocacy. His work reflects a belief that these products, when made and used thoughtfully, can improve quality of life—and that local, transparent businesses can help shape the future of the industry the right way.
ZACH REGO
ADVISORY BOARD MEMBER
BIO COMING SOON…
Rachael DeSouza
BIO COMING SOON
Audrey RINKEL
BIO COMING SOON
Marjorie Keefe
Board Certified Nurse
B.S., M.S., Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, Nationally Board Certified. In 2006 she was one of the first Nurse Practitioners in Rhode Island to certify Medical Marijuana patients to obtain cannabis through the RI Department of Health. The majority of patients were trying to get off opioids and knew cannabis worked. Since 2016 she has been a member of the American Cannabis Nurses Association. In Florida, she worked with Canna Holdings providing medical symposiums for Florida Physicians and exhibited at National Medical and Nursing Conferences. “I fully support Rhode Island Reef and have recommended many of their high quality products to my family and friends. Nishan Han is a great resource to the community and Rhode Island. I am honored to be a member.”