We are making a few changes at ECHO Connection and the board has asked me share this announcement. After three full years at ECHO Connection, I am stepping down as President and CEO. I am pleased to announce that Brian Higuera is moving into the leadership position moving forward.
It has been my privilege to serve ECHO Connection. I am grateful to our founding sponsors, the MJNA family of companies including Kannaway and HempMeds. We deeply appreciate their financial support as well as the use of their phenomenal CBD products for our family donation program. I have seen firsthand, the profound healing effects these products have offered to our ECHO families. It has been gratifying to oversee the expansion of our impact from the United States into Brazil, Mexico, throughout Europe as well as Russia and Kazakhstan. Our work has not been possible without the thousands of individual donors who have generously given time and again. I have been honored to watch our donor base grow starting exclusively in the United States then expanding to include donors originating from 26 countries. Our 3500 donors are the heroes of ECHO Connection’s story.
Brian Higuera Accepts New Role as President and CEO
And now it is time to pass the reins to new leadership. I have known Brian Higuera since 2017 and he is a warrior for the rights of families in need to access cannabis. Brian is smart, funny and kind. He cares deeply for those with medically challenged loved ones. We have been fortunate to hear from Brian and his family on many occasions and I am always moved by the exquisite care Brian and his wife Damaris provide for their daughters including Sadie, a truly special soul.
Brian has served on the ECHO board since 2017, first as Secretary Treasurer, then as Vice President and now he takes the helm as President. He has new energy to build on the legacy of ECHO Connection so that it can continue to serve more individuals in need. We also welcome Christina Augusta who will be running the ECHO office.
“When I was asked to step into this new position I was honored and excited,” said Brian Higuera. “I took a look back on the last seven years of my daughter’s life and knew that the next chapter of my life is meant to be spent changing as many lives for the better as I can, just like ECHO has for my family, through the benefits of CBD. I will do everything I can to change one heart and one mind at a time so that cannabinoids will be researched, and eventually accepted, as the first line of treatment for many conditions. In accepting this new leadership role, I want to use my own experience to further the national conversation on CBD as a wellness product.” Please join me in congratulating Brian on his new leadership role.
I will miss you all and thank you sincerely for your support and interest.
Warmly,
Andrea Barnes, Outgoing President and CEO
ECHO Connection
