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About Us

The Cannabis Expungement Board consists of five voting members who are supported by an Executive Director and staff and was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 2023 when adult-use cannabis was legalized. The CEB is tasked with reviewing and making determinations about 98,000 past marijuana-related cases at monthly board meetings.

Staff

The CEB staff acts as a liaison between the Board, the legislature, and the courts. They prepare cases for review and file determinations with the courts.

Jim Rowader

Executive Director

Jim Rowader is the Executive Director of the Cannabis Expungement Board (CEB), appointed to this position by Governor Tim Walz. Jim brings to the CEB an extensive legal career with executive-level experience. Prior to his appointment, Jim served as the Director of People and Culture with the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN) and as the City Attorney for the City of Minneapolis. Prior to his public service, Jim spent the bulk of his career with Target Corporation rising to Vice President and General Counsel for Employee and Labor Relations. Jim currently serves on the board of the Minnesota Justice Research Center, and previously served on the boards for the Minnesota Hispanic Bar Association, ACLU-MN, and the Minneapolis United Soccer Association. He earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Nilushi S. Ranaweera

Deputy Director

Nilushi S. Ranaweera is Deputy Director and Chief Legal Officer. Prior to joining the CEB, she was at the Attorney General’s Office, where she developed and ran the Statewide Expungement Program (SWEP), which included training Assistant Attorneys General on expungement law and process to ensure consistency. She is also a frequent presenter of CLEs on expungement.

Prior to that, Nilushi represented both the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Human Services in litigation and compliance matters. She was also a judicial law clerk in the Second judicial district and worked for both the City of St. Paul and the City of Minneapolis in financial and regulatory capacities. Nilushi holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka as well as a Master of Laws from Hamline University, and her Juris Doctorate from Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

Hanna Haglund

Director of Finance and Operations

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Elana Dahlager

Managing Attorney

Neve Pechacek

Paralegal Supervisor

Jodi Hanslick