Meet Our Team
Board of Directors
Zee Handoush
Executive Director
Helping people is at the core of Zee’s personal mission in founding 7 Stars, and he continues to find joy and fulfillment in the work that began in the 2000s. In many ways, Zee's path to the understanding he now has about cannabis has been a life-long journey. As an American-born son of immigrant parents growing up in Richmond, California, the vilification of cannabis as an illegal recreational drug with no medicinal value was a notion that Zee had no reason to question early on. The intentional inaccuracy of the designation was one of those things that gets revealed through the process of life and learning. The history behind the deliberate censure of cannabis has doubled as a metaphor for Zee's growing understanding of how society's power structure is maintained through discrimination, oppression, and misinformation. Freeing minds from decades-long duplicity about the herb has gone hand in hand with Zee's work in bringing the plant's medicinal properties to those in need. His favorite part about running 7 Stars is the people. Every day he is inspired to be a better person by staff, patients, and the cannabis community, which is a continuous source of energy and inspiration.
In addition to his work at 7 Stars, Zee loves spending time with his family. They enjoy many activities together, including travel and discovering new places, watching good films, listening to music, eating new foods, and learning about the world together. Part of his family is his dog Thor, adopted from Berkeley Humane. Like other members of his family and community, Thor taught Zee valuable lessons about how to be a better human.
Joe Dayem
Executive Officer
As co-founder of 7 Stars and a longtime Richmond resident, Joe takes pride in serving this community to help provide safe access to cannabis and its healing properties and has experienced first-hand the profound medicinal effects it has had on patients of various ages, in particular, seniors and veterans, to help overcome an array of health challenges.
Joe loves to work with patients, being out in the community, meeting locals, and assisting non-profit charities within the area. The best part of his day at 7 Stars is helping patients and and reminding them to Keep Hope Alive.
Ben Grambergu
Director of Operations
Ben was lucky enough to grow up with cannabis in his life from an early age. His first formal entry into the space was through providing cannabis to local dispensaries in the mid-2000s. Shortly thereafter he started a media career, quickly combined interests, and became the first person in the world to promote cannabis business in a newspaper with a "general interest" certification. 7 Stars was among those ground breaking advertisers who were bravely raising their flag in a time of uncertainty. Ben's love of cannabis, marketing, and in particular cannabis marketing, lead him to pursue other roles in the industry, having his hands in many cannabis start up companies that are still succeeding today.
In his role at 7 Stars, he is rewarded daily through the interactions he gets to have with our staff and patients. Being an independent, medically focused, family run dispensary in California is a mission driven position that continues to inspire him to devote his life to cannabis. Ben grew up in the Bay Area and is the fifth generation of his family to live here. He loves playing and seeing live music, his rescued dog Tesla, and the community cats he volunteers to help. Many of his favorite days have been spent enjoying the great outdoors—which includes finding the perfect smoke spot—and sharing food with friends and family.
Ben loves a real earthy/lemony/gassy OG Kush strain, but enjoys a wide variety of strains and is always on the hunt for a new phenotype and terpene profile.
Staff
Mason Gutierrez
Cannabis Consultant
Mason was born and raised in Berkeley, California, with his parents and sister. His primary focus outside of the cannabis industry is music. He spends most of his free time writing and recording music, and enjoys performing in local venues like 924 Gilman. Among his other interests, he loves socializing, playing card games, and exploring new places with friends. His surly cat William Bartholomew keeps him company and is an endlessly entertaining companion.
After working outside the cannabis industry for years, what Mason finds rewarding about working at 7 Stars is going home after work and reflecting on the people who he has helped. Figuring out the right product to ease the pain of a patient, or helping someone get a good night’s rest are the parts of the job he likes most. He also loves the challenge of a patient who comes to the store and needs uplifting. Spending a few extra moments to liven them up, get them to crack a smile, or even have a laugh is the highlight of his day.
His favorite strain (so far) is either Ice Cream Cake or Gushers. He likes a sweet tasting strain with strong effects and good genetics, and favors the mellower feeling strains.
Kenzie Marcigan
Senior Buyer
Kenzie worked her way up to the Senior Buyer role at 7 Stars and now leads our product purchasing. Kenzie grew up in a small town in Northern California, and moved to Humboldt County for college. Humboldt is where she truly discovered her love for cannabis.
She later moved to the Bay Area and joined 7 Stars as a Cannabis Consultant. As a Consultant, her love, respect, and knowledge about this beautiful plant took root and flourished. As Senior Buyer she continues to grow and build upon her knowledge of cannabis and it's healing properties. She's happy to be a part of people's journey to health, and glad to be a part of 7 Stars.
Will Mitchel
Cannabis Consultant
Will loves being a cannabis consultant because he finds educating patients and patrons rewarding. His focus is always on offering patient and attentive consultation, and leads by listening to the needs of the customer. He's always enthusiastic about answering cannabis related questions, and helping people find the right product for them. He's proud to embody our mission of offering thoughtful service to all on a daily basis.
Justin Portue
Manager
Justin has worked at 7 Stars since 2020 and the experience has opened his eyes to the cannabis plant and all its medicinal benefits. He has become an educational resource to everyone who comes into the dispensary and is always excited about learning new things about the plant. He aspires to continue learning and growing and helping the cannabis community in any way he can.
Ruby Ramirez
Marketing Manager
Ruby has worked at 7 Stars since 2014 and is a crucial pillar of our marketing efforts. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she personally witnessed the amazing medicinal benefits of this plant firsthand, which pushed her to educate people about the plant and de-stigmatize it. Ruby sees 7 Stars as a blessing that provides patients a place where they can obtain their medicine safely in a welcoming environment. When she's not at 7 Stars, you can find her studying, hanging with her cats, or embarking on adventures in the great outdoors.
Darryl Towles
Cannabis Consultant
Darryl is originally from Washington D.C. and has lived in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He started his career as an actor in New York City, working on several off-Broadway productions before moving to L.A. to work in the television and film industries. He worked on productions such as Star Trek, the PBS show Futures with Jaime Escalante, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, and several other network pilots. He also had the privilege to do pre-production work on Star Trek’s first Next Generation film before moving to San Francisco and falling in love with our city by the bay.
Darryl has a deep appreciation of film, and loves spending his free time cooking, walking his dogs on Albany Hill, and assembling complex lego sets. He has been a 7 Stars regular since we were in the Pacific East Mall, and on his first visit had the distinct impression that our people were some of the friendliest Cannabis Consultants he had ever met. He appreciates 7 Stars for the knowledge of our staff and the variety of products we carry. He likes working here because it gives him a chance to do what he loves doing—helping people who are seeking relief. And of course, he simply loves weed!
One of his most memorable experiences working at 7 Stars includes helping a guest who was sent directly to the dispensary from his doctor’s office for symptom relief. Another experience he remembers fondly is helping a guest with pancreatic cancer find relief through CBG products. For Darryl, helping people who are suffering is one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
Darryl’s absolute favorite strain is Forbidden Fruit—he loves the smell, flavor, and look of the flowers. The high is like a warm blanket and lets you mellow out and enjoy the experience. Daryl graduated from Oaksterdam University and has worked in the cannabis industry since 2014 and has worked at Urbana and High Fidelity previously.
Jovan Ubaldo
Cannabis Consultant
Jovan grew up in Richmond, and has lived here since the early ‘90s. Outside of work, he loves to spend time with his wife and kids, who he loves very much. When he started working at 7 Stars, he was pleasantly surprised by the positivity of the staff and patients. Nobody walked by without introducing themselves on his first day.
He loves helping patients and feels like he’s making a difference every day. One of his regular customers waits for him each time they visit after Jovan took the time to listen to the patient’s story, and helped them find the ideal product for their needs on their first visit.
Jovan’s favorite strain is Biscotti, which he describes as a pure indica leaning hybrid that is good for chill out and relax time at night. He has a sweet dog named Behr, who is a little skittish but very affectionate.
Kelli Valle
Cannabis Consultant
Kelli was born in Oakland and grew up in Richmond, where she spent the majority of her life—she now lives in El Cerrito. Before joining 7 Stars, Kelli ran the family owned and operated ambulance company, Cadillac Ambulance Service. The company was founded in 1946, and was the first ever ambulance company in Richmond, serving West Contra Costa County. After Kelli’s family sold the business in 1987, she used her experience and skills to enter the public paratransit industry. She raised millions of dollars in grants for nonprofits to grow the paratransit system in the Bay Area. Kelli served as the General Manager for East Bay Paratransit, managing compliance for five companies under the East Bay Paratransit umbrella.
Kelli previously served as COO for MediCann in Oakland, a conglomerate of 17 medical offices throughout California that provides medical cannabis recommendations for patients. Kelli was responsible for making sure all departments coordinated, and all riders were served in a timely manner, with excellent customer service. In her role, she implemented multiple new departments to ensure the business was run efficiently.
One thing Kelli loves about working with 7 Stars is helping the variety of people in the 7 Stars community. She most enjoys the fact that she can use her job as a way to brighten people’s days and carry the mission of 7 Stars forward in her public facing role.
Kelli married at 22 to a now retired Richmond police officer, Joe. She has two adult daughters Rachel and Sammi, two adult grandchildren Gregory and Melanie, a grandson named Mikey and a great grandchild on the way! She loves singing and performing with various community theater groups, interior decorating, card playing and the History Channel. She’s proud of her Mexican heritage and although her first language is English, she’s happy that working at 7 Stars gives her an opportunity to practice her Spanish everyday.
Shanara Wijesinghe
Cannabis Consultant
Shanara Wijesinghe was born and raised in the East Bay. She has always had a strong drive for social justice and wants to contribute to making the cannabis industry a more equitable space for marginalized people. Aside from cannabis, she loves music, art, fashion, dance, marketing, and spending time with her beloved pups Pablo & Beans. Shanara graduated from Mills College and completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology, Business Administration, and Marketing. Outside of 7 Stars, Shanara works for the Bay Area Community College Consortium under the educational initiative Case4Cannabis. She is in charge of running social media campaigns, connecting with the cannabis industry to educate students online, writing and designing newsletters, and creating her new mini series California Cannabis Careers, which provides educational resources and on-the-job footage for community college students interested in joining the cannabis industry. Shanara loves working at 7 Stars because she has a passion for educating her community, learning more about this industry, and making connections with others in the cannabis space.
Adrianna Witschel
Cannabis Consultant
Adrianna came to work at 7 Stars to gain a deeper understanding of cannabis after using it and seeing it be used within her personal life for an abundance of needs. She strives to carry on the message that cannabis can be used more than just recreationally, but can also help people with both minor and serious conditions. As someone who has always had a deep interest in psychology and biology, she finds it gratifying to be able to share her knowledge with others and have a deeper grasp of the plant and its effects on the mind and body. Her favorite part about working at 7 Stars is the patient interaction along with the patient-consultant bonds that can form over time and helping people with their understanding of cannabis and its spectrum of capabilities.