Ava Callender Concepcion was appointed to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission in 2021 by Attorney General Maura Healey. She has an extensive background in public safety and experience working with a range of stakeholders including law enforcement, advocacy organizations, and constituents on important policy matters. As a lifelong resident of Boston, Commissioner Concepcion has dedicated her career to social justice. Prior to her tenure on the Commission, she served as the Director of Governmental Affairs and External Partnerships for Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins.

As Counsel to State Senator William Brownsberger, Commissioner Concepcion served as staff to the Chair of the Joint Judiciary Committee and the Conference Committee on the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2018, a comprehensive legislative package designed to reduce crime and improve public safety. There, she played a key role in drafting many of the bill’s original components and assembling the final language. The Commissioner’s prior experience also includes working in the offices of U.S. Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley, and the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.

Commissioner Concepcion was recognized in 2022 as one of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Ten Outstanding Young Leaders and is one of Johnson C. Smith University’s 40 Under Forty extraordinary alumni. She currently serves on the boards of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley, the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus PAC.

Commissioner Concepcion is a graduate of New England Law | Boston and a member of the Massachusetts Bar. She holds a B.A. in Criminology from Johnson C. Smith University and is a former candidate for Boston City Council.