Christina Dempsey is DCC's new Deputy Director of Policy and Research after serving as DCC Acting Deputy Director of Public Affairs since the department's inception in 2021. She leads the team responsible for analyzing and developing policy concepts for the Director and Executive Office. Before coming to DCC, she was Chief of Policy and Outreach for the Department of Public Health’s Manufactured Cannabis Safety Branch, where she led the development of public policy for cannabis manufacturing and the program’s communications to staff and the public, including through the E-Cigarette and Vaping Associated Lung Illness (EVALI) health crisis.

Deputy Director Dempsey has been working for the State of California's cannabis programs since 2017, just before adult-use sales began. She explains that working in the cannabis world satisfies the intellectual side of her brain, which is always hungry to learn, and views it as challenging but fascinating work. Her keen understanding of regulatory history, market forces and the particular needs of the cannabis industry make her the ideal candidate to help steer the department's policies into a successful future.