The Division of Cannabis Regulation is excited to announce Lesley Turek as the new Chief Equity Officer within the Division Director's Office. 

Lesley has served as a Bureau of Business Licensing Services team supervisor within the division since August 2023.  Prior to working in DCR Lesley was the director of Student Support Services and supervisor for Federal Programs within the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She was a middle school teacher for almost 15 years. 

With her experience in education, Lesley has worked with special populations of students and developed a passion to find innovative ways to support disadvantaged and underserved communities. During her time with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Lesley worked with federal grant programs as a supervisor and the director for Student Support Services. In this role, she provided compliance monitoring of federal grant funding. In addition, she assisted school districts across the state with the development of appropriate programs to serve students within a wide variety of situations including English as a second language, migrant families, delinquent institutions, and foster care. As the educational foster care advocate for the state, Lesley worked closely with both superintendents and social workers to provide consistency with educational opportunities.

“I understand the educational challenges that are faced by students in all walks of life and I feel this knowledge translates well into the opportunities presented through the microbusiness program through DCR. This program is a learning experience for everyone involved and I look forward to building strong working relationships. I believe in this program for Missouri and the unique opportunity it offers for qualified individuals.” 

During her time with the DCR Bureau of Business Licensing Services, Lesley reviewed the first round of microbusiness applications for compliance with rule including eligibility requirements. She was also involved in developing and writing the procedure for internal reviews. 

Lesley received her B.A. in Communications, Minor in Journalism, Emphasis in Public Relations from Missouri Western State University, and a B.A.+ in Middle Childhood Education from Notre Dame College.

Lesley's knowledge of microbusiness and business licensing processes, public relations and education skills, and previous experience working with social and economic diverse programs will be an asset to the Division's outreach efforts.