Join the Texas Lyceum for their 101 Virtual Session:
"Win, Lose, or Draw: The Future of Marijuana and Gambling in the Lone Star State"
Date: October 23, 2024
Time: 11:30am
Location: Zoom
Speakers
Pat Oglesby
Founder, Center for New Revenue
Pat Oglesby is founder of the Center for New Revenue, a non-profit focusing on marijuana revenue since 2011. A North Carolina lawyer, he has been a Congressional tax-writing committee staffer and has worked on marijuana revenue policy for governments and non-profits, often pro bono. He has written and spoken extensively on marijuana revenue. He has not worked for drug sellers.
He is currently a consultant to the state of California on a study led by UCLA and RAND on taxing marijuana by THC potency. In September 2024, he published “Will Congress’s Marijuana Tax Die an Administrative Death?” in Tax Notesmagazine, and in the fall of 2023 he co-taught an upper level seminar at the University of Virginia Law School, “Cannabis Taxation: Who Gets the Money?”.
Pat served as co-chair of the Regulatory and Tax Structure Working Group of the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Legalization, a project of Lieutenant Governor Newsom and the ACLU of Northern California, that made recommendations for what became California’s marijuana legalization initiative, Proposition 64. He co-authored the RAND Report, “Considering Marijuana Legalization: Insights for Vermont and Other Jurisdictions,” an exhaustive look at legalization issues. He has written frequently on marijuana revenue issues, and has spoken to various state legislative committees and to groups like the Cannabis Regulators Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Tax Association, the Federation of Tax Administrators, and the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy.
A graduate of Davidson College in North Carolina, he taught in North Carolina public schools, then earned a JD with high honors and an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he served as editor-in-chief of the North Carolina Law Review. He served as Law Clerk to the Honorable John Minor Wisdom on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and practiced law with Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. In the 1980s, Pat served as International Tax Counsel for the Joint Congressional Committee on Taxation, and as Chief Tax Counsel for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. He has been an angel investor in start-up companies (none involving cannabis), and an adjunct faculty member at the UNC-CH Schools of Business and Law.
David Rittvo
Principal, Tailored Hospitality Advisors
David Rittvo is the Principal at Tailored Hospitality Advisors, an advisory firm based in Austin, TX, specializing in casino and hospitality developments, project management services, food and beverage strategic partnerships, and advising on government relations. Since founding the firm in July 2021, David has led numerous high-profile projects, including the strategic development and management of large-scale resorts for Native American Tribes, and advising Emeril’s Restaurant Group on expanding their branded and licensed products in the casino and hospitality markets. Before establishing Tailored Hospitality Advisors, David served as the Vice President of Development at Caesars Entertainment from February 2018 to June 2021. In this role, he played a crucial part in leading Caesars' market entry into Virginia, including the successful bid for The Danville Casino. He also redeveloped and rebranded Harrah’s New Orleans food and beverage program, and directed the development of a multi-block retail, dining, and entertainment district adjacent to Horseshoe Baltimore casino. Additionally, David spearheaded Caesars' sports betting new market development team.
David's expertise in the hospitality and gaming industries is further demonstrated by his tenure at The Innovation Group, where he served in various roles culminating as Vice President from 2014 to 2017. At The Innovation Group, David consulted with multibillion-dollar operators, developers, and financiers on pre development services, master planning, construction phasing, operational benchmarking, financial/data analysis, and government relations for developments across the globe. He was instrumental in significantly increasing the firm's sales revenues in Asia and improving client satisfaction and operational efficiencies.
David began his career in hospitality with roles at Pacific Catch Restaurant Group, Boulevard Restaurant, Fifty St. James Casino at Jean Georges Restaurants and Salvatore Calabrese Lounge, Myriad Restaurant Group, Rustique Bistro, and Emeril’s Restaurants.
He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Hospitality Finance & Investments and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management from the University of Denver. He also holds a Real Estate & Construction Management Certificate from New York University.
David's achievements have been recognized industry-wide, earning him spots on the 2020 Global Gaming Business Magazine 40 under 40 and the 2014 Top 25 to Watch in the Gaming Industry lists. He has served on the Global Gaming Expo Advisory Committee.
Rahul Sreenivasan
Director of Government Performance and Fiscal Policy
Rahul joined Texas 2036 in October 2022 and covers the policy areas of state budget and government performance as well as workforce. Additionally, he works on policy issues related to IT modernization, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, state parks and the future of transportation.
Rahul came to Texas 2036 with nearly 15 years in and around policy and politics, most recently as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to State Rep. Armando Walle. Rahul’s expertise and candor on a variety of Texas budget and policy issues, as well as on legislative process and the ins and outs of the legislative session, came to be sought after by many of his peers.
Rahul previously served as an aide to former State Rep. Scott Hochberg and as a clerk in the House Chief Clerk’s Office. After finishing the bar exam, Rahul left Texas for D.C., later traveling around the country on a presidential campaign. His time away from Texas only strengthened the desire to come back home to work around the Texas Capitol—as well as be closer to his now-spouse Erin. Rahul, a native of Amarillo, now spends most of his free time chasing around his three young kids with Erin.
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