Ashley Kilory

Director

Excise and Licensing, Denver Colorado

After serving for nearly three years as the Executive Director of Marijuana Policy in Denver, Ashley Kilroy was promoted in October 2016 by Mayor Michael B. Hancock to lead the city’s Department of Excise and Licenses. Excise and Licenses is the central business-licensing department for the City and County of Denver and includes the Office of Marijuana Policy. The department manages licensing for a broad range of businesses, including liquor stores, bars and restaurants, and marijuana stores and cultivation facilities. In this position, Kilroy maintains responsibility for the administration and implementation of marijuana policy for Denver. She coordinates the marijuana-related work of various city departments, commissions, boards, officers, agencies and employees, and serves as Denver’s liaison to local, state and federal elected officials, agencies, and other partners on marijuana issues. Kilroy and her team have developed a collaborative approach to marijuana management, facilitating engagement and coordinating the work of hundreds of city employees who are committed to the city’s successful implementation of a legal marijuana. Her work has helped position Denver at the forefront of cannabis regulation, enforcement and education worldwide, and the city continues to lead and innovate as the industry and its regulations evolve. Kilroy has served Denver in many capacities, including as the Deputy Manager of Safety where she provided managerial support, oversight, and discipline of the Denver Police, Sheriff and Fire departments. She has extensive experience as an attorney, mediator and investigator, practicing law for more than 20 years and specializing primarily in municipal employment law. Kilroy served as Senior City Attorney for the City of Denver, as Deputy General Counsel for Denver Public Schools, and as an Assistant County Attorney for Washington County, Colo. As a mediator, Kilroy oversaw court mediation services on behalf of the Colorado and Denver bar associations, mediating a variety of civil cases for the courts and the city. As a workplace investigator, Kilroy has conducted independent workplace investigations for both public and private sector clients involving a wide range of matters, including allegations of discrimination, workplace violence and performance issues. Kilroy graduated from the University of Alabama before receiving her J.D. with honors from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans. She has three daughters and lives in Denver with her husband, Jim.