DIVERSE
2023
SVP, Associate General Counsel, Labor & Employment Law, Labor & Employee Relations
LAWYERS Making a Difference INTERNATIONAL
AWARD
Cristina Nutzman
Education: BS, Psychology, Loyola University, Chicago; MS, Human Resources, Chicago-Kent College of Law; JD, Illinois Institute of Technology Company Name: Curaleaf Industry: Cannabis Company CEO: Matt Darin Company Headquarters Location: New York, NY Number of Employees: More than 5,200 Your Location: Chicago, IL Words you live by: Life is short! Take risks and live your life without regrets. Who is your personal hero? Jose and Dolores Lopez, my mom and dad. What book are you reading? Wake Up with Purpose by Sister Jean with Seth Davis What was your first job? I was 15 years old with a work permit and worked as a receptionist for a solo optometrist providing low-cost services to an underprivileged community. Favorite charity: Hispanic Lawyers Scholarship Fund (HLSF)....of course. I’ve been on the board 18 years and am the current chairperson! Interests/Hobbies: Outdoor running, yoga, spending time with my kids and husband and traveling. Family: Husband and two kids.
Inspired by her parents, she’s pushed herself to achieve over and over again My professional passion is ignited by a desire to educate and help. For as long as I can remember all I ever wanted to do was focus on a profession where I felt like I could help someone else. That desire to help came from witnessing my father’s view that we should always help others that needed help. For him, it meant going out of his way to hire people who others would overlook. One compelling memory is a time when he hired a female job site assistant in an industry where no women worked. He did it because she was a Spanish speaking single mom who spoke little English and no one else would give her a chance. For him, it meant giving up his weekends for many weeks before and during tax season to educate himself to know how to complete tax returns. He did this so he could assist Spanish speakers who spoke little English to complete their tax returns. This inspired me to pursue education and to choose a profession where I could help. I initially studied medicine
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and then changed course to a legal career because I saw it as an opportunity to educate businesses to comply with labor and employment laws. As I progressed in my career, education took the form of influence. Educating and influencing my business partners to “do the right thing” continues to ignite my professional passion. There are two traits I consider essential to my success. The first is to not be afraid to ask for what you need and want. Being very direct about what I wanted felt so bold to me until I realized that I am my best advocate. If I didn’t push for what I wanted no one else would do it. I had to get over my fear of being perceived as pushy, something I attributed to my Hispanic heritage and culture. Growing up, the women in my culture were supposed to be passive and subdued. I credit my mom for changing that narrative and always reinforcing that I was capable of anything. She is the sole reason I was so motivated to overachieve and why
I ended up getting three degrees; or as my family jokes, becoming a professional student for what felt like an eternity. The second trait that has helped in my career is risk taking. I have not shied away from taking a risk because I don’t want to live with regret and wondering what would have happened if I had taken that risk. I firmly believe where I am today professionally and personally is because I have taken risks in both my professional and personal life. I have never been disappointed with the outcome because I learned more from the risks that resulted in failure. What would people be surprised to learn about me? That I work in cannabis! I’m sure I’m the last person people would have expected to work in cannabis. But I don’t regret it for a second and am very proud of the industry and my contributions. It is the most rewarding job I’ve had to date. www.diversityjournal.com