The U.S. cannabis industry recently lost a prominent leader in Terence “Troy” Datcher, board chair of Gold Flora Corp., who passed away Feb. 26 after being briefly hospitalized. He was 55.
According to a news release announcing his death, Datcher was the “first Black CEO of a major publicly traded cannabis company,” California-based Gold Flora. The vertically-integrated, women-owned-and-operated company was founded in 2017 and sells a variety of cannabis products including disposable vape pens and flower.
Datcher is survived by his wife, Shannon, and daughter, Nyah.
Born in Pell City, Alabama on April 23, 1968, Datcher had high aspirations in his youth, becoming one of the first Black student body senators while attending Gettysburg College and climbing the ladder to the vice president role. He took on a permanent role with The Procter & Gamble Company after starting work during his senior year of college, moving forward with the Clorox Company in 1999 as a sales merchandising manager.
In 2021, Datcher pivoted to the cannabis industry and The Parent Company, which was formed in 2020 through a special-purpose acquisition company and had rapper and business mogul Jay-Z as chief visionary officer.
According to his obituary, Datcher recognized the “the unique opportunity to disrupt a sector that had disproportionately impacted communities of color and partner with cultural powerhouses like Jay-Z to create a new cannabis infrastructure rooted in diversity, equity, and justice.”
Speaking about the transition to MJBizDaily in 2021, Datcher said that the opportunity “stood out,” as he was drawn to joining an industry in its infancy after more than 20 years at Clorox.
“The equity commitment is impressive,” he said. “I embrace it. And it’s not a new situation I’ve been placed in. If you look at corporate America, less than 4% of C-suite executives are Black.” In that interview, he also noted that he was only the second person of color to hold a C-suite post in Clorox’s 108-year history.
“There’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that, but I accept it,” he said. “I thrive on it.”
In 2023, The Parent Company merged with the Gold Flora Corporation after restructuring to cut costs, and Datcher served as chairman of the board moving forward, with Laurie Holcomb appointed as CEO.
Datcher also embraced a community focus both in and outside of his work. He served as secretary and a member of the board of trustees for his university, Gettysburg College, additionally serving as a chair on the Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee for the college board.
He also served as the chair of the East Oakland Youth Development Center Foundation, on the board of the Clorox Company Foundation during his time at the company and acted as executive sponsor of the African-American Employee Resource Group.
Datcher also received a number of accolades throughout his life. He was named to Modern Sales Top 100 Sales Leaders in 2021, was a two-time Ebony Magazine Power 100 honoree (2015 and 2020) and was also recognized by Savoy Magazine as one of the top 100 Black executives for four consecutive years.
“Troy was a trailblazer and built a legacy based on his love for his family, friends, hometown, and everyone who was blessed to know him,” his obituary states. “He was absolutely one of a kind, and our lives are forever better because of the time God gave us with him. He lived unapologetically as a literal force of nature, armed with an unassailable sense of integrity and powered by an insatiable appetite for achievement.”
