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INTERVIEW: Thomas Dermody, Executive Director of the U.S.-based Industrial Hemp Research Foundation (IHRF), has worked across the non-profit sector in the USA in various capacities including membership services, major gift fundraising, and public policy related to agricultural commodities. At IHRF, Dermody takes a leading role in developing funding channels, coordinating the Executive Committee and managing the day-to-day operations of the Foundation. An alumni of the University of Maryland, Dermody moved to Colorado seeking a job in the recreational cannabis industry, but soon realized that a far better opportunity for growth existed in industrial hemp. The IHRF is a nonprofit, non-lobbying organization as defined in 501-C Colorado statutes.