The head of the state’s cannabis regulating board will be replaced by another board member just weeks after saying she had no plans to leave the job after her annual salary was eliminated in the budget.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday nominated board member Jessica García to replace Tremaine Wright as chair of the state Cannabis Control Board. García’s nomination will go before the Senate Finance Committee Friday morning.

Control Board members serve three-year terms, including the chair, which is nominated by the governor. Wright was nominated and confirmed in 2021. Her term ended in 2024. 

“Jessica García has served on the Cannabis Control Board for over three years, helping to bolster an equitable cannabis industry in New York State, and meets all of the requirements to serve as chair,” Hochul’s spokesperson Kassie White said in a statement. “The state thanks Tremaine Wright for her service as chair over the past few years.”

Wright told Spectrum News 1 exclusively last month that she had no plans on leaving her role, despite the $229,000 annual salary being cut from the recent state budget. Wright said she knew the salary was under negotiation and that she didn’t take the job for the pay. The budget changed compensation to be in line with other state boards with a stipend.

The Office of Cannabis Management referred all questions to Hochul’s office, and would not answer questions about if or when Wright was notified she would not be returning as chair.

García is assistant to the president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), according to the Office of Cannabis Management website. Hochul nominated García to the board in 2021.