Company: XXII
Filing Date: 2025-04-30
Form Type: 10-K/A
Source: 0001641172-25-006806
Chunk: 4

Company: 22nd Century Group, Inc.
Filing Date: 2025-04-30
Form: 10-K/A
Chunk 4
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5.

| Name         |     | Age |     | Position/Office         
 Held With the Company   |     | Director 
    Since |     | Independent |
| Lawerence    
 D. Firestone |     |  67 |     | Chairman,               
 Chief Executive Officer |     |     2023 |     | No          |
| Andy         
 Arno         |     |  66 |     | Lead                    
 Independent Director    |     |     2023 |     | Yes         |
| Lucille      
 S. Salhany   |     |  78 |     | Independent             
 Director                |     |     2022 |     | Yes         |
| Anthony      
 Johnson      |     |  50 |     | Independent             
 Director                |     |     2021 |     | Yes         |

Lawrence Firestone

Mr. Firestone has served as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board since December 2023. Mr. Firestone brings over 40 years of enterprise, operations, and financial management experience in both public and private companies, including tenures as CEO, CFO and COO across multiple industry sectors. Mr. Firestone most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Oakland Manager, a privately-held purveyor of cannabis with both retail and wholesale market penetration, and as Chairman of FirePower Technology, a privately held manufacturer of ATX power supplies for the IT and instrumentation markets. In the public company sector, Mr. Firestone has served as Chief Executive Officer of Eastside Distilling, Inc. (NASDAQ: EAST), Chief Executive Officer of Qualstar Corporation (NASDAQ: QBAK), Chief Financial Officer of Advanced Energy Industries (NASDAQ: AEIS), and Chief Financial Officer of Applied Films Corporation (NASDAQ: AFCO). He has served on numerous boards, including those of Eastside Distilling, Qualstar, CVD Equipment Corporation (NASDAQ: CVD), Amtech Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASYS) and HyperSpace Communications, Inc. (NYSE: HYPR). Mr. Firestone received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Firestone’s prior public company experience led to the conclusion that he should serve as a director.

| 3 |

Andy Arno

Mr. Arno has more than 30 years of experience handling a wide range of corporate and financial matters, primarily including work as an investment banker and strategic advisor to emerging growth companies. Mr. Arno currently serves as a