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Press Release: Jewelers for Children (JFC), the jewelry industry's charity, is pleased to announce the results of the annual election for the board of directors. Effective October 1, 2013, Ruth Batson, the executive director and CEO of the American Gem Society (AGS) and AGS Laboratories, has been elected as the chair of the board of directors. Six new directors have also joined the board. Batson becomes the first woman to chair the organization in its 16 year history.
“Having been involved with JFC since its inception and now having the opportunity to serve as board chair is truly an incredible honor," said Batson. "I'm very much looking forward to continuing the good that the organization has achieved in the past 16 years, and I look forward to working with a very dedicated group of board members."
In addition to Batson's election, officers who will serve alongside her include Mark Light of Sterling Inc. and JFC's vice president of charity programs; Dennis Ulrich of the Richline Group and JFC's vice president of fundraising; Jim De Mattei of ViewPoint sales and marketing and the vice president of marketing and public relations for JFC; Debra Puzio of QVC and JFC's vice president of special programs; Pamela Mortensen of JCPenney Inc. and JFC's secretary; Ulrich Wohn of LVMH watches and jewelry and JFC's treasurer and Peter Engel of Fred Meyer Jewelers and the charity group's immediate past chair.
In addition, six new directors were elected to three-year terms, including Christopher McCabe of Emerald Expositions, Michael Feinman of Gitanjali, Moshe Klein of Julius Klein/Ritani, Charles Stanley of Forevermark, Alan Zimmer of Reeds Jewelers and R. Andrew Johnson of Diamond Cellar Holdings Inc. Eleven directors were elected to an additional three-year term: Nabil Abdallah of Radiance of Hope Inc., Debbie Azar of Gemological Science International, Scott Berg of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, John Esposito of JewelAmerica, Rebecca Foerster of Rio Tinto Diamonds, Russell Kwiat of Kwiat, Michael Langhammer of Quality Gold, Dipu Mehta of Rosy Blue, Mark Udell of London Jewelers, Steven Velasquez of Allen M. and Madison Jewelers and Joshua Weinman of Firestone Inc.
Twelve directors concluded their terms on the board, including Tom Andruskevich of Birks & Mayors, Cathy Calhoun of Calhoun Jewelers, Terry Chandler of the Diamond Council of America, Dan Kisch of SmartWork Media, Dan Mawicke of Richemont North America, Samir Mehta of Paras Diamond Corp., Martin Rapaport of the Rapaport Group, Jim Rosenheim of Tiny Jewel Box, Matthew Runci of Jewelers of America, Whitney Sielaff of National Jeweler, Elliot Tannenbaum of Leo Schachter Diamonds and Alex Weindling of Georg Jensen.
A complete list of the JFC's board can be found on the organization’s website, www.jewelersforchildren.org.
ABOUT
Jewelers for Children (JFC) was founded in 1999 by the U.S. jewelry industry with the mission of helping children in need. Since its inception, JFC has donated nearly $ 43 million to programs benefiting children whose lives have been affected by illness, abuse, or neglect. This nationwide success is due to the continuing generosity of jewelry trade organizations, jewelry and watch manufacturing companies, jewelry retail stores, individual jewelry professionals, and jewelry consumers. Visit our website at www.jewelersforchildren.org.
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