Susan Jacques, GIA’s newly appointed president and CEO said that the fair is “a great way to learn how the global gem and jewelry industry is evolving and growing.”
“Job Success in Today’s Market,” a panel presentation moderated by Jacques. Panelists Lex Graham, retail jeweler at Betteridge Jewelers; Douglas Hucker, CEO of AGTA; and Dione D. Kenyon, president and CEO of the Jewelers Board of Trade, offered personal anecdotes and advice on how to succeed in the industry. Erica Courtney, designer and president of Erica Courtney, Inc.; Alishan Halebian, designer and owner of Alishan; Charlie Herner, CAD/CAM director of Green Lake Jewelry Works; and Erik Stewart, owner of Erik Stewart Jewelry, joined moderator Victoria Gomelsky, editor-in-chief of JCK magazine, for a discussion on “Design to Finish.” The panel explored design and manufacturing, and provided insight into careers in these areas of the industry.
“Career Fair panelists are dynamic and fascinating professionals who have taken many different paths to get where they are today,” said Kathryn Kimmel, GIA vice-president, CMO and co-founder of the GIA Career Fair. “They demonstrate that ambition, creativity and a strong sense of ethics are what it takes to achieve your professional goals, and that there isn’t one formula to success.”
During a discussion moderated by Marc Smelzer, publisher of JCK Magazine and JCK Online, panelists Rebecca Boyajian, director of communications for Bill Boyajian & Associates Inc; Au-Co Mai, president and CEO of Emitations.com; Yancy Weinrich, group vice president of JCK Portfolio; and Hutton Wilkinson, president and creative director of Tony Duquette, Inc., focused on “Creative Careers” and some of career paths related to gems and jewelry, demonstrating the diversity found in this industry.
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