The American Gem Society (AGS) presented a number of prestigious awards at their annual Conclave in Hollywood, CA (April 5-8). All of the awards honor excellence, professionalism and a commitment to ethics and consumer protection.
At the Titleholders Luncheon on April 6th, Denise Chislett, CGA, Chair of the Young Titleholder’s Steering Committee, presented the Young Titleholder Award to Anna Samsonova, CGA, Ben Bridge, for her exemplary service to the Young Titleholder Committee and to the AGS. “Anna is the type of person that does all the work behind the scenes and doesn’t want any credit for it,” said Ms. Chislett. “She always makes our team look good and is never afraid to speak her mind. She is the one who approached past president, David Gardner, and asked if she could rejuvenate the Young Titleholders after the committee had been inactive for years.”
Also at the Titleholders Luncheon, the International Guilds Council presented three awards.
The Guild of the Year Award was presented to the Cincinnati Guild. “When their leader, Kara Huddleston, was on maternity leave, the members of this Guild’s Board worked together like a finely tuned engine and carried on, showing amazing leadership,” said Marc Altman, CGA, Chair of the AGS International Guilds.
The Sallie Morton Award was presented to long-time AGS member, Adam Graham. This award recognizes the contribution of individuals who have gone over and above in their service to the AGS Guilds each year. Sallie Morton, ECG, was very instrumental in developing and promoting the AGS National Guilds and this esteemed honor is appropriately named after her. “As one of our first speakers, Adam traveled the country, going tirelessly to one meeting after the other, whenever we asked,” said Mr. Altman. “As busy as his life is, he never said no to us.”
The John J. Kennedy Award was presented to Detective Carol Mosher, of the Los Angeles Police Department. This award was named after Mr. Kennedy as a tribute to his leadership in the Jewelry Security Alliance, and for his advocacy and service to the security of the jewelry industry. The award is given to law enforcement professionals who have gone above and beyond to help members of the jewelry industry protect their stores and their teams from theft and other criminal activity. “Detective Mosher has been one of the country’s most active task force officers dealing with jewelry crime and has arrested dozens of international criminals. Carol is an advisor to law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and is a guest speaker at many events,” said Mr. Altman.
In addition to awards given, another kind of honor was bestowed upon 18 special members of the AGS. The membership re-elected the AGS Board of Directors at the Membership Breakfast on April 8th.
The Board of Directors for 2017 is as follows:
Executive Committee:
President: Scott Berg, CG
President-Elect: John Carter, CGA
Secretary: Michael Richards, CG
Sr. Advisor: Georgie Gleim, CG
Treasurer: Frank Brown, RJ
Chairs:
AGS Laboratories Advisory Committee: Clayton Bromberg, CG
Conclave Committee: Alexis Padis, CGA
Education Committee: Lisa Bridge, CG
Finance, Audit and Legal: Frank Brown, RJ
Gemological Science Committee: Michael Richards, CG
International Guild Council: Marc Altman, CGA
Marketing Committee: Scott Udell
Membership Committee and Grievance & Review Committee: Kelly Newton, CGA
Directors-at-Large:
Scott Murphy
Beryl Raff
Yancy Weinrich
Ronald “Ronnie” Vander
Linden Stewart Wicht
