Awards for Excellence Virtual 2020

Tickets are on sale today 7/27/20 until 6:30pm EST.

Once you've registered online you will receive an email from Matchbox Virtual Media with your login credentials for the event.

You're Invited to the Women's Jewelry Association's
Biggest Celebration of the Year!

Many thanks to our sponsors--Natural Diamond Council, Boston Consulting Group, Citizen, Forevermark, Jewelers of America and AGTA---for supporting women in the jewelry and watch industries and for helping WJA create an exciting educational and networking event!

On Monday, July 27th 2020 at 7 pm EDT WJA will host our annual Awards for Excellence event online and feature the positive outcomes of our programming and membership activities. Our fundraiser, accompanied by our online auction, helps to support the WJA Foundation which increases educational, business building and professional development opportunities for female and female-identifying jewelry professionals. To date, the WJA Foundation has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in support to small business owners, aspiring designers and students who are about to embark on their jewelry careers. We welcome your donations to continue our important work and to empower the next generation of industry professionals!

Leading Through Transformation is the theme and focal point for our event this year. We've invited Dolly Meese and Jim Hemerling, dynamic leaders from Boston Consulting Group, to share how businesses can move confidently into the future that's rapidly changing. Whether you are an independent designer or a seasoned executive, this discussion will center on how we can all use our company's 'purpose' to help us focus on what is constant, amid a sea of change.

Our event will conclude with two separate conversations on diversity and mentorship--critical pillars of WJA's programming. We look forward to connecting with you through our interactive chat and virtual happy hour at the end of our event!

WJA aims to inspire you with big, bold vision for a more positive future ahead!  

Speaker Bios

Dolly Meese 

Dolly Meese is global head of offerings and managing director of BrightHouse, a global creative consultancy and a Boston Consulting Group company that helps organizations uncover their purpose, and then translate it into growth of people, profits, and social impact. Meese has worked with Fortune 500 companies around the globe. An engineer by education, her 20 years of experience have spanned corporate America and independent owners, providing her a unique perspective for her clients.  She is the co-author, with Jim Hemerling and others, of "Purpose with the Power to Transform Your Organization," and she also contributed to a paper entitled "The Rewards of an Engaged Female Workforce."

Jim Hemerling 

Jim Hemerling is a senior partner, managing director, and fellow at Boston Consulting Group, with a focus on transforming organizations to deliver and sustain breakthrough performance. With over 25 years of experience as a senior advisor, Hemerling focuses on going beyond short-term results, to bring holistic, sustainable performance to organizations. His experience includes working with clients around the world in technology, consumer, financial, and manufacturing industries. He is the author of several books and his work has appeared in magazines such as: Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, Forbes, the Economist, Manager Magazine, and on CNBC.

Conversation on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Nicole Taylor

Nicole Taylor is a diversity, equity & inclusion consultant and director of the international women's nonprofit Changemaker Chats. With over 10 years of DEI experience, Nicole's work includes launching global employee resource groups, producing women-focused personal and professional development programs, and serving as inclusion committee chair for an intercontinental EdTech company. She continuously drives forward meaningful conversations and actions in DEI through panel discussions, facilitating town halls, and crafting transparent corporate communications for internal and external audiences. Nicole was recently featured on Factora Wealth's "Coffee & Coin" podcast as she discussed the economic disparity facing women of color and how we can all show up to bridge the gap.

Morgan Miller

Morgan Miller is Senior Account Executive at The COUTURE Show. It is here that she is able to help elevate the success of the businesses of hundreds of designers whose work she admires and respects. Prior to her position at  The COUTURE Show, Morgan oversaw international accounts of over 60 retail partners, a sales team and e-commerce at her favorite jewelry brand Satomi Kawakita.

Morgan sits on the Women's Jewelry Association's (WJA) National Board of Directors. As of April 2020, Morgan became the chair of WJA's Diversity Committee promoting, supporting, and amplifying voices through thought leadership and community. In June 2020, Morgan joined the NYC Jewelry Week Advisory Council promoting jewelry as a category of celebration in the city of New York. 

Conversation on Mentorship

Mentorship is one of WJA's most important pillars. For over three decades, WJA has mentored and uplifted thousands of women through its programming, providing access to experts in the jewelry and watch industries.

During our virtual celebration, we are bringing together a special WJA Mentor/Mentee pair for a conversation about the benefits of having a strong professional advocate and what the secrets are to a successful mentorship relationship.

Join Jacqueline Cassaway, President of WJA, along with Sara Commers, WJA Board Member and Megan Cochran, WJA Member for an informative conversation of where to best secure a mentor and how to work with one. 

We'll dive into the following during the interview:

Why it's important for women to cultivate powerful advocates during their career
What the main ingredients are that make for a powerful mentor/mentee relationship
What WJA's Mentorship Lifecycle means and why mentorship is not just a one-on-one relationship
How can jewelry professionals can keep learning, developing and networking throughout their career from student to business owner to executive.