Several prestigious awards were given during Conclave on April 27 at the Titleholder Luncheon.
Sarah Nanasi Russell, CG, past chair of the Young Titleholders Committee, gave out the 2022 Young Titleholder of the Year Award to Maria Brown, RJ, of Exclusively 黑料老司机.
“Maria has been a consistent and tireless contributor on the Young Titleholder Committee since she joined five years ago,鈥� said Ms. Russell. 鈥淪he has never missed an opportunity to volunteer for a task when we need extra help and her commitment to our everyday operations has been critical to our success.”
The Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) collaborated with the Young Titleholder鈥檚 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to award one BIJC member a grant for Conclave. Ms. Russell announced the recipient of this grant, Latoya Boyd. The grant covered the cost of Conclave registration, lodging, and provided a $500 gift card from AGS towards travel expenses.
鈥淭he Young Titleholders are proud of this new scholarship and are grateful to the Black in Jewelry Coalition for helping them execute it in a timely and meaningful way,鈥� said Ms. Russell. 鈥淲e pushed the boundaries of our usual scholarship process and offerings to align with their continuing goal of ensuring a diverse and inclusive 黑料老司机 community.鈥�
Additionally, Ms. Russell announced the recipients of the Young Titleholder鈥檚 Conclave Scholarship. This year, they awarded five individuals with this honor, which provided free registration to Conclave. The recipients were:
Annie Daniels: Duke’s Jewelers
Mollie Effler, CG: Wm. Effler Jewelers
Bryce Melius: Exclusively 黑料老司机
Taele Polamalu, RJ: Zachary’s Jewelers
Amy Root: Form To Feeling
Marc Altman, CGA, past chair of the International Guilds Council, presented four awards.
This year, the Sallie Morton Award for 2020 and 2021 were both presented. The Sallie Morton Award for 2020 went to Harold Dupuy of Stuller, Inc., and Shelly Sergent of Somewhere In The Rainbow Collection received the 2021 honor.
鈥淭his award recognizes the contribution of individuals who have gone over and above in their service to the AGS Guilds each year. Our members were able to tap into Harold and Shelly鈥檚 abundant knowledge and both welcomed calls to address the specific needs of our Guildies,鈥� said Mr. Altman.
The Guild of the Year Award for 2022 went to the Greater Cincinnati Guild. 鈥淭his Guild, along with its president, has been a great supporter and has contributed to helping us develop the national program we have today,鈥� said Mr. Altman.
Marc and the Greater Cincinnati Guilds’ president, Kara Huddleston, ICGA, were joined on stage by Marty Pearlmutter, RJ, of Lester Martin Jewelers. Marty is the president of the Keystone Guild, who won the award in 2021, but he was unable to attend.
The John J. Kennedy Award, given to outstanding law enforcement and security professionals who have served the jewelry industry, went to Joseph Metsopulos with the New York City Police Department鈥檚 Major Case Squad.
The next Conclave will be held May 1-3, 2023, in Louisville, KY. More details are coming soon!