AGTA Show Manager Keen to Retire

RAPAPORT... Mary Lou Keen, trade-show manager at theAmerican Gem Trade Association (AGTA), is retiring after three decades at the organization. Keen has been responsible for developing AGTA's presenceat a range of national events - including the AGTA GemFair Tucson, the AGTASpectrum Awards and the AGTA pavilion at the JA New York Summer Show. She wasalso pivotal in debuting the AGTA GemFair Las Vegas at the Las Vegas ConventionCenter this year. She has also served on several advisoryboards, including for the SmartShow and the Tucson Convention Center. In 2012,she received the Women's Jewelry Association(WJA) Award for Excellence in the special-services category. "Thesuccess that AGTA has enjoyed, and the position of respect that the associationhas achieved within our industry, are due in large part to the dedication anddevotion that Mary Lou brought the office each and every day," said AGTA CEO DouglasHucker. "I don't know where the AGTA, its members, its staff, or myselfwould be if Mary Lou had not spent the last 30 years with us, but I know wewould be less."Image: Mary Lou Keen. (AGTA)