The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) has announced its 2019 honorees for the association's annual Awards for Excellence gala, to be held Monday, July 29, 2019. On the occasion, it will honor Carol Pennelli, president, David Yurman; Stellene Volandes, editor in chief, Town & Country magazine; and Mark Hanna, chief marketing officer, Richline Group.
"Our Visionary Awards will go to women who have been trailblazers and the driving forces of leadership in their companies. Our Cindy Edelstein Mentorship Award will go to a man who provides exemplary support and mentorship to women," Jenny Luker, WJA board president, said.
The two individual WJA Visionary Awards will be bestowed on Carol Pennelli, president, David Yurman; and Stellene Volandes, editor in chief, Town & Country magazine.
Mark Hanna, chief marketing officer, Richline Group, will be presented with the Cindy Edelstein Mentorship Award. Hanna is the fourth recipient of the award which was established in 2016 after the passing of Cindy Edelstein, a longtime WJA member who dedicated her life's work to the development, encouragement, and enrichment of the lives of women in the jewelry industry. This is the first time the award recipient has been announced before the event. Previous winners of the mentorship award are Bev Hori (2018), Peggy Jo Donahue (2017), and Cindy Edelstein (posthumously in 2016).