WJA Announces Board Members, New Chicago Chapter President

The announcements follow a tumultuous start to 2025 for WJA, which saw a wave of resignations following controversial statements about DEI.

Lauren McLemore lauren.mclemore@nationaljeweler.com

New York—The Women’s Jewelry Association has announced its 2025 board of directors and two new regional chapter presidents in the wake of a rocky start to the year.

By the end of January, the leaders of four of the 20-plus regional chapters of the Women’s Jewelry Association, along with numerous national board members, had stepped down following weeks of controversy surrounding remarks made by WJA National Board President Gabrielle Grazi regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) during the organization’s national annual membership meeting in December 2024.

On March 25, WJA sent an email listing its board of directors for 2025 as it stands now.

Nicole Fein, senior vice president of marketing at Kwiat and Fred Leighton, is the communications chair; Robyn Fields, vice president of sales at Goldstar Jewellery, is the secretary and membership chair; and Laurie T. Watt, an owner of Mayer & Watt, is the vice president of chapter affairs.

Jacqueline Cassaway, CEO of Diamond Wealth Ventures, returns as the organization’s past president. Cassaway was president of WJA from January 2020 through December 2021.

The email also announced the board members who are continuing their service in 2025.

Robert Goldberg, a global licensing executive, is WJA’s VP of Governance & Development; Melissa Rodgers of M. Schamroth & Sons is chair of Mentoring & Education; Donna DeLucia of National Chain is chair of Inclusion & Belonging; Tanya Parikh, owner of Janvier Diamond Concierge, and Lotanna Amina Okpukpara, director and gemologist at Mina Stones.

Three days later, on March 28, Parikh and Okpukpara sent an email to the national board, which was later forwarded to National Jeweler, announcing their resignations.

They wrote: “We [resign] because we can no longer align ourselves with the repeated and documented pattern and practice of the National leadership to take actions often in our names without proper prior consultation nor the ability to discuss, which violate the WJA National bylaws, policies and fiduciary obligations.

“Further, on numerous occasions, communication from the board has been improperly conducted, deprioritized, and marginalized despite our efforts of involvement.”

Parikh and Okpukpara continued, “As the last two women of color on the National board, and in light of recent events, we are concerned that values to which WJA has ascribed in the past and are important to us are no longer important to this board. We cannot stand by this conduct any longer.”

The email also states that their names and titles were removed from the WJA website before they had submitted a written resignation, which they said is a violation of the National bylaws, Article IV, Section 5.

Neither Parikh nor Okpukpara responded to National Jeweler’s request for comment on their letter.

Grazi said in an email to National Jeweler that WJA does not comment on any details of board director departures.

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When the leaders of WJA’s regional chapters began resigning earlier this year, the board of WJA Chicago was the first to go, announcing via social media on Jan. 14, followed by the boards of the Northern California (NorCal), Miami, and Seattle chapters.

WJA San Diego originally was reported as one of the chapters whose leaders resigned and posted on Instagram.

However, Grazi said Tuesday that the chapter is still active, as there are several board members who remained in service.

Last week, WJA announced that Rachel Akmakjian, director of jeweler relations for jewelry insurance company BriteCo, is the new president of the WJA Chicago chapter and Aria Thomas, founder and designer of Eleux Jewelry, has been named president of the WJA Colorado chapter.

Akmakjian told National Jeweler in an email that she was honored and excited to step into the role, and that it was a privilege to serve the community. She deferred any further questions to Grazi.

Following the WJA Chicago chapter board’s resignation in late January, the Chicago chapter listing appeared to have been removed from the WJA website, but as of today, the listing has been restored as one of the 16 regional chapters shown.

Regarding the NorCal, Miami, and Seattle chapters, Grazi said that upon receipt of board nominations (either self-nominated or referral) from members, the WJA National Board Executive Committee will review and consider appointments for board service.

She also said the organization is working with individuals in Houston and St. Louis who have expressed interest in launching WJA chapters in 2025.

“We remain committed to strengthening our community and ensuring that WJA continues to be a welcoming, valuable, and supportive space for everyone in the jewelry and watch industry,” Grazi said.

“We will continue to uphold the mission that unites us—to support the advancement of women in the jewelry and watch industry through networking, education, and professional development. At our core, WJA is about women supporting women, creating space for connection, collaboration, and community, and celebrating the success of all who share a passion for this industry.”

Also, last month, the WJA Foundation launched the inaugural Bench Jeweler Scholarship in partnership with Stuller, valued at $7,500.

Applications remain open until Apr. 30, and more information is available on the WJA website.