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SourcingMay 27, 2014
GIA hires former State Dept. advisor for new role
The Gemological Institute of America now has a global director of development and beneficiation, and has tapped the former special advisor for conflict diamonds with the U.S. State Department to fill the role.
Carlsbad, Calif.--The Gemological Institute of America now has a global director of development and beneficiation, and has tapped the former special advisor for conflict diamonds with the U.S. State Department to fill the role.
Brad Brooks-Rubin, who most recently was working with the Washington-based law firm Holland Hart LLP after leaving the State Department in 2013, joins the GIA’s development team and will work with non-governmental organizations, trade groups and government agencies to further the institute’s beneficiation initiatives in gem-producing regions.
He began his new job Tuesday and will be based Washington but will travel to the GIA’s headquarters in Carlsbad and its location in New York City frequently, he said.
An attorney by trade, Brooks-Rubin has extensive international experience working with the jewelry industry, the government and civil society on matters involving so-called conflict minerals and gems.
“Brad’s extensive experience in international law, government and compliance combined with his commitment to promoting transparency in the gem and jewelry industry will contribute significantly to GIA’s beneficiation and economic development efforts in the nations and communities that are so important to the global trade. I’m very pleased to welcome Brad to GIA,” said GIA President and CEO Susan Jacques.
At Holland & Hart, Brooks-Rubin counseled international clients on trade sanctions, export controls and international trade laws and regulations.
Before that, he was the special advisor for conflict diamonds in the State Department for nearly five years, representing the U.S. in the Kimberley Process as well as other matters, and also has worked as an attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
Brooks-Rubin is a recipient of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee’s Stanley Schechter Award and is a published author. He earned his law degree at Georgetown University.
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