Press Releases

Jewelers Mutual Welcomes Jennifer Markas as the New Head of Industry Relations

Effective August 14.

Published

9 months ago

August 16, 2023

Press Releases

Jennifer Markas

(PRESS RELEASE) Jennifer Markas, former executive director of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), has joined Jewelers Mutual as the new Head of Industry Relations, effective yesterday, August 14, 2023.

She will be responsible for continuing to elevate the industry through meaningful partnerships with key industry association and foundation partners, as well as strategic leadership of the Jewelry Industry Council, and all industry events for Jewelers Mutual, including our signature event Conversations in Park City.

Jennifer brings a wealth of experience spanning over seven years in the jewelry industry. She has held senior posts as the Global Reporting & Communications Manager – Sustainability & Tiffany & Co. Foundation, Tiffany & Co., and has led other non-profits and foundations across different verticals including Vice President / Sr. Finance Manager, Citibank Foundation.

In her time at WJA, she realized significant growth in membership and programming, launched the jewelry industry’s first diversity scholarships to provide education opportunities to underserved populations wishing to enter the jewelry industry, helped develop WJA Foundation’s Responsible Sourcing & Sustainability Education Fund (the first of its kind in the fine jewelry industry), and worked to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals through various industry partnerships.

She Wanted to Spend More Time with Her Kids. She Called Wilkerson.

Your children are precious. More precious than gold? Absolutely! Just ask Lesley Ann Davis, owner of Lesley Ann Jewels, an independent jewelry store that — until the end of 2023 — had quite a following in Houston, Texas. To spend more time with her four sons, all in high school, she decided to close her store. Luckily, she was familiar with Wilkerson and called them as soon as she knew she wanted to move on to bigger, better and more family-focused things. Was she happy with her decision? Yes, she was. Says Davis, “Any owner looking to make that life change, looking to retire, looking to close, looking for a pause in their career, I would recommend Wilkerson. Hands down!”