GIA Governors Induct New Members, Holds Research Meeting

(IDEX Online) – GIA’s Board of Governors inducted Dr. Barbara Dutrow, Adolphe G. Gueymard Professor of Geology at Louisiana State University; and Stephen Kahler, senior vice president of global sales operations for Swarovski Gemstones, as its newest members during its November 2016 board meeting.

Dione Kenyon, recently-retired president and CEO of The Jewelers Board of Trade, was elected Chair of the GIA Board of Governors, seceding John Green, president and CEO of Lux Bond & Green jewelers, who remains on the board. Aron Suna and Hank Siegel, who retired from the board during the annual meeting, were honored for their years of dedicated service. Glenn Nord, former president of GIA and a member of the board since 1983, was named Governor Emeritus.

The week prior to the board meeting, nearly 60 experts from across the globe gathered for the Institute’s 10th annual research meeting. Attendees of the three-day meeting included GIA staff involved in research, consulting scientists, fellows from the Richard T. Liddicoat Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program, and GIA governors and executives.

The researchers reviewed topics including developments in instrumentation, advancements in detecting diamond treatments and synthetics, origin determination of colored gemstones, and pearl structures. “The remarkable work of this research team is directly incorporated into GIA’s laboratory services and education programs. We’re incredibly grateful for the many breakthroughs they’ve made in the study of gems and minerals,” said Susan Jacques, GIA’s president and CEO.

Barbara Dutrow is widely recognized for her innovations in teaching mineralogy and co-authoring a bestselling mineralogy textbook. Her research focuses on mineralogy, petrology, geochemistry and computational modeling and visualization. A fellow of the Geological Society of America and the Mineralogical Society of America, Dr. Dutrow has published extensively in scientific journals.

Stephen Kahler joined Swarovski in 1993 and has held positions of increasing responsibility in the management and sales of synthetic and natural colored stones. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and has completed the program for management development at Harvard Business School.

Aron Suna, president of Suna Bros., Inc., and Hank Siegel, president and CEO of Hamilton Jewelers, each spent eight years serving the GIA Board of Governors. Their commitment and dedication to the Institute was recognized during the board meeting. 

Together with 14 other governors, Dutrow and Kahler will be instrumental in guiding GIA in its mission to protect the public trust in gems and jewelry through research, education and laboratory services.