Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) and Jewelers of America (JA) have jointly developed the Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program (EJAP), a series of interactive workshops to provide selected new retail jewelry entrepreneurs with a deeper understanding of how to build and maintain a successful business in the jewelry industry.
The EJAP program consists of a cohort of five carefully selected retail jewelry entrepreneurs and a wide variety of established subject-matter experts (SME). The SMEs will lead interactive workshops during the eight-month program.
After the workshops are complete, participants will provide a presentation encapsulating the program’s educational content and how it would be utilized in their business. One of the participants will be eligible to receive a $5,000 grant. The remaining four will be awarded $1,250 each. Following the completion of the EJAP program, the cohort will continue to have access to periodic check-in calls, quarterly workshops, and invitations to industry events.
2024 EJAP Retailer Cohort
Patricia Carruth | Your Personal Jeweler, Royal Oak, MI
Cloyette Harris-Stoute | Twin Elegance Jewelry, St. Albans, NY
Soojin Kim | Suu Atelier, Los Angeles, CA
Madeline & Karen Ormaza | Armonia Jewelry, Lawrence, MA
Ashley Perryman | Jewelry Lady, Indianapolis, IN
2024 Subject Matter Experts
Business Strategy
Valerie Madison | Owner, Creative Director & Designer at Madison Jewelers
Accounting
Mariel Diaz | Founder & Director at Accounting for Jewelers LLC
HR/Operations
Annie Doresca | Chief Financial Officer at Jewelers of America
Lisa Jones | Vice President, Human Resources at Gemological Institute of America
Legal
Cecilia Gardner | Attorney at Cecilia L. Gardner, Esq.
Product Development/Jewelry Forensics
Emily Phillipy | Owner & Founder of Emily Chelsea Jewelry Inc.
Adrianne Sanogo | GIA GG, Co-founding Board Member and Education Chair at Black in Jewelry Coalition
Ethical Sourcing
Christine Malle | Owner of Christina Malle Designs
Sales
Manos Phoundoulakis | Co-Founder & Director of Happiness at Select Source, Inc.
Marketing
Deanna Thornton | Founder of Thornton Digital Consulting, LLC
Security
John Kennedy | President of Jewelers Security Alliance
Insurance
Tina Olm | Vice President, Shipping Solutions at Jewelers Mutual Group
EJAP Committee
Regina Ciarleglio | Director of Membership at Jewelers of AmericaAnnie Doresca | Chief Financial Officer at Jewelers of America
Molly Fallon | Director of Marketing & Communications at Jewelers of America
Sharie Fogarty | Executive Administration Manager at Jewelers of America
Dahlia Fyffe | Member Service & Certification Specialist at Jewelers of America
Amanda Gizzi | Director of PR & Special Events at Jewelers of America
Lisa Jones | Vice President, Human Resources at Gemological Institute of America
Malyia McNaughton | GIA GG & CEO of Made by Malyia
Susan Posnock | Director of Public Affairs & Education at Jewelers of America
Adrianne Sanogo | GIA GG, Co-founding Board Member and Education Chair at Black in Jewelry Coalition
Thank You to Our Supporters
The EJAP is made possible thanks to a grant from the JCK Industry Fund.About the JCK Industry Fund
The mission of the JCK Industry Fund is to support the jewelry industry’s long-term success and growth by providing grant funding to impactful organizations with the vision and programming to drive sustainable improvements across the industry.
