The Gala celebrated industry trailblazers for their outstanding contributions in toys, licensing and entertainment across a variety of disciplines.
Women in Toys, Licensing and Entertainment (WIT) held its 14th annual Wonder Women Awards Gala on Sunday, February 18th coinciding with the 2018 New York International Toy Fair.
The 2018 WIT Wonder Women Awards Winners are:
Wonder Woman Creator Inventor Award: Sydney Wiseman, WowWee
Wonder Woman in Licensing Award: Menal McGrath, Moose Toys
Wonder Woman in Manufacturing Award: Diana Young, Spin Master
Wonder Woman in Marketing Award: Julie Powell Christopher, Entertainment One
Wonder Woman in Public Relations Award: Susan Murphy, Coyne PR
Wonder Woman Retailer Award: Cindy Levitt, Hot Topic
Wonder Woman Rising Stars: Ali Mierzejewski, The Toy Insider Stephanie Mendoza, Sesame Workshop
Wonder Woman in Sales Award: Donna Moore, TTPM
“WIT is beyond proud of our new Wonder Women,” said WIT President Ashley Mady. “Collectively, these powerhouse women lead a success story beyond the toy industry. In fact, WIT was just recognized by Nasdaq for the work our members contribute to overall business.”
“WIT supports a culture that drives passion and excellence, and our winners empower others to achieve success. Their work product inspires the next generation of pioneers and leaders,” said Gala Chairs, Genna Rosenberg, Janice Ross and Jennifer Caveza.
In addition to the Wonder Woman Awards, WIT celebrated several honorees at their Gala: Norma Rosenhain, Creata CEO with the Lifetime Achievement Award, Nancy Zwiers, EVP and Global CMO at Spin Master, with the Elise Lachowyn Mentorship Award, and the Wonder Girl Award was given to the Toys“R”Us® President of Play, 12-year-old Ariana Gentry. WIT also presented scholarships to 10 deserving college students, made possible through the WIT Foundation’s Scholarship Program.
2018 WIT Foundation Scholarship Recipients
Wharton: Venture Initiation Program: Meriem Djelmami-Hani; FIT Toy Design: Karen Harel; Stanford Design Program: Lee Marom; OCAD: Faculty of Design: Willow Sharp; OTIS Toy Design: Juliette Ward; OTIS Toy Design: Erika Jennings; University of Arkansas: Parker Milner; Long Island University: Abigail Sollecito; Long Island University: Judith Solorzano; GenHeration: Madison Seeley.
2018 marked the second year of WIT’s Superhero Circle program, which is a means to make personal donations in support of WIT’s programming, initiatives, and scholarship program. Donations may be designated to honor the memory of loved ones.
WIT’s mission is funded through the support of its generous industry sponsors for 2018, including Mattel, Nickelodeon, Disney, Spin Master, Hasbro, Bandai Foundation, Jazwares, PlayMonster, and many other generous companies. To learn about WIT’s 2018 annual Sponsorship opportunities and individual Superhero Circle donation program, please click here.
