Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) announced its 2020 slate of finalists for the 16th Annual Wonder Women Awards, which celebrates top female executives, thought leaders, entrepreneurs and other changemakers for their accomplishments and impact within the toy, licensing, and the entertainment industries.
Winners in each category will be announced at the Awards dinner held on Sunday, February 23 at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers, coinciding with Toy Fair New York.
The 2020 Wonder Women Award Finalists are:
CREATOR / DESIGNER / INVENTOR
Angie Cella – GemC2, Creator of Blinger
Carla Schneider – WubbaNub
Catalina Escobar – Basic Fun!
Deirdre Cross – Funko Games
Kana Claussen – Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company
Kathryn Hosford – ViacomCBS
Kim Culmone – Mattel
Roxana Powell – Disney Consumer Products
Teri Weiss – DreamWorks Animation
Vickie Stratford – Hasbro
LICENSOR / ENTERTAINMENT
Bek Fairweather – Moose Toys
Carla Silva – King Features, a division of Hearst
Glenda Beltran – ViacomCBS
Julie Thompson – LEGO Systems, Inc.
Laura Clunie – Spin Master
Linda Morgenstern – Beanstalk
Mellany Masterson – Nelvana Enterprises, a division of Corus Entertainment
Michelle Fode – The Walt Disney Company
Susan Brandt – Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.
LICENSEE / MANUFACTURER
Anna Mowbray – ZURU, Inc.
Bridget Russo – Just Play, LLC
Haley Maiden – Moose Toys
Heidi Schwartz – Universal Branding & Media
Ivonne Olivares – The LEGO Group
Joyce Reid – Little Kids Inc.
Kate Keller – Spin Master
Kate Sheets – Playtime Engineering
Katia May – Bandai America
Sasha Davenport – Hasbro
MARKETING / PR
Amy Wann – PlayMonster
Cristy Collins – Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company
Danielle Norwood – VTech Electronics North America
Jen Boswinkel – Hasbro
Jessica Aceti – Funko Games
Jessica Murphy – ViacomCBS
Jodi McDonald – Spin Master
Karen Branson – IMC Toys US
Krista Berger – Mattel
Sunny Lauridsen – Just Play, LLC
RISING STAR CORPORATE
Azhelle Wade – Creative Kids
Chelsea Morrissey – Hasbro
Elaine Chang – The Walt Disney Company/Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
Elizabeth Scarwid – IMG
Jacqueline Daniels – VTech Electronics North America
Maddie Michalik – The Toy Book
Marissa Beck – Mattel
Mika Nakano – NBCUniversal
Natalie Wight – WowWee
Rebecca Mond – The Toy Association
Tanja Gaspardo – Spin Master
RISING STAR INDEPENDENT
Beth Fynbo – Busy Baby LLC
Callie Christensen & Kelly Oriard – Slumberkins
Jessie Silbert – Celestial Buddies, LLC
Jillian Lakritz – Yoee Baby
Jill Walters – Crazy Aaron’s Puttyworld
Joanna Paul – Whatsitsface, LLC
Madeleine Hunter – Hunter Products
Madison Robinson – FishFlops
Marcia Haut – SmartNoggin Toys
Robin Sydney – Zorbitz, Inc.
Sara Farber – Galactic Sneeze
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Allison Kohll – Hasbro
Anna Mowbray – ZURU, Inc.
Belinda Gruebner –- Moose Toys
Claire Ellis – Entertainment One
Elizabeth Max – The Toy Foundation
Jennifer DuBuisson – The LEGO Group
Jennifer Pace Robinson – The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
Nancy Molenda – Mattel
Rachel Griffin – Jakks Pacific
Rebecca Mond – The Toy Association
Voting for the Wonder Women Awards will be open to all WIT members, from Wednesday, January 15, to Monday, January 27.
“We had the most submissions to date, and our slate of 2020 Wonder Women Finalists reflects the brain trust of brilliant women making an impact on our industry,” said Karen Kilpatrick, WIT Nominations Committee Chair. “We are excited to celebrate this year’s outstanding finalists, the incredible winners and our esteemed honorees at the upcoming Wonder Women Awards.”
To purchase tickets/tables, or to sponsor the WIT Wonder Woman Awards or purchase a Digital Tribute Book ad, please visit www.WomenInToys.com.
WIT ‘s 2020 sponsors, include Hasbro, Mattel, Disney, The Bandai Foundation, ViacomCBS, Jazwares, Amazon, LEGO, PlayMonster, Spin Master, VTech, and others. Proceeds from this event are used to fund scholarships, develop and maintain a full calendar of programs and networking events, and support initiatives for WIT’s members and its community.