Toy Association Board Names 2020-2022 Candidates

January 9, 2020 | The Toy Association’s Board of Directors Nominating Committee today announced new nominees to serve on the Association’s board for two-year terms beginning in February 2020.

The Committee, chaired by John Gessert, president & CEO of American Plastic Toys, selected two nominees for election during Association’s 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM). The 2020-2022 nominees are: Melissa Millo, vice president of Toys at Target Corporation, and Sharon John Price, president & CEO at Build-A-Bear Workshop.

"The Toy Association is blessed with a deep and talented professional staff, yet that fact does not diminish the ongoing role and importance of strong governance and strategic and financial oversight provided by the Board of Directors," said Gessert.  "We are fortunate to have nine active and engaged board members eager to be reelected to new terms, retain other members with terms not yet expiring, and blessed to have two outstanding nominees in Melissa Millo and Sharon John Price. The diversity and range of business perspectives represented on the board augur well for the future."

Nine existing board members advanced for election by membership to serve one additional two-year term. The second-term nominees are: Michael Keaton, CEO at ToySmith; Timothy Kilpin, president at Second Childhood; Andrew Quartin, CEO at Thames & Kosmos; and Andrew Weiner, president, at Toy'N Around. Third-term nominees are: Jennifer Caveza, senior vice president of toy licensing, consumer products at ViacomCBS; Charlie Emby, co-president at Just Play; and Geoffrey Walker, president & CEO at KidKraft.

The Committee also advanced board members Anne Carrihill, general manager of Toys & Games at Amazon, and Christopher Harrs, executive vice president & general counsel at Spin Master, for election to their first full two-year terms of service. Both were elected by the board in June 2019 to fill vacancies but must now stand for formal election by the Association’s membership.

Association board members are elected for two-year terms and may be nominated for re-election twice before being required to depart the board. Additional at-large nominations for directors may be submitted (in writing only), signed by no less than 10 percent of the regular membership of the Association, and must be submitted to the president at least 30 days before the AGM. Notice thereof shall promptly be sent by the president to all members.

The election of board members will occur during the Association’s Annual General Meeting, which has moved to a new time. It will be held on Saturday, February 22 at 4 p.m. in the Creative Factor Theater, in the Level 1, Hall 1D Lobby of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center during Toy Fair New York.

The AGM is open to all Toy Association member companies and their representatives. During the meeting, representatives of The Toy Association’s Executive Committee and Steve Pasierb, president & CEO, will address the state of the Association and take questions. Following a vote on new Board Members, the 2020-2022 Executive Committee and appointees to the Chairman’s Board Advisory Committee will also be announced. At this year’s meeting, attendees will also have opportunity to win prizes, network, and enjoy end-of-day refreshments. More details will follow.