AGS Lays Off Deputy Executive Director, Four Others

More bad  news …

The American Gem Society just laid off five employees, reducing its staff by about a third. Among them was Margaret DeYoung, its deputy executive director, and four others behind the scenes.

“Our members are having a tough time, and that trickles down to us,” said Ruth Batson, AGS executive director. “I’m confident we’ll grown in the future. It just looks like it won’t be the near future.”

Losing DeYoung was “really sad,” Batson says. “I really enjoyed working with her and her knowledge and experience was a real asset.”

AGS has had to resort to other cost-cutting measures, like canceling (for this year) the Circle of Distinction dinner that would ordinarily be next week. It also announced that publication Spectra was going online only.

On the plus side, Baton says the AGS lab just re-hired a few graders. “Their business is picking up,” she said. This is further evidence of a pick-up in lab business that has also been seen at GIA.

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JCK News Director

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