The Gemological Institute of America has added Jeffrey H. Fischer, James P. Shinehouse, and Ephraim Zion to its Board of Governors. The new Governors will assume their duties at the next GIA Board of Governors’ meeting in New York in May.

Fischer and Zion come to GIA from significant positions within the jewelry industry, while Shinehouse, a senior executive at Kroll International, brings expertise in international business structuring and complex accounting practices.

“We look forward to working with them as they apply their own unique mixture of wisdom and experience to help fulfill the Institute’s nonprofit mission to educate the public about gems and jewelry,” said GIA chair Helene Fortunoff.

Fischer is president of Fischer Diamonds, Inc. in New York City and of Fischer Diamonds Ltd. in Israel. He is currently serving as president of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, vice chair of the World Diamond Council, a member of the Board of Directors for the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, and past president of the Diamond Manufacturers & Importers Association of America.

Shinehouse is a managing director at Kroll and the U.S. practice leader for its European-based corporate restructuring business. His specialty is helping North American-based businesses with complex corporate restructurings and workouts for international clients. He also leads complex forensic accounting investigations and transactional due diligence projects and is regularly hired as an expert witness. He joined Talbot Hughes McKillop to head the U.S. practice in 2003, which was then acquired by Kroll in 2005. He has served in various organizations as CEO, was a retained consultant for Andersen’s London based corporate restructuring practice, employed by KPMG, and has taught accounting and fraud examination courses for Franklin and Marshall College and West Chester University. He is a CPA and serves on various charitable organizations. He is based out of Kroll’s Philadelphia office.

Zion set up business in Hong Kong in 1971 and has become one of Asia’s leading dealers of large diamonds and fancy colored diamonds. As managing director, he has grown his company Dehres internationally, with offices now in New York, Tel Aviv, Shanghai, and Thailand.  In addition, he participates in major trade shows worldwide. Recently, he started producing a line of medium-priced diamond pieces in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Zion makes his home in Hong Kong.

 “Their expertise within the industry and in the world of international business will be invaluable to GIA as we look to achieve rapid international growth and broaden the range of services we offer clients around the world,” said Ralph Destino, GIA chairman.

The three new Governors join GIA’s current Board comprising of Board Chairman Helene Fortunoff, retired founder of Fortunoff Fine Jewelry; GIA President Donna M. Baker; Gordon E. Brown, Jr., Ph.D., Kirby Professor of Earth Sciences and professor and chairman of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory Faculty at Stanford University; William B. Cottingham, Ph.D., president emeritus of GMI Engineering and Management Institute; GIA Chairman Ralph Destino; Rodney C. Ewing, Ph.D., a Donald R. Peacor Professor and chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Michigan; and Eli Haas, president and CEO of E N H International.

Other members of the Board are Susan M. Jacques, president & CEO of Borsheim’s of Berkshire Hathaway; Dione D. Kenyon, president and CEO of the Jewelers Board of Trade; Sheldon Kwiat, co-president of Kwiat, Roisen and Ferman; Frederick N. Levinger, president and CEO at Nobadeer Enterprises/Speidel; Anna Martin, senior vice president of ABN AMRO Bank; Dilip Mehta, CEO of Rosy Blue; Roland Naftule, president of Nafco Gems, Ltd.; GIA Past President and Governor for Life Glenn R. Nord; Timothy J. Stripe, co-president, Grand Pacific Resorts, Inc.; and Matthew G. Stuller, chairman and CEO of Stuller, Inc.

JCK