The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) welcomed two new members to its Board of Governors at the first of the Institute’s two Board meetings to be held this year. Both were elected during the November 2008 meeting and their terms began on May 16.

Steven W. Relyea is the vice chancellor for Business Affairs at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He oversees business operations for a research university with an annual operating budget of more than $2.4 billion, including financial services, human resources, facilities, information technology, telecommunications and housing.

Relyea serves on the board of directors of the Better Business Bureau of San Diego and Internet 2. He was named the “Distinguished Business Officer of the Year” by the National Association of College and University Business Officers in 2004.  

The second new governor is Paul E. Kreutz, attorney-at-law.  In 1994 he joined San Diego’s Gray Cary (now known as DLA Piper). He helped build the combined firm’s emerging company practice and as a senior partner represented Enterprise Partners, Forward Ventures and many other Southern California venture capital firms. He became “Of Counsel” in 2004, and in 2007, launched a solo practice that offers emerging Southern California companies the mentoring, strategic legal counseling skills, and financial networking connections he has acquired in his many years of practice.

“With the addition of these two governors, the GIA Board stands at 19 dedicated members from across the globe,” GIA president Donna Baker said. “We look forward to enjoying the benefits of their singular and combined energy, knowledge and wisdom for a long time to come.”

JCK