January 10, 2020 – New York – 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 extraordinary 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 thanks its generous 2020 sponsors, including Hasbro, Mattel, Disney, The Bandai Foundation, ViacomCBS, Jazwares, Amazon, LEGO, PlayMonster, Spin Master, VTech, and the many sponsors who support the organization year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Awards. 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.