December 13, 2018 - Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WIT) proudly announces the slate of finalists for the 15th Annual Wonder Women Awards on Sunday, February 17, 2019. The event celebrates industry leaders for their outstanding contributions in toys, licensing and entertainment in eight categories, to be recognized that evening. The nominee finalists are as follows:

CREATOR/INVENTOR
• Amy Pruzansky – Spin Master
• Deirdre Cross – Forrest Pruzan Creative
• Kiyomi Haverly – KidKraft
• Letitia Fox – Artful Playdate
• Lisa Mahar – Kid O, a division of PlayMonster
• Natalie Davis – The Walt Disney Company
• Shelly Owen – OLO Industries
• Sondra Wiener – Hasbro

LICENSING
• Danielle Reinhardt – PlayMonster
• Gabriela Arenas – Sesame Workshop
• Janice Lam – Entertainment One
• Jessica Hardy – Hasbro
• Jill Wilfert – LEGO
• Margaret Abroms – Spin Master
• Nicole Hardiman – Moose Toys
• Maria Karzaros – Universal Studios

MANUFACTURING
• Alicia Ciancimino – Bandai
• Arlene Biran – Spin Master
• Brenda Elliott – Irwin Toy
• Jacquie Patterson – Hasbro
• Jennifer Eiselein – VTech Electronics North America
• Kate Karcher-Clark – YOTTOY Productions, Inc.
• Nancy Sanchez – LEGO Systems, Inc.
• Wendy Gilbreath – InRoad Toys

MARKETING / PR
• Adrienne Appell – The Toy Association
• Britt Bagnall – SuperAwesome
• Eva Daly – Moose Toys
• Jennifer Vandermeer – The Walt Disney Co.
• Joselyn Jang – Amazon
• Juli Lennett – NPD
• Kathleen Harrington – Hasbro
• Sandra Shatilla – Spin Master

RISING STAR / CORPORATE
• Beth Meuhlenkamp – PlayMonster
• Chrissy Helmich – Wicked Cool Toys
• Erica DiBacco – Nickelodeon
• Kate Nichols – Spin Master
• Molly Cunningham – Amazon
• Rachel Bekerman – Jazwares
• Talor Weltman – Mattel
• Tatjana Blanusa – LEGO Systems Inc

RISING STAR / INDEPENDENT
• Angelyn Myers – The Original My "Buddy" Towel
• Christine Mangnall-Schwarz – Cozy Wings
• Marissa Louie – Animoodles
• Natalie Rebot – Moonlite World
• Robin Sydney – Zorbitz
• Stephanie Costabile Crowley – Chizcomm, Ltd.
• Trina McFarland – TinkerTini

SALES
• Anne Carrihill – Amazon
• Bess Milner – Mattel
• Danielle Borbon – Wicked Cool Toys
• LeeAnn Lanzo – The Walt Disney Company
• Lindsay Britt – Viacom
• Lisa Wiggins – Diverse Marketing
• Marian Bossard – The Toy Association
• Mary Pearson – PlayMonster

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
• Amy Knight – Hasbro
• Jennifer Pace Robinson – Children's Museum of Indianapolis
• Kelly Oriard – Slumberkins
• Odette Levy – Spin Master
• Teresa Samaniego – ABC7

“Our slate of finalists represents just some of the remarkable women who are making their mark on our industry,” said Karen Kilpatrick, WIT Nominations Committee Chair, and executive at Jazwares. “We are excited for the opportunity to honor this year’s finalists, and the incredible winners who are a testament to the skill, ingenuity and vision of their companies at the upcoming Wonder Women Awards.”

Award winners will be announced and celebrated at WIT’s annual Wonder Women Awards, on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers in New York, coinciding with New York International Toy Fair. Widely considered to be the most prestigious recognition program honoring the industry’s most remarkable women, the Wonder Women Awards are attended by top executives from the world’s leading companies in the kids’ global toy market.

Voting for the Wonder Women Awards is open to all WIT members, from Monday, December 17, 2018 through Friday, January 11, 2019.

WIT would like to thank Hasbro, Nickelodeon, Disney, Spin Master, Mattel, LEGO, PlayMonster, Jazwares, The Bandai Foundation, and the many sponsors who support the organization year-round and help contribute to the success of the Wonder Women Gala. 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.