New York, NY, August 3, 2011:
The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) announced today that Nancy Orem Lyman is the new Executive Director and Vice President. The DEF Governing Board with the concurrence of the Advisory Board voted to select Lyman after a seven-month global executive search process.
Russell Simmons, Diamond Empowerment Fund Co-founder and Chairman of the DEF Advisory Board stated, “We are pleased that Nancy Orem Lyman is our new DEF Executive Director. She brings to this important job the experience of the industry together with a firm commitment to the empowerment of people in Africa where diamonds are a natural resource.”
Nancy Orem Lyman is a 2O-year experienced industry professional in strategic planning, marketing, communications, corporate social responsibility, fund-raising and sustainable development. Nancy Lyman has served as the Director of Consumer Confidence for the De Beers Group Marketing while working at JWT Advertising. She has also worked with the United Nations on various programs toward attaining the UN Millennium Development Goals and has first hand programmatic experience in Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone, South Africa and Botswana.
Nancy Orem Lyman affirmed, “I’m thrilled to be working with such an action-oriented organization dedicated to empowering the youth through education initiatives in diamond producing countries in Africa. The diamond industry’s strong support of DEF is indicative of their understanding of the need for sustainable development in areas where their most precious resource is found. I look forward to furthering these partnerships and making an even larger difference for these countries’ most precious resource… its people.”
Phyllis Bergman, President of Mercury Ring Corporation and DEF Board member emphasized, “Nancy’s knowledge of our industry combined with her activities in diamond producing countries will serve as strong assets in bringing the importance of the DEF cause closer to all segments of our industry and ultimately to the consumer.”