New York, NY, June 26, 2020 – Six new members were elected by the Licensing International membership to begin terms on the Licensing International Board of Directors, effective July 1. The newest Board members are: Alan Kravetz, LMCA; Vincent Leoni, Miller Kaplan; Valerie Mitchell Johnston, Sesame Workshop; Roz Nowicki, Peanuts Worldwide LLC; Steven Wolfe Pereira, Encantos; and Miki Yamamoto, IMG. Additionally, Jay Asher, Partner at Brandgenuity, was elected as Chairperson of the Board for a two-year term; and Steve Scebelo, Vice President at the NFLPA was elected as Vice Chair for a one-year term.

“I’m pleased to welcome the six new members of our Board, whose diverse voices and experience will be invaluable as we look for new, agile ways to serve the members of the global licensing community in these challenging times,” said Licensing International President Maura Regan. “I’d also like to thank the outgoing members of our Board for their time and dedication – JJ Ahearn, Cindy Levitt, Marc Mostman, Celso Rafael and Jamie Stevens.”

Here’s a little bit about the incoming Board members:

• Alan Kravetz, President & COO, Leveraged Marketing Corporation of America (LMCA) – Alan Kravetz has spent more than 30 years successfully growing brands and monetizing intellectual property worldwide, primarily through licensing. His prior work experience includes time at The Cherokee Group, Frye Boot Company, and Rockport (a division of Reebok). Alan is also an active member of INTA and a frequent speaker on trademark licensing and strategy at conferences, trade shows and continuing legal education seminars.
• Vincent Leoni, Partner, Miller Kaplan – Vincent Leoni has more than 30 years of experience in entertainment, media and technology. He provides royalty, contract compliance, profit participation, litigation support and consulting services on behalf of licensors, licensees, owners of intellectual property, film studios, production companies, recording artists, music publishers, profit participants and software developers. In addition to his work in the US, he has traveled throughout the world performing these services on behalf of major trademark licensors.
• Valerie Mitchell Johnston, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Sesame Workshop – At Sesame Workshop Valerie Mitchell Johnston works across all areas of the organization. Previous experience includes Deputy General Counsel of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, as well as Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs for HIT Entertainment. During her tenure at HIT, the company was acquired by Mattel, Inc. and Valerie served as lead counsel for the Entertainment Distribution Group and head of the New York legal team.
• Roz Nowicki, Executive Vice President at Peanuts Worldwide LLC a Division of WildBrain – Roz Nowicki has extensive experience in licensing management in larger corporations. From her early formative years at Disney, and high growth years at Universal, to a longer stint with 4Kids Entertainment she has gained vast knowledge and global licensing contacts. Roz has worked in New York and LA, and is currently bi-coastal in her role with Peanuts. She has also served on Licensing International’s Charity Committee, and participated in many panels and roundtables at Licensing Shows in Las Vegas and Hong Kong.
• Steven Wolfe Pereira, CEO and Co-Founder of Encantos – An accomplished media, marketing and technology executive, Steven Wolfe Pereira co-founded Encantos to inspire kids to learn 21stCentury skills through play. Focused on kids 12 and under, Encantos’ family brands include the Emmy-nominated and two time Kidscreen award-winning No. 1 bilingual preschool brand Canticos, the food-focused Issa’s Edible Adventures, the Day of the Dead-inspired resilience brand Skeletitos, and the adventure-based travel brand Tiny Travelers. A female-owned B-Corp that puts diversity, equality, and inclusion at the heart of all it creates, Encantos brings its brands to life via digital and physical offerings including apps, books, consumer products, music, subscription services, videos and more.
• Miki Yamamoto, Senior Vice President, IMG – As SVP of the licensing division at IMG Asia, Miki Yamamoto is responsible for the development and management of various licensing programs and clients that IMG represents in Asia, including Sesame Street, MGM, Care Bears, Pepsi, NFL, Jeep, Volkswagen, and many other properties. Prior to IMG, Miki worked for Calvin Klein Japan, managing the local licensing program with more than 500 branded retail shops and related fashion and accessory items.

Continuing Licensing International board members include: Liza Abrams, Sakar International, Inc.; Sol Armada, Warner Bros.; Naz Amarchi-Cuevas, SYBO Games; Juli Boylan, Spin Master Ltd.; David Diesendruck, Redibra; Omar Fajer, Univision Communications, Inc.; Elias Fasja, Tycoon Enterprises S.A. de C.V.; Sam Ferguson, Jazwares; Simo Hamalainen, CEO, Sidekick Simo; Ed LaBay, Hot Topic Inc.; and Bill Patterson, OpSec Security, Inc.

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About Licensing International:

Licensing International is the leading trade organization for the global licensing industry. Licensing International’s mission is to foster the growth and expansion of licensing around the world, raise the level of professionalism for licensing practitioners, and create greater awareness of the benefits of licensing to the business community at large. Founded in 1985, Licensing International members in over 40 countries enjoy access to an array of benefits, including extensive educational programming and worldwide networking events. Visit LicensingInternational.org for more information and to utilize licensing’s definitive online resource.