Beryl Raff
Larry H. Miller Board of Directors
Beryl Raff is chairman and chief executive officer at Helzberg Diamonds, a
Berkshire Hathaway company. Ms. Raff graduated from Boston University with a
bachelor of business Administration degree and earned her master’s of business
administration from Drexel University. She is widely recognized throughout
the retail industry as a strategic leader and strong multi-store/channel retail
executive. Previously, she served as J.C. Penney’s executive vice president,
general merchandise manager for the Fine Jewelry Division. During her service
at J.C. Penney, she was the first general manager to ever receive the J.C. Penney
Chairman’s Award, the company’s highest tribute to managerial excellence – an
honor she received multiple times during her service there.
Prior to joining the J.C. Penney organization, Beryl served as chairman and CEO
of Zale Corporation. In her six years at Zales, she held positions of increasing
responsibility, including executive vice president and chief operating officer,
president and chief operating officer, and president and chief executive officer.
Beryl began her career with R. H. Macy & Company in 1975. During her 19 years with the Macy organization, she
moved steadily upward, holding positions as buyer, merchandise manager and store manager. In 1983, she became
divisional merchandise manager for costume and bridge jewelry, and then held positions as vice president and divisional
merchandise manager for fine jewelry, group vice president for costume, bridge and fine jewelry, and finally senior vice
president and general merchandise manager for Macy’s East bridge and fine jewelry and lingerie.
In 1999, the Women’s Jewelry Association named her to its Lifetime Hall of Fame and, in 2002, the American ORT Jewelry
Industry presented her with their Community Achievement Award. Beryl is the 1999 and 2006 recipient of the UJA –
Federation of NY – Diamond, Jewelry and Watch Division’s “Leadership Award of Excellence.” She was inducted into
National Jeweler’s Retailer Hall of Fame in the Majors category in 2009. In 2013, she was honored as a Women Who Mean
Business by The Kansas City Business Journal and with the American Gem Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her
impeccable service and outstanding contributions to the jewelry industry throughout her career.
Beryl serves on the boards of Michaels Stores, as a member of the Audit Committee, and on the board of Helen of Troy,
as a member of the Compensation and Audit Committees. She served on the board of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. for eight
years. While there, Beryl was a member of the Compensation Committee and Chairman of the Governance/Nomination
Committee. She served for 10 years on the Board of Jo-Ann Stores Inc., four of which she served as Chairman of the
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