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Date Posted: Tuesday, August 17, 06:32pm
MISS AMERICA'S OUTSTANDING TEEN ANNOUNCES 2010 PANEL OF JUDGES
Orlando, FL- August 15, 2010- Miss America's Outstanding Teen (MAOT) organization announced today their panel of seven distinguished judges that will decide who will be the new Miss America's Outstanding Teen based on the preliminary interviews, fitness, talent and evening wear competitions. The judging panel includes Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007 Maria DeSantis, fitness expert Jodi Fonfa, casting director Jason La Padura (Saturday evening only), choreographer Robbie Mackey, publisher/editorial director Jana Kerr Pettey, Miss America 2009 Katie Stam, and CEO Tina Wells.
MAOT, the "little sister" to Miss America, will host its national competition in Orlando, FL during the week of August 24-28, 2010 with 53 state representatives competing in various competitions for a chance to win over $300,000 in college scholarships and the title of Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011.
The competition will be held in the Linda Chapin Theatre at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. To purchase tickets to the preliminary nights of competition and/or the final evening please go to Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/Miss-Americas-Outstanding-Teen-tickets/artist/1043781
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About Miss America's Outstanding Teen:
Miss America's Outstanding Teen is a scholarship-based program offering accomplished teens the opportunity to be awarded funds for college. The program promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's teens. In the past four years, the organization has made available more than $3 million in college scholarships. For more information, please visit www.maoteen.org
About Our Judges:
Maria DeSantis: At the age of 17, Maria DeSantis was crowned the second Miss America's Outstanding Teen, representing the state of New York. As Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2007, Maria spent her reign traveling the country promoting her personal platform, Getting Teens Involved in the Fight Against Cancer, and the National Platform, the US Dream Academy. While finishing her senior year of high school and graduating in the top of her class, Maria travelled around the country championing community involvement and spreading the word about this new amazing opportunity for young women.
Although Maria's personal platform targeted teens, she served as a motivational speaker for people of all ages. Maria spent her year addressing high school students, elementary school students, local communities, hospitals, and professional business organizations. She was able to blend her work with the American Cancer Society,
Alex's Lemonade Stand, and the US Dream Academy with her love of music and performance effectively throughout the year. She carried her involvement with these organizations on after her year of service, helping with local Relay for Life Fundraisers as well as Co-Chairing New York University's Relay for Life.
After passing on the MAOT crown to Caitlin Brunell, Maria attended New York University's Steinhardt School of Music, majoring in Classical Voice. She was the only freshman cast in the Spring Opera performance, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers, and was a featured chorus member and principal dancer. Freshman year of college was a time of great personal growth for Maria, as she reevaluated her career and life goals. Although she enjoyed her time at NYU immensely, she decided that a career in performance was not her long-term desire.
After much deliberation, Maria transferred to Wagner College in her hometown of Staten Island, New York, and began working with her father at his CPA firm, DeSantis and Pellecchia LLC. Going into her senior year as a Business Administration major with a concentration in Accounting, Maria maintains a 4.0 cumulative GPA and plans on obtaining a Masters Degree in Accounting upon graduation. She recently spent a semester studying abroad in Rome, Italy, through St. John's University. Although no longer studying music in an academic setting, Maria still performs locally and studies privately. Music is a passion that will always hold a special place in her life.
Maria is thrilled to be a part of the judging panel choosing Miss America's Outstanding Teen 2011, and takes her responsibility to these young women, their families and friends, the Miss America Organization, and the nation very seriously. This competition changes more than just the lives of 53 young women. She says congratulations
to all of the contestants and thank you for sharing your talent, intellect, beauty, and grace and I am elated to welcome a new MAOT into the sisterhood that I hold so close to my own heart.
Jodi Fonfa is one of the most exciting and motivating fitness experts in the country. For the past 25 years, Jodi has made an impact on the fitness industry through her innovative style, videos, personal appearances and print features.
Jodi is the #1 celebrity fitness trainer in Las Vegas, a group exercise instructor, choreographer, and formerly co-owner of a fitness studio called "Fit City". She traveled the world as Sharon Stone's personal fitness trainer for several years. Jodi has also trained other celebrities including Bette Midler, Nancy McKeon, Sally Kellerman and Dick Smothers. She hosted her own fitness segments on NEWS-13, an ABC affiliate.
Jodi has graced the cover of several top industry magazines, judged many national and international fitness competitions, is accredited by the American Council on Exercise and Step Reebok, and was sponsored by Adidas and Power Bar. She is a former member of the editorial advisory board and served as a contributing writer for Ms. Fitness magazine.
Jodi's commitment to fitness and quality was evident early in her career. Jodi became the first woman personal trainer for "Body by Jake", was crowned "Ms. National Fitness Champion", and has won more than 75 awards in competition. She also produced and choreographed her series of "No Excuses" fitness videos, which include Step, Body Sculpt, and Low Impact. In 2001, Jodi starred in a national news magazine show, "Spotlight", as the
fitness expert. Some of the fitness segments featured professional athletes from the Boston Red Sox and the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Currently Jodi teaches a variety of group classes at the Las Vegas Athletic Club that include Zumba, Salsa, Hip-hop, Step, Body Sculpt, Yoga, and Pilates.
Jodi attended The University of Las Vegas majoring in Communications, with a minor in Theater. She lives in Las Vegas with her husband, Andrew, a real estate developer, and their three children. She donates her time to a variety of charitable organizations, is on several boards, and serves as a member of the judges' host committee for the Miss America Pageant.
Jason La Padura Jason La Padura is a native New Yorker who began working in show business at the age of 10. Before becoming an award-winning casting director, he was an actor and stage manager working on and Off-Broadway and at several of the most prestigious regional theatres in the country. At the age of 21, he made his Broadway debut in William Inge's play "Summer Brave". He also worked for Joseph Papp's New York Shakespeare Festival. During his years at the Festival, he worked on more than two dozen productions including the original production of Michael Bennett's groundbreaking "A Chorus Line", David Mamet's "The Water Engine", on Broadway and "Measure for Measure" starring Meryl Streep, John Cazale and Sam Waterston at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
As a casting director, Jason has cast a wide variety of film, television, and stage projects. His most recent television series was NBC-TV's "Heroes" and he is currently casting "The Event" also for NBC, debuting this fall. For the Walt Disney Company, he has cast all of the "High School Musical" films as well as the "Camp Rock" and "Halloweentown" series of television movies. Jason has been nominated for two Emmy Awards, ten Artios awards (winning for Best Children's Program for "High School Musical") and is the recipient of the Media Access Award, presented by the state of California for his work in casting actors with special needs and disabilities. He currently works in Hollywood with his sister and partner, Natalie Hart.
Robbie Mackey grew up in a small town in Georgia where he began his career in the entertainment business at the young age of 4 as a dancer. By the time he was 11, his dance teacher began to encourage him to seek training
that would further his talents. Robbie then started commuting to Atlanta on a weekly basis to study with Dan
& Co. Studios and was soon invited to be part of their professional dance company, The Atlanta Jazz Theatre.
He then continued his studies as a company dancer in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago studying with world renowned teachers Joe Tremaine, DougCaldwell, Frank Hatchett, Paul Derolf and Gus Giordano. At the age
of 15, Robbie turned his sights towards the world of ballet, spending a summer of intense training with American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov. Ready to pursue a career in Musical Theatre, Robbie returned to Atlanta to join the Equity Production of "Oklahoma!" with Theatre of the Stars followed by "The Music Man" with the Alliance Theatre. Over the years, Robbie has taught thousands of young aspiring dancers all over the country as well as in Europe, Japan, and China.
For the last 20 years, Robbie has choreographed and directed numerous live events including two Super Bowl Half-Time Shows, starring New Kids on the Block, Patti LaBelle, and Tony Bennett; and countless television specials with such stars as Mariah Carey, Brian Setzer, Tom Hanks, Nell Carter, Rita Moreno, Sandi Patti, Betty White, Carol Channing, Michael Feinstein and Tommy Tune. International television credits include the National Lottery Show for BBC in London, the Grand Opening of Disneyland Paris, the Grand Opening of Hong Kong Disneyland, and the 15th Anniversary of Disneyland Paris. Most recently, Robbie Co-Directed and choreographed "Illuscination" for Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Jana Kerr Pettey is the Publisher/Editorial Director of national teen magazine JustineŽ and also the President of Justeen, LLC, the magazine's parent. She was an integral part of the founding team in 2004 when JustineŽ was recognized as one of the best launches of the year. She has been instrumental in crafting a magazine about which the Chicago Sun Times says, "There hasn't been a magazine for teen girls that's entertaining and stylish and wholesome all at the same time-until now."
Jana was born and raised in Savannah, Tennessee on a wonderful farm that still remains in her family. Her teen years were very busy with many high school activities, including the distinction of "Most Likely to Succeed" - an honor that her mother and sister had each also received in high school. Jana was selected by Teen Magazine as its teen spokesperson to represent the United States in the International Teen Princess competition in Lisbon, Portugal as Teen Princess USA. She graced two covers of Teen Magazine and also appeared on the cover of L'Officiel Magazine.
Pettey graduated magna cum laude from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) with a B.S. in marketing. During her tenure at MSU, she was President and Rush Chairman of Alpha Delta Pi, Homecoming Queen, and a member of several national honorary societies, including Omicron Kappa Delta. During her college years, she also represented Tennessee in the Miss USA pageant. Her love for teenagers has been fueled by her work for more than 30 years with the Volunteer Girls State program, a national citizenship program for rising senior high school girls.
She has also been involved in many civic and philanthropic endeavors such as the Memphis Zoo Rendezvous Chair for three consecutive years, Co-Chair of the Memphis Symphony Ball/Round-Up Gala, Nutcracker Ball Chair for Ballet Memphis, and a member of the founding committee for both The Blues Ball and The Jingle Bell Ball. Before taking the helm at JustineŽ, she was the business manager for Pat Kerr, Inc., a world-renowned fashion design firm started by her sister, and assisted in
all facets of the business from marketing to working with clients to producing fashion shows around the world.
She is married to John Pettey, a senior vice president of Morgan Keegan, Inc., and has a teenage son, a daughter currently in law school, and two grown stepsons.
Katie Stamwas crowned the first Miss America from the state of Indiana in the pageant's 88-year history. As Miss America 2009, Katie traveled over 250,000 miles serving as the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Children's Miracle Network, visiting dozens of children's hospitals across the country, helping to raise millions of dollars, and promoting the organization during numerous speaking engagements. Katie also served as a national spokesperson for her personal platform of "Promoting Community Service and Involvement," embarking on a national tour spreading her message of volunteerism to thousands of students. Katie also was an advocate for our US Armed Forces, becoming the first Miss America in over 30 years to travel to Germany to visit our troops, and dedicating her year of service to honoring our servicemen and women in uniform.
Through the scholarship assistance from the Miss America Organization, Katie was able to graduate debt-free from the University of Indianapolis with a degree in Communication. She is an accomplished journalist having been awarded several state and national honors for News Reporting, Producing and Anchoring. She has completed two internships at the highest-rated stations in Indianapolis, and has held several management positions at a local television station. Katie has also appeared on prestigious national news programs, including The Today Show, Fox and Friends in the Morning, LIVE with Regis and Kelly, MSNBC, ABC News Now, Extra, and Inside Edition.
Katie continues to travel the country on her speaking tour promoting volunteering, the American Dairy Association, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, American Diabetes Association, as well as dozens of additional non-profit organizations. She has also enjoyed working as a developer and contributor to the Miss America Apparel Line from Miss America Brands. She is anxiously awaiting the national release of her first children's book entitled, "I Want to Be Miss America," as well as her national media and book tour.
Katie recently married her sweetheart, Brian, who is a personal trainer and physical therapist. The newlyweds reside in Indianapolis, Indiana, with their puppy, Hank
Tina Wells People often wonder if it is possible to build a successful career doing what they love. Tina Wells, CEO of Buzz Marketing Group, is in her 14th year of doing just that. Embracing her passion for fashion and her fascination with pop culture, Tina began writing reviews on companies and their products that target youth for the New Girl Times, when she was just 16. Buzz Marketing Group is a marketing agency that specializes in youth needs, desires, and trends. Along with the agency's worldwide network of more than 9000 teen consultants ("BuzzSpotters"), Tina has created innovative marketing strategies, focus groups, and youth marketing research campaigns for numerous beauty, entertainment, fashion, financial and lifestyle clients. These clients include: Swarovski, SonyBMG, PBS, And 1, Proctor & Gamble, and aerie by American Eagle.
With Tina's early success, she did not neglect her education. She earned a B.A. in Communication Arts and graduated with honors from Hood College in 2002. She is currently enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business for marketing management.
Tina's ascent from teen dreamer to CEO has landed her a long list of honors including Essence Magazine's 40 Under 40 and Billboard's 30 Under 30. She was chosen by AOL's Black Voices as one of America's Top Ten Black Female Entrepreneurs, and in 2005 she was featured in an Oprah Magazine cover story highlighting five female entrepreneurs, with Tina being the youngest by 15 years. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Tina has also been appointed to the Kids for Kids Advisory Board, the National Board of Directors for the Friends of Orphans, and serves on a Christopher Reeves' Foundation Advisory Board. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Philadelphia Orchestra, The Franklin Institute, and the South Jersey Food Bank. Moreover, Tina has been recognized as an "Architect of Change" at the 19th Annual Governor and First Lady's Conference on Women and Family, and named as Youth Culture's "It" Social Anthropologist.
Additionally, Tina regularly speaks to various professional audiences across the country and has been quoted and featured in such high profile publications as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CosmoGirl, and Ebony magazines. She is also the author of the new tween series Mackenzie Blue, which was unveiled on May 5, 2009, to rave reviews! Tina resides in Southern New Jersey with her vast collection of shoes.
About Miss America's Outstanding Teen, Inc.
Miss America's Outstanding Teen is a scholarship-based program offering accomplished teens the opportunity to be awarded funds for college. The program promotes scholastic achievement, creative accomplishment, healthy living and community involvement for America's teens. In the past five years, the organization has made available more than $3 million in college scholarships. For more information, please visit Miss America's Outstanding Teen
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