MEET THE 6 JUDGES OF THE  

2015 MISS AMERICA'S OUTSTANDING TEEN COMPETITION FINALS

Alyse Eady is an Emmy award-winning news anchor at CBS affiliate KTHV-11, in Little Rock, and is a trained vocalist, ventriloquist and public speaker. She was crowned Miss Arkansas in 2010 and traveled 50,000 miles across the state while making more than 650 appearances.

Alyse proudly represented Arkansas at the 2011 Miss America Pageant in Las Vegas and was named 1st Runner-up.

 

On the final night of the pageant, her signature ventriloquism routine, "I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," garnered national attention, hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube, and even trended on Twitter and Yahoo. Alyse was invited to perform on The Late Show with David Letterman, Country Music Television, Inside Edition, Showtime at the Apollo, The Rachel Maddow Show, Terry Fator's show in Las Vegas, and other national TV venues.

 

The year before the inception of the Miss America's Outstanding Teen competition, Alyse was crowned Miss Teen Arkansas-America 2004 and was invited to perform at the launch of the national program in Orlando.  The same year, she also had the privilege of being invited to perform on the Miss America stage in Atlantic City.

 

Alyse is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University with a double major in Mass Communications and Speech Communication. 

Ann-Blair Thornton, a 25 year old native Kentuckian, graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2014 with Degrees in English and Economics. 

 

In 2004, Ann-Blair's beloved grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Devastated by the news, Ann-Blair quickly found her deepest passion working with the Alzheimer's foundation. She has hosted several statewide rallies at the Kentucky State Capitol and has served as the Corporate Relations Chair for the Alzheimer's Association. 

 

In 2007, Ann-Blair was crowned Miss Kentucky's Outstanding Teen and went on to be named 4th Runner- up to Miss America's Outstanding Teen. In 2011, she was named Miss Kentucky and hence took on the role of Spokesperson for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. During this time, she spoke to hundreds of thousands of people about the Kentucky Proud Program and her personal platform, Alzheimer's Awareness and Research. At the Miss America Pageant, she was awarded the Quality of Life Award for her work with Alzheimer's. 

 

Ann-Blair lives an active lifestyle and recently finished her first half marathon in Las Vegas. She also spends her time volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Stomp Out Diabetes Campaign. She currently works as a Diabetes Care Specialist with AstraZeneca and has found a true passion in helping patients receive the best care possible. Although an always proud Kentuckian, Ann-Blair now resides in Dallas, Texas with her 6-month-old Brittany Spaniel pup, Brooks.

Cherise Leclerc was crowned Miss Massachusetts Outstanding Teen 2006, and would go on to place in the Top Ten that summer at the national competition. She credits this wonderful organization with giving her the confidence, drive and ambition to pursue all of her career goals.

 

Her dreams started after graduating Summa Cum Laude and with Honors of Greatest Distinction from the Commonwealth College at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Communication and minor in Spanish.

 

Cherise joined the CBS affiliate in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2011, where she now anchors the evening newscasts.  She was part of a team that won a national Edward R. Murrow Award, and she has also been recognized by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association for her reporting on fallen police officers at National Police Week in Washington, D.C.

 

Cherise was recently honored by Western Mass Women's Magazine as their Top Television Personality, and was just named one of BusinessWest Magazine's Top 40 Under 40, recognizing civic and community leaders for their involvement and achievement in the region.

 

A lover of travel and learning about different cultures, she also enjoys playing the harp, reading, and spending time with her teacup Chihuahua, Leila.  She recently completed her fourth full-length marathon in Chicago.

Karen Link represented Connecticut at the 2007 Miss America's Outstanding Teen pageant. A short two months later, Karen was the front- seat passenger in a head-on collision where she suffered a broken spine. After undergoing an emergency spinal fusion surgery and months of rehab, Karen relearned how to do things like walk and climb stairs. A lifelong dancer, Karen pushed herself to defy the odds and found her way back to the dance studio.

 

While pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Endicott College in Beverly, MA, Karen enrolled in dance classes to regain her strength and endurance, eventually earning a spot on the college's dance team. Karen graduated Summa Cum Laude from Endicott in May 2012, and immediately moved to New York City to pursue a career in Fashion & Beauty Public Relations, working for brands like L'Oreal and Elizabeth Arden.

 

Karen's aspirations to continue dancing and love for Boston pulled her back to the Bay State where she now works in public relations for Nuance Communications, and in May, 2014, she earned a spot as an NFL Cheerleader for the New England Patriots. In her whirlwind year on the squad, Karen was given the opportunity to cheer on the Patriots all the way to Arizona where they recently won Super Bowl XLIX.

 

Karen feels incredibly fortunate for her recovery and attributes her successes and determination to her roots in MAOTeen which taught her countless life lessons.

Lauren Nelson was honored to serve as Miss Teen Oklahoma in 2004, the year before the first national MAOTeen competition. It was through her involvement in the teen program that spurred her on to compete in the Miss America Pageant, where she was crowned Miss America 2007.

 

As Miss America, Lauren traveled the country speaking on behalf of her platform, Internet Safety for Kids, and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.  Lauren was awarded the prestigious TOYA Award in 2008, naming her one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans that year. Lauren is an accomplished vocalist and has performed in numerous musicals including, Carousel, in which she played Julie Jordan opposite Shirley Jones and Patrick Cassidy.

 

Since passing on the title, Lauren continues traveling the country speaking at women's conferences and youth retreats. She has co-authored two books with her friend, Robin Marsh, and has worked as a news anchor for KWTV-News 9 in Oklahoma City. Currently she serves as spokesperson for Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton and is a freelance reporter for the Discover Oklahoma television program.

 

Lauren's most treasured titles are wife and mom. Lauren is married to Randy and they have a son, Mason.

Meghan Miller was named the first Miss America's Outstanding Teen in 2005.  When she was given the opportunity to represent this brand new program, she knew what she wanted it to be:  the "little sister" to Miss America. Throughout her year, she worked with both the MAOTeen and Miss America Organizations to shape the program into a year of service and scholarship. Meghan's hope in 2005 was that each year the new titleholder would bring her own heart and personality to the program, further establishing Miss America's Outstanding Teen as an enrichment program for today's young women.

 

Meghan graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010 with a BBA in Marketing.  During her time in college, she was a member of Texas Spirits and Alpha Phi, holding various leadership positions. She also appeared on America's Got Talent, making it to the semi-final rounds in Las Vegas. After graduation, Meghan began work with a real estate company doing marketing, technology and web mastering, but she rediscovered her love of musical theater and the performing arts while in Dallas and she appeared in 13 shows, garnering 3 Column Award nominations and one win.

 

This past August, Meghan made the move to New York to pursue her dream of performing on the Great White Way. She landed a lead puppeteer role in John Tartaglia's ImaginOcean, and spent 6 months traveling around the US, teaching children the value of friendship. She also appeared on the Game Show Network's show, Let's Ask America, where she and a friend won $5500! She just finished performing in Lyric Stage's production of South Pacific and will continue pursuing her dreams in NYC.

 

Meghan could not be more proud of how the MOATeen Organization has grown in the last 10 years, and cannot wait to see what the next 10 years bring!