News & Updates
Miss Virginia, Carlehr Swanson and Miss Virginia's Teen, Cassidy Lee Take on Virginia Capital, Introduced During General Assembly Session
RICHMOND, Va. — Carlehr Swanson, Miss Virginia, and Cassidy Lee, Miss Virginia’s Teen, recently got the opportunity to be introduced at the General Assembly. In addition, the titleholders participated in a prayer breakfast and press conference before being introduced at the Capitol. Following their introductions, they took part in a tour of the Executive Mansion.
Carlehr, a native of Richmond, VA, won a total of $22,500 in scholarship awards this past June and over $70,000 cumulatively through her participation in local and state Miss America preliminary competitions. Carlehr is a fourth year PhD student at the University of Virginia (UVA) in critical and comparative studies in music. Her ambition is to obtain a doctorate in music and work in higher education as an administrator or professor. She earned her Bachelor of Music from George Mason University, a Master’s of Music from the University of Miami, and her Master of Arts from UVA.
Carlehr’s Community Service Initiative (CSI) is called “Bridging the Divide: Music is Unity.” She started this outreach program as an eighth grader after making an impromptu performance at her grandmother’s rehabilitation center. This sparked her lifelong dedication to sharing music’s healing power.
Cassidy, a resident of Williamsburg, VA, has a heart for service and a scholarship success story, the Miss America Opportunity has positively shaped every aspect of Cassidy’s life. As a freshman at the University of Alabama, Cassidy is achieving an accelerated master’s degree in News Media and Political Science on a full presidential scholarship awarded by the Miss America Scholarship Program. Her career ambition is to be a full-time reporter and news anchor for a popular broadcasting channel.
Cassidy’s Community Service Initiative (CSI), “Crowns for Clefts,” is inspired by six years of volunteer work with a global nonprofit, Operation Smile. In November of 2022, Cassidy had the honor of a lifetime to serve as a student cohort on an Operation Smile Surgical Program in Paraguay. To combat the lack of cleft representation in society, Cassidy produces an international cleft awareness podcast, “Every Smile Has a Story,” which works to educate the public on clefts, advocate for cleft charities, and highlight personal narratives of triumph. During her first semester at college, she published a cleft inclusive coloring book, “The Smile Sketchbook,” to promote facial difference acceptance and diversity. Her true passion is being a champion of change for the cleft community.
The Miss Virginia Opportunity, Inc., which will be celebrating its’ 90th anniversary this June, awarded more than $60,000 in cash scholarships and additional scholarships to colleges and universities during the 2024 Miss Virginia and Miss Virginia’s Teen competitions that featured 24 Miss Virginia candidates and 22 teens. The Miss Virginia Opportunity is part of Miss America, one of the nation’s leading achievement programs and providers of scholarships for young women. Four Miss Virginias have won the Miss America crown, and one state teen titleholder has won the national teen competition.
News & Updates
Miss Virginia Opportunity Announces New Leadership Team
For Immediate Release
April 23, 2024
The Miss Virginia Scholarship Program is now doing business as the Miss Virginia
Opportunity, Inc. With continued leadership from Elaine B. Aikens, Co-Executive Director;
Aikens is now joined by Mark A. Schreier and Nancy Glisson Lucy as additional Co-
Executive Directors.
Aikens, a retired Winchester educator, has volunteered with Miss Virginia for 40 years. “I
enjoy watching the growth and achievement the young women gain by participating in
pageants. The confidence and opportunities that are afforded them, with the scholarships
that are awarded, open doors they have never imagined were available to them. I guess
you might say that my volunteer work is what gives me the most pleasure in life...oh, and
traveling is loads of fun, too.”
Mark Schreier brings a professional background of sales, marketing, and broadcasting.
The Roanoke resident works in sales / new business development for Robertson
Marketing in Salem. Schreier was the pageant’s director of Marketing, Fundraising, and
Production for 15 years before moving into the leadership role. He’s also the president of
the pageant’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit scholarship partner, the Margaret R. Baker Charitable
Foundation, Inc.
Nancy Glisson Lucy, Miss Virginia 1993 and 4th runner-up to Miss America 1994, adds a
strong background of marketing and organizational development. She’s also involved in
nonprofit event planning, development, and fundraising. Nancy’s interests include: Thrive
Bible Study, the “Night to Shine” - Tim Tebow Foundation event, Full Circle Grief Center,
and Hope Church Music Ministry. She resides in Richmond.
In addition to the leadership change, the organization has also added new members to
the board of directors. Lucy says, “We’re so grateful for our dedicated board of directors
who are our stewards of the Miss Virginia legacy. We have a wonderful group of
stakeholders who are actively overseeing our management and protecting the interest of
the Miss Virginia Opportunity for years to come.”
Schreier agrees, adding, “We’re here to help young women further their educations and
become game changers in all aspects of their lives. This program is one of the most
impactful ways to prepare young people for the future, with the foundation of scholarship
and community service. Building this legacy for future generations is one of the most
rewarding parts of volunteering for this organization, and I’ve been doing it with the Miss
America Opportunity for more than 40 years.”
The board of directors also consists of Debra Anderson, Dale Bradshaw, Chip Brown,
Bootie Chewning, Dr. Nancy Dye, Scott Freda, Melinda Froelicher, Linda Haas, Melody
Jessee, Trone Kee, Patrick Moore, and Nikki Williams.
Associate board members are Kay Bolliger, Callie Dalton, Carolyn Hodges Campbell,
Matt Hogan, Toni McLawhorn, Ashley Smith, and Beverly Young.
Katie Rose, the current Miss Virginia, earned a Juris Doctor from the University of
Richmond Law School. She was crowned in Roanoke last July, winning more than
$22,000 in scholarships, after performing a classical ballet en point in the talent
competition.
Katie travels thousands of miles across the Commonwealth, promoting her social impact
initiative, “Ending Domestic Violence by Empowering Women and Enabling Reform.” She
also serves as a spokesperson for promoting healthy choices and preventing substance
abuse to students in Virginia’s elementary schools, as part of the Virginia Alcoholic
Beverage Control Authority / Miss Virginia School Tour program.
The 2024 Miss Virginia and Miss Virginia’s Teen Competitions will take place June 27-29
at the Berglund Center in Roanoke.
For more information and for upcoming events, visit the organization’s new website:
www.missvirginia.org
.
Media Contact:
Mrs. Trone Kee
tronekee@gmail.com
540-539-3634
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