2017 MAOTeen Judges Panel

Miss America 1990, Dr. Debbye Turner Bell, is a veterinarian, journalist, minister, motivational speaker, wife and mother. For three years she served as the lead U.S. anchor for Arise News, a global news network, and she was staff correspondent for CBS News for 11 years, being dubbed The Early Show’sresident veterinarian and periodically reporting for the CBS Evening News. Currently, she can be seen as an expert contributor to the show DOGS 101 on Animal Planet. She graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture from Arkansas State.

Benjamin Brecher, an operatic and concert tenor, has gained great acclaim with his many performances on the opera and concert stages. Having performed over 50 operatic roles with more than 40 orchestras at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including 15 roles with the New York Opera, Mr. Brecher specializes in the high lyric tenor repertoire. He is currently an Associate Professor of Voice at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Benjamin is a graduate of the Juilliard Opera Center, the New England Conservatory of Music and Bowling Green State University.

Professor Hilary Levey Friedman is a sociologist who teaches courses on after-school activities, pageantry, and sports at Brown University. She holds degrees from Harvard University, Princeton University and the University of Cambridge. Her first book, Playing to Win: Raising Children in a Competitive Culture, follows families with elementary school-age children involved in chess, dance, and soccer, covering the activities, what they mean to parents and children and the implications for inequality and gender in the educational system.

Sinead Norenius is a business development and marketing executive with strong social media roots with the beauty and fashion industries. She is currently a partner at The Pienza Collective, where she helps clients navigate the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce technology, digital marketing, social media strategy and influencer outreach, along with preparing clients for TV Shopping (QVC, HSN, Evine) and other retail distribution channels. She was also the Founder and CEO of the premium influencer marketing network, iFabbo. iFabbo was a spinoff of Sinead’s skincare company, Beautisol, a luxury sunless tanning brand.

Julie Stadler’s passion for competitive ballroom dancing inspired her to create Dance Network, the first-ever digital network which showcases all styles of dance in one place. Stadler is co-owner in Carell Family, LLC, a commercial real estate investment firm. Julie and her sisters continue their family’s philanthropic legacy of supporting their community and issues surrounding the health and wellness of children. She currently serves on the Board of Monroe Carell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Grant Thornton LLP is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world’s leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. These firms help dynamic organizations unlock their potential for growth by providing meaningful, forward-looking advice. Proactive teams, led by approachable partners in these firms, use insights, experience and instinct to understand complex issues faced by privately owned, publicly listed and public sector clients and help them to find solutions. More than 42,000 Grant Thornton people in more than 120 countries are focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which they live and work.