ANNOUNCING THE 2016 MAOTEEN COMPETITION PANEL OF JUDGES

Miss America 1995, Heather Whitestone McCallum, lost her hearing at only 18 months old. She went on to become the first Miss America in the pageant’s 75-year history to have a disability. She continued to be an inspiration by serving as an executive member on the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Heather is also a motivational speaker and author.

Daniel Narducci is a Classic American Baritone who made his debut with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. He’s appeared with the most prestigious orchestras world-wide, including the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, the Naples Philharmonic, and the Chicago and Toronto Symphonies to name a few. His talents continue on-stage including Lancelot in Camelot and recording artist as Captain Hook in Peter Pan.

Lillie Kae Stevens-Lonski is a dancer, singer, actress and choreographer. She’s the former Dance Captain of the Tony Award winning hit Broadway musical, Chicago, and has toured the world performing in West Side Story, Evita,Sunset Boulevard and Crazy for You. She is also a recording artist and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Pathology. Her all-time favorite roles, however, are playing wife and mom!

Creative director and choreographer, Chehon began dancing at the age of 13. He was the youngest lead dancer in Twyla Tharp’s Tony Award winning Broadway show, Come Fly With Me and became “America’s Favorite Dancer” on the hit Fox TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. He has choreographed numerous shows including the 87th Academy Awards. Currently, he owns a creative studio in Los Angeles, and a major industry dance brand, “I AM FORCE.”

Jeanne Slater has been a teacher, choreographer and director for over 30 years. She began teaching dance as a teen, was a choreographer by college and made her professional theatre debut at The Circle in the Square Theatre in Tartuffe: Born Again. Her directing and choreography credits span both educational and professional theatre and she is currently teaching at The Juilliard School.

Natalie has more than 20 years of experience telling stories as an Emmy Award winning television anchor, reporter and producer. She was the recipient of the Gracie Allen Award for Women in Media. Outside journalism, her passion is working with kids. She founded a committee that developed a new elementary magnet school in Colorado, with a focus on critical thinking and responsible citizenship. Natalie was Miss Nebraska 1992 and credits the Miss America Organization with developing leadership qualities in young women across the country.

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.

A special thank you goes to Todd Piacentine and Seth Halperin that lead our group of auditors which include: Brice Husselbaugh, Cass Christie, and Lauren Holbein.