08judges

Emily Strang Tarbert

Emily Strang Tarbert was crowned Miss East Central Ohio in 1997, where she was also awarded the talent and interview awards, and went on to proudly represent her community in the Miss Ohio Scholarship Pageant. A graduate of Ohio University and Capital University School of Law, Emily works as a child advocate in Franklin, Muskingum and Perry counties. Emily served as a consultant to the Supreme Court of Ohio and developed training curriculum for attorneys wishing to represent children in juvenile and domestic court proceedings. Emily is a member of the North Terrance Church of Christ and Southeastern Ohio Women and Girls’ Fund. In her spare time, she serves as a volunteer with the Perry County Court Appointed Special Advocate/Guardian ad litem Program, and teaches the Smart Steps for Stepfamilies course as a certified marriage counselor through the Enriching Lives Through Lasting Marriages (ELLM) grant initiative. Emily resides in Zanesville with her husband David; step-daughters Hannah (9) and Ellie (6); and son Truman (3).





Judy Kyees

Judy Kyees has been active in the entertainment industry for the past forty years. She owns and operates her own production/management company and her clients have gone on to professional careers, appearing on Broadway and National Broadway touring companies, as well as Disney Tokyo, Opryland, movies, television and many cruise ship and casino shows. Her own daughter, Tiffany is an actress, singer/songwriter and model in Los Angeles, who served as a Charleze Therons stand-in for such movies as “Italian Job,” “Monster,” and “North Country.” Judy has also been very successful in the pageant industry, and her students have captured local, state and national titles in the Miss America, Miss USA , Mrs. International, Teen International, and The Cinderella International pageants systems. She is currently the State Director for the Cinderella International Scholarship Pageant system, and is the Executive Director/ Producer of the annual Miss Columbus Teen Pageant. Judy resides in Westerville, Ohio with her husband John who is the CFO of Urban Outfitters. They have five children and six grand-children.








Ryan Harris

Ryan Harris is an Entertainment Consultant, Pageant Coach, Make up Artist, Talent Scout and Agency Director in New York, and Ohio, with clients across the US and Canada. He has spent the last 24 years working in the entertainment industry, starting at age 5 as a child model. By the age of 15, Ryan was coaching local talent for television commercials, radio and print ads, as well as giving motivational speeches to High School drama classes across Ohio. In 1996 having just turned 19, he became the Assistant Director of John Robert Powers International; a Boston based talent agency and finishing school. In 1997, Ryan joined teams with the International Modeling & Talent Association (I.M.T.A.) of Phoenix Arizona. He began a cross-country talent search for over 350 different agents worldwide. In 1998 Ryan became the Vice President of Model Talent Scouts International (M.T.S.I.), an International scouting firm. Since returning to Ohio in 2000, Ryan has continued to scout for such company’s as “One Life to Live”, “Day’s of Our Lives”, “As the World Turns”, “All My Children”, “Law & Order”, “Sopranos”, MTV, A&E, Ford Models NY, Elite Models NY and Cosmo, just to name a few. He has also been a judge and a pageant coach for the Miss America and Miss Universe programs, with credits that include One Top 15 State level (Miss Ohio, USA), Four Top Ten’s State level (Miss Ohio, America), One Top 5 State level (Miss Ohio, America), First runner-up State level (Miss Teen Ohio, USA), One State Winner (Miss America’s Outstanding Teen, Ohio), One Top 15 National Level (Miss America’s Outstanding Teen), and many title holders on a local level throughout Ohio and PA.

Renee Autherson Brown

Renee Autherson Brown as been involved with pageantry since the age of 15 in many capacities, including: directing, producing, choreographing, emceeing, judging, coaching and competing. Renee won the title of Miss Ohio 1992 on her first trip to the Miss Ohio stage, winning preliminaries in both swimsuit and talent, and went on to represent Ohio in the Miss America Pageant. Desiring another national pageant experience, Renee competed for and won the title of Mrs. Ohio 1996, and again represented the Buckeye State on a national stage. Renee has numerous years of experience in all forms of dance, as well as modeling and acting. Professionally, Renee is an officer and manager for Ohio Heritage Bank in Newark, and is looking forward to the opening of their new branch in Heath, which she will manage. Renee has been married for 14 years to her husband Joe, and has two children, Peyton, 9, and Grace, 8.







Kasey Montgomery

Kasey competed at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, where she graced the stage before a sold-out audience, representing the Mountain State in the Miss USA national telecast (produced by the Miss Universe Organization, owned by Donald Trump, Universal, and NBC). As a Miss USA representative, she served the state of West Virginia as an ambassador of the company for one year, through extensive travel, public speaking engagements, interactions with dignitaries, charity and social events participation, media appearances, and gaining the education, experiences and values to fulfill her career goals. A resident of Petersburg, West Virginia, Kasey is a trained model, actress, and vocalist who has performed with the West Virginia All State Choir, Limited Edition Choir, and for festivals throughout the state. She has worked with Moon Star Productions, showcasing country artist, Monty Lane Allen, whose hits include A Soldier Coming Home, If I was an Angel, One More Date, and the title cut off his new album, Great Big World. With aspirations of becoming a recording artist herself, Kasey has performed on stage with vocalists Lauren Simmons and the Davison Brothers, and she had the honors of introducing Toby Keith at the State Fair of WV. A student at West Virginia University pursuing a degree in Communications, Kasey also serves as a resource spokesperson for the National Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.




Brandon Kupec

Brandon Kupec is a 2001 West Virginia University graduate with a Bachelors degree in Political Science and a 2004 Graduate of West Virginia University College of Law. Brandon is currently a businessman and practicing attorney in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He holds an interest in many companies and focuses mainly on real estate development and sales, as well as practicing law full time with his family firm, Kupec & Associates, P.L.L.C. Brandon specializes in contracts and real estate law, and he actively represents a number of models and entertainers.









Kecia Pringle

Kecia Pringle resides in Cincinnati, but is originally from Olmsted Falls - a small suburb west of Cleveland. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Miami University, followed by an MBA. She is the Human Resources Manager for Harland Financial Solutions, and she also enjoys being a figure skater, aerobics instructor, and Mrs. Ohio International 2007. She and husband, Dwight, were married August 24, 2002, and have two beautiful boys, Myles and Anthony. Upon the birth of son Anthony in 2004 (who was born with Down syndrome), Kecia began a new outlook on life, realizing the only limitations in life are those we choose to accept.