Where Are They Now? Miss America Winners from the Past 15 Years

Kelly Bryant

Perfect your pageant wave for this Miss America update.

Pageant history
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Bill Achatz/AP/Shutterstock (6639187f) Pamela Anne Eldred, Susan Ellen Anton, Judith Mendenhall, Cheryl Carter, Kathy Baumann, Georgia Hossfeld, Pat Brummett, Adria Easton, Linda Trybus; Sheryl Akaka Ten semi-finalists of the Miss America pageant pose in their swimsuits in Atlantic City, N.J., . From left to right: Miss Massachusetts, Georgia Hossfeld; Miss New Mexico, Pat Brummett; Miss Colorado, Adria Easton; Miss New Jersey, Cheryl Carter; Miss Michigan, Pamela Eldred; Miss California, Susan Anton; Miss New York, Linda Trybus; Miss Hawaii, Sheryl Akaka; Miss Minnesota, Judy Mendenhall; Miss Ohio, Kathy Baumann Miss America Pageant, Atlantic City, USA
BILL ACHATZ/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

The first Miss America pageant kicked off way back in 1921 on the iconic Atlantic City boardwalk. The first woman to wear the crown was Margaret Gorman, who qualified for the competition after winning the “Inter-City Beauty Contest,” according to MissAmerica.org. Since then the title has become more and more coveted amongst talented young women all vying to take home the top prize. Check out the latest on Miss America winners from the past 15 years.

Ericka Dunlap

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Brian Branch-Price/AP/Shutterstock (6426397c) MISS AMERICA Miss America 2004 Ericka Dunlap reacts after she won the Miss America competition in Atlantic City, N.J MISS AMERICA, ATLANTIC CITY, USA
BRIAN BRANCH-PRICE/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

In 2004, Ericka Dunlap, then Miss Florida, took home the Miss America crown. Today Dunlap still resides in the Sunshine State where she’s the CEO of Crown Communication Group, described as a public relations and diversity consulting firm. In an interview with Black Enterprise, she reflects on her time as Miss America, saying, “As a 21-year-old beauty queen, I had no idea about the grand-scheme significance of my platform, and what it was going to do for people. I wanted people to have the confidence to be their authentic selves at work and be valued for the vital perspective they brought to work environments. People just needed to feel comfortable at work.”

Deidre Downs Gunn

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mary Godleski/AP/Shutterstock (6402459a) DOWNS Miss America 2005 Deidre Downs, of Alabama, walks down the runway after being crowned at Boardwalk hall in Atlantic City, N.J MISS AMERICA, ATLANTIC CITY, USA
MARY GODLESKI/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Crowned Miss America in 2005, Deidre Downs Gunn married her girlfriend Abbott Jones in 2018 in a lavish Southern wedding. Downs Gunn works as an OB/GYN in her home state of Alabama, according to People, focusing on reproductive endocrinology and infertility. She has a 9-year-old son. Here’s how much the Miss America pageant has changed throughout the years.

Jennifer Berry

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Picture Perfect/Shutterstock (570463k) Miss America Jennifer Berry (Miss Oklahoma) MISS AMERICA BEAUTY PAGEANT, LAS VEGAS, AMERICA - 21 JAN 2006
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Back in 2006, Miss Oklahoma Jennifer Berry was crowned Miss America. She has largely led a private life since handing over the crown to her successor Lauren Nelson. In 2007, she married her husband Nathan Gooden. Together they have four children. Berry is still involved in the pageant scene; when Miss America announced they were doing away with the swimsuit round in 2018, she shared her thoughts in an interview with Tulsa’s News on 6. “Now, we’re going to move forward and America is going to get to see the real, true reason why most of the young ladies enter local pageants and dream of becoming Miss America,” says Berry.

Lauren Nelson

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Picture Perfect/Shutterstock (663660j) Lauren Nelson Miss America 2007 Viewpoint School gala fundraiser to honour Sam and Mary Haskell hosted by Brad Garrett and Ray Romano, Beverly Hilton hotel, Los Angeles, California, America - 12 May 2007
PICTURE PERFECT/SHUTTERSTOCK

For a second consecutive year, a Miss Oklahoma took home the national title when, in 2007, the crown went to Lauren Nelson. She has worked as the co-host of Discover Oklahoma since 2017, starting with the show as a reporter prior to that. Nelson is married to her husband Randy, with whom she shares two children—Mason and Dawson. Find out the differences between Miss America and Miss USA.

Kirsten Haglund

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jae C Hong/AP/Shutterstock (6370308a) Kirsten Haglund Kirsten Haglund celebrates after being crowned Miss America 2008 during the Miss America Pageant at the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas Miss America, Las Vegas, USA
JAE C HONG/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Miss Michigan Kirsten Haglund landed the Miss America crown in 2008. According to her personal website, she currently works as a communications consultant and digital media strategist while residing in Zurich, Switzerland. Her own non-profit, the Kirsten Haglund Foundation, works to support families battling eating disorders. Haglund herself admits she was anorexic as a young girl while studying ballet.

Katie Stam

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Jeff Christensen/AP/Shutterstock (6355007c) Katie Stam The new Miss America, Katie Stam poses for a photograph in New York People Miss America, NEW YORK, USA
JEFF CHRISTENSEN/AP/SHUTTERSTOCK

Crowned Miss America in 2009, Indiana’s Katie Stam is now a wife, mother, and self-proclaimed entrepreneur. Recently she published Merely Moving Shadows, a ten-week devotional guide in which Stam, who is steadfast in her faith, discusses the merits of applying biblical principles to the every day for an enriching life.

Caressa Cameron

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (1099260h) Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron Miss America 2010 pageant at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, America - 30 Jan 2010
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It was in 2010 that Miss Virginia Caressa Cameron went on to become Miss America. Today, Cameron is a wedding planner as well as an HIV/AIDS activist, according to her Twitter account. Married to Nat Jackson, the couple is currently pregnant with their second child and due in May 2020. This is what Miss USA looked like the year you were born.

Teresa Scanlan

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Nati Harnik/AP/Shutterstock (6293662g) Teresa Scanlan Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011, at a dinner event on the last day of her homecoming tour of Nebraska, in La Vista, Neb Miss America Homecoming, La Vista, USA
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Among the youngest competitors to ever be crowned Miss America, Teresa Scanlan was just 17 when she won the title in 2011. Today Scanlan is a law student at Berkeley Law. In a 2018 interview with Berkeley News, she said, “I was never the girl who wanted to be a princess when I grew up. I never had any other plans except that I wanted to be an attorney, a judge, a Supreme Court Justice. In that order. That was my career plan all the way through.” Get inspired by these 57 female firsts.

Laura Kaeppeler

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Shutterstock (1533845k) Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler Miss America 2012 pageant at Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, America - 14 Jan 2012
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Life has taken a more dramatic turn for 2012 Miss America Laura Kaeppeler, who married television producer Mike Fleiss (of Bachelor fame) in 2014. The couple divorced in 2019 reaching a $10M settlement, according to People. Kaeppeler and Fleiss share one child together—a son named Benjamin. She currently resides in Hawaii. Check out these vintage photos from the Miss Universe pageant.

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