Mallory Hagan
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Mallory Hytes Hagan (born December 23, 1988) is an American
politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...
and former
beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
queen, former
news anchor A news presenter – also known as a newsreader, newscaster (short for "news broadcaster"), anchorman or anchorwoman, news anchor or simply an anchor – is a person who presents news during a news program on TV, radio or the Internet. ...
and Business Consultant for Sysco Systems. She had won
Miss America 2013 Miss America 2013, the 86th Miss America pageant, was held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 12, 2013. Results Placements * - America's Choice ** - Saved b ...
as
Miss New York The Miss New York scholarship competition selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss America scholarship competition. In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated the Miss New York organization's license ...
2012 and is running for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives in 2022. Hagan moved to New York in 2008 after her first year of college at Auburn University in her native state Alabama. She became Miss New York's first runner-up in 2010 and 2011, before winning the Miss New York pageant in 2012 and subsequently the Miss America peagant in 2013. She won the competition on a platform of
child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
awareness and prevention due to her family's history with child abuse. Following her win, she graduated from the
Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
with a communications degree, returned to Alabama in 2016 and worked for
WLTZ WLTZ (channel 38) is a television station in Columbus, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW Plus. It is owned by SagamoreHill Broadcasting, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with Gray Television, owner of A ...
as news anchor and reporter between 2016 and 2018. She ran in the 2018 congressional election as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
in Alabama's 3rd congressional district, which contains 14 counties and includes her hometown of Opelika, Alabama. After moving to Madison, Alabama she is running for District 25 in the Alabama House of Representatives in the 2022 election.


Early life and education

Hagan was born in
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
and was raised in
Opelika Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...
,
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. She graduated from
Opelika High School Opelika High School is located in Opelika, Lee County, Alabama and was originally built in 1972. Opelika High School, of the Opelika City Schools, serves students in grades 9– 12. The principal is Kelli Fischer. The school's assistant prin ...
in 2007. Her parents were raised in Auburn, Alabama. She was influenced by her formative years spent with a mother who ran a dance studio in the Auburn-Opelika area, where she was raised. Her grandmother also ran a dance studio in Tennessee, where Hagan was born. She is a former student at Auburn University, where she spent a year studying
biomedical science Biomedical sciences are a set of sciences applying portions of natural science or formal science, or both, to develop knowledge, interventions, or technology that are of use in healthcare or public health. Such disciplines as medical microbio ...
. She was a member of the sorority
Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...
Alabama Gamma chapter, becoming the fourth Pi Beta Phi to become Miss America (
Marilyn Van Derbur Marilyn Elaine Van Derbur (born June 16, 1937) is an American author, motivational speaker, and beauty pageant titleholder. In July 1957, she was crowned Miss Colorado 1957. On September 7, 1957, she was crowned Miss America 1958 in Atlantic City ...
, Jackie Mayer, and Susan Akin). She moved to Brooklyn in October 2008. At the time of her arrival, she had less than $1000 and no job. Several sources stated that Hagan was a
Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in northwestern Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park and Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush A ...
resident when she won Miss America. ''
The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
'' ran a correction, corroborated by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', that she was a resident of
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn Windsor Terrace is a small residential neighborhood in the central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Prospect Park on the east and northeast, Park Slope at Prospect Park West, Green-Wood Cemetery, and Borough Par ...
at the time. Hagan had lived in six different Brooklyn neighborhoods between her arrival in 2008 and her Miss America victory in 2013, including Sunset Park and Williamsburg. At the time of the 2013 Miss America competition, she was a
Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
(FIT) student, where she studied advertising, marketing and communications with aspirations of a profession related to cosmetic and fragrance marketing. At FIT, she was a part of the Presidential Honors Program. Her three placements in the Miss New York competition and the Miss America title provided her with sufficient scholarship monies to pay for her entire FIT tuition. She trained several different physical and mental methods to prepare for the pageant. Her fitness trainers included Richard Talens of social fitness network Fitocracy, Sohee Lee, and Mark Fisher of Mark Fisher Fitness. One of her training elements was the
CrossFit CrossFit is a branded fitness regimen that involves constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. The method was developed by Greg Glassman, who founded CrossFit with Lauren Jenai in 2000, with CrossFit its registered trad ...
exercise program.


Pageantry


Beginnings in Alabama and Miss New York

Hagan competed in the Miss Alabama's Outstanding Teen pageant from the ages of 13 to 17 and won the runner-up title once. In 2008 she made her only appearance in the
Miss Alabama The Miss Alabama competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Alabama in the annual Miss America Competition. Alabama has won three Miss America titles: Deidre Downs in 2005, Heather Whitestone (the first deaf ...
competition and won a non-finalist talent award and a scholarship, while studying at Auburn University, before she left her home for New York in the same year. In New York Hagan first participated in the Miss Brooklyn peagant in 2010, wishing to win scholarship money for her education, and to her own surprise won the competition. This was followed up by titles as Miss Manhattan 2011, Miss New York City 2012, as well as two first runner-up finishes in the
Miss New York The Miss New York scholarship competition selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss America scholarship competition. In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated the Miss New York organization's license ...
pageant in 2010 and 2011, before winning the title of Miss New York in 2012 and qualifying for the
Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...
pageant in her last eligible year at the age of 24. She received a $10,000 scholarship for her win. During her reign as Miss New York 2012, her platform was child sexual abuse awareness and prevention. Her contest bio stated that "Hagan has chosen to honor the women in her family who have been victims of sexual abuse by sharing their personal stories and encouraging others to take a stand." According to statements made during an
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
interview, her mother, Mandy Moore, convinced her to tackle child sexual abuse since it had affected her mother, aunt, grandmother, and cousins. Hagan has stated that she has experienced the ripple effects of child sexual abuse.


2013 Miss America pageant

Hagan's introductory quip to the Miss America 2013 audience on January 12, 2013 in
Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
at the beginning of the on-air broadcast was " Sandy may have swept away our shores but never our spirit." During the competition, she performed a
tap dance Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...
routine to
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
's "
Get Up Offa That Thing "Get Up Offa That Thing" is a song written and performed by James Brown. It was released in 1976 as a two-part single (the B-side, titled "Release the Pressure", is a continuation of the same song). It reached #4 on the R&B chart, briefly returnin ...
" while wearing a two-piece outfit. Other elements of her winning wardrobe included a black
string bikini The bikini has spawned many stylistic variations. A regular bikini is a two-piece swimsuit that together covers the wearer's crotch, buttocks, and breasts. Some bikini designs cover larger portions of the wearer's body while other designs provid ...
and an asymmetric white evening
gown A gown, from the Saxon word, ''gunna'', is a usually loose outer garment from knee-to-full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the Early Middle Ages to the 17th century, and continuing today in certain professions; later, the term ''gown ...
by Juan Carloa Pinera. She was crowned
Miss America 2013 Miss America 2013, the 86th Miss America pageant, was held at the PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 12, 2013. Results Placements * - America's Choice ** - Saved b ...
by outgoing
Miss America 2012 Miss America 2012, the 85th Miss America pageant, was held at the Theatre for the Performing Arts of Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday, January 14, 2012. Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlan fro ...
,
Laura Kaeppeler Laura Marie Kaeppeler (born March 2, 1988) is an American beauty pageant titleholder crowned Miss America 2012 on January 14, 2012, representing the state of Miss Wisconsin, Wisconsin. Kaeppeler was the first woman representing Wisconsin to win M ...
, beating out first runner-up,
Miss South Carolina The Miss South Carolina competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of South Carolina in the Miss America pageant. The pageant was first held in Myrtle Beach and moved to Greenville starting in 1958 and remained in ...
2012,
Ali Rogers Ali Rogers Fauntleroy (born October 29, 1991) is an American beauty pageant titleholder from Laurens, South Carolina who was named Miss South Carolina 2012. Biography She won the title of Miss South Carolina on July 14, 2012, when she received he ...
. Along with the title of Miss America, Hagan also won a $50,000 scholarship. Hagan was the fourth Miss New York, second
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
resident, and first
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
resident to serve as Miss America. Due to the decision to move the pageant back to
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
, her reign was cut short by four months and ended on September 15, 2013. As Miss America Hagan promoted awareness of child sexual abuse, and in her first 24 hours, she was in communication with
United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on ...
,
Arne Duncan Arne Starkey Duncan (born November 6, 1964) is an American educator who served as United States Secretary of Education from 2009 to 2015 and as Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Schools from 2001 to 2008. A lifelong resident of Chicago, Du ...
. Her first initiative as Miss America was to become spokesperson for the IHOP's 8th Annual National Pancake Day Celebration in which they hoped to raise $3 Million for the
Children's Miracle Network Hospitals Children's Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) (French: Réseau Enfants-Santé (RES)) is a nonprofit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. Donations support the health of 10 million children each ...
. As Miss America, Hagan claimed to travel per month. During her year, she lobbied with the National Children's Alliance to restore funding in the 2014 budget for Child Advocacy Centers across America, which she later said that she was "incredibly proud of". In addition, she worked with the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children,
Safe Horizon Safe Horizon, formerly the Victim Services Agency, is the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the United States, providing social services for victims of abuse and violent crime. Operating at 57 locations throughout the five boroug ...
, Stop it Now, and Prevent Child Abuse America, and also gave a response on the issue of
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians. Most countries have a restrictive firearm guiding policy, with on ...
in which she opposed fighting violence with violence. She was derided in the press for gaining weight a few months after becoming Miss America, leading to her becoming a proponent of body positivity.


Haskell controversy

In December 2017, the
Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
revealed that the pageant CEO Sam Haskell had sent a series of emails degrading former Miss Americas, including Hagan for her body weight. Hagan took to the media demanding Haskell and other members of the Miss America Board of Directors, including Tammy Haddad of Haddad Media and Miss America
Phyllis George Phyllis Ann George (June 25, 1949 – May 14, 2020) was an American businesswoman, actress, and sportscaster. In 1975, George was hired as a reporter and co-host of the CBS Sports pre-show ''The NFL Today'', becoming one of the first women ...
, resign. Hagan held a
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live stating "I am the storm" in reference to the leaders, such as Haskell, hoping that the "media storm" would blow over. She began a T-shirt line that now benefits the newly restructered Miss America Organization. In January 2018, Hagan created a
Change.org Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
petition to demand, alongside other former Miss Americas, the resignation of Haskell. The Miss America Organization ultimately named
Gretchen Carlson Gretchen Elizabeth Carlson (born June 21, 1966) is an American broadcast journalist, author, and television personality. Carlson appeared as the host of numerous television programs, most notably on the Saturday edition of ''The Early Show'' on ...
, a former news journalist and Miss America, the new Executive Chair of the Board of Directors along with appointing other former Miss Americas to the board, establishing a new leadership.


Career

When she moved to New York, Hagan first worked there for a few years, before using the scholarship money she had won since 2010 to enroll at the
Fashion Institute of Technology The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
(FIT), where she earned a degree in Advertising, Marketing and Communications.Miss America Mallory Hagan in D.C.: Making most of short tenure
/ref> After her reign as Miss America, she had shifted her interest from marketing to communication and television hosting and changed her major to communications. Following her graduation she moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
to pursue a television career. She later returned to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and started a personal branding business called "Define: Mind. Mission. Marketing." with Claire Buffie,
Miss New York The Miss New York scholarship competition selects the representative for the state of New York in the Miss America scholarship competition. In the fall of 2018, the Miss America Organization terminated the Miss New York organization's license ...
2010 to work as a marketing consultant. In August 2016, Hagan was hired as a reporter by WLTZ-TV, which is based in
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
, and reported from her home region East Alabama and the Columbus area. She was promoted to news anchor of the station's first evening news show ''WLTZ First News'' in April 2017 and worked in that position until February 2018, when she declared her congressional candidacy and moved back to her home town Opelika.


2018 congressional run

Hagan ran for Alabama's 3rd congressional district in the 2018 congressional election as a Democrat, after she had been asked to do so by her fellow citizens. Hagan was endorsed by the Alabama New South Alliance, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union,
End Citizens United End Citizens United (ECU) is a political action committee in the United States. The organization is working to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court 2010 decision in '' Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission'', which deregulated limits on indep ...
,
Lilly Ledbetter Lilly McDaniel Ledbetter (born April 14, 1938) is an American activist who was the plaintiff in the United States Supreme Court case '' Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.'' regarding employment discrimination. Two years after the Supreme C ...
, and received a "Gun Sense Candidate" distinction from
Moms Demand Action Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was created in 2013 when Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America joined force ...
. In the first quarter, Hagan raised over $100k for her congressional race. Her campaign was ultimately unsuccessful. She was defeated in the election by incumbent Mike Rogers. While Hagan had explained in a 2013 interview as Miss America that she could not imagine to ever go into politics, she now said after her candidacy that "running for office asthe thing he wasthe single most proud of".


Post election

After the 2018 election, Hagan did marketing and social media work for the Miss America organization. She also served as communications director for
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
's presidential campaign in Alabama during the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. In 2020, she moved to
Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
, Alabama and became a communications manager for the Business Outreach Center Network, working with small business owners from underserved communities like immigrants and women. Hagan is running for a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives against sitting House Speaker Mac McCutcheon in District 25 in the 2022 election.


References


External links

*
Vote for Miss New York 2012 Mallory HaganMallory Hagan crowning
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hagan, Mallory 1988 births Alabama Democrats American tap dancers Auburn University alumni Fashion Institute of Technology alumni Living people Miss America 2013 delegates Miss America winners Miss New York winners New York (state) Democrats People from Sunset Park, Brooklyn People from Opelika, Alabama People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn Candidates in the 2018 United States elections Beauty queen-politicians