May 30, 2007
For Immediate Release
For more information: Cassidy Grimes, Public Relations Director
cassidy@ajm.org | (251) 438-3621

AMERICA’S JUNIOR MISS HIRES STAFF MEMBERS

The National Headquarters of America’s Junior Miss is pleased to announce that it has expanded its team to include Ms. Nicole Noto, who assumed the role of Field Director, and Mrs. Cassidy Lofton Grimes, who assumed the role of Public Relations Director.

As the Field Director for America's Junior Miss, Nicole will be responsible for assisting local and state Junior Miss programs throughout the country and managing programs who are without a chairperson. She is a native of Birmingham, AL and a graduate of Auburn University, where she was on the Tiger Paws Dance Team. Nicole has been employed with Auburn University, and was most recently employed in Biloxi, Mississippi as the Regional Director for the Gulf Coast Division of the American Heart Association.

In her role as Public Relations Director, Cassidy will be responsible for managing all of the communications and marketing for the America's Junior Miss Program and for Junior Miss programs across the country. She is a native of Excel, Alabama, and received a Bachelors of Science in Communication from the University of Mobile and a Masters of Post Secondary Education from Troy University. In 2003, Cassidy served as an intern for America’s Junior Miss and served on the Public Relations Committee for Nationals. Cassidy was most recently employed at the Mobile Public Library as the Development Specialist.

America’s Junior Miss (AJM) is the nation’s oldest and largest scholarship program for college-bound high school seniors. The program, headquartered in Mobile, Alabama, began in 1958, and since then, AJM has awarded more than $87.7 million in college scholarships to over 700,000 young women from all over the country. AJM is proud to have the assistance of more than 17,000 volunteers throughout the United States, who help to make the Junior Miss program successful at the local and state levels.

America’s Junior Miss celebrated its 50th Annual National Finals June 28-30, 2007, in Mobile, Alabama. The program was broadcasted live on WPMI-TV 15's Web site, www.nbc15online.com and is still available for viewing. Major sponsors for 2007 are the City of Mobile, Mobile County, and the Mitchell Company. Category sponsors are Alabama Power, Encore Rehabilitation, Mobile Gas, Regions Bank, and Wintzell’s Oyster House.

For more information about America’s Junior Miss, please visit www.ajm.org, or contact Cassidy Grimes, Public Relations Director, at 800-256-5435 or cassidy@ajm.org.

-AJM-