2026 Miss South Dakota Program

& Miss South Dakota’s Teen Jamee

Kattner

May 28 - 30, 2026

Miss South Dakota ‘25

$25

MissSD.org MissAmerica.org

2026edition

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��n�ging ��i�or Bailey Barger Design���o�ogr���� Mack Hopper Con�ri���ors American Heart Association Cassie Donegan Tess Ferm Officially HER Magazine is a print publication distributed to over 400+ specialty retail markets nationwide with a digital audience of 3.8 million+.

This Issue...

�o�e� Cassie Donegan Miss America 2026 Tess Ferm Miss America’s Teen 2026

Cover Design Mack Hopper

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Victoria Duke Beauty

his is an iconic moment.

Miss America is re-entering the conversation, or as we say ‘entering the chat’—redefined as a global empowerment platform for women.

Across borders, industries, and communities, the Miss America Opportunity now operates as a global sisterhood, while leading as a global ambassador for women’s achievement, visibility, and leadership in action. What’s unfolding is bigger than a program. It’s an opportunity, a movement with reach, velocity, and of significant consequence. Celebrating the iconic four points, now including the foundation of Sisterhood: Style, Service, Scholarship and Success.

Culture responds and embraces authentic style. Miss America style shows up where style, influence and iconic moments are created—New York Fashion Week, elite sporting arenas, red carpet moments, iconic philanthropic institutions—claiming space with confidence and authority.

These moments aren’t appearances; they’re proof points. Women who lead with purpose belong everywhere decisions are made and futures are shaped.

The Miss America service initiative steps onto the world stage this year as an ongoing Global Ambassador for the United Service Organizations (USO)—in addition to her role as a Global Ambassador for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Initiative, placing women at the center of global service initiatives, diplomacy, and influence and impact on women’s health initiatives. These partnerships do more than just amplify impact; it redefines who represents leadership on an international scale.

At the core, the scholarship mission scales. Education transforms into long-range power through scholarship pathways, including a new four-year program of study with Mississippi State University creating

leaders who don’t just succeed, but return to their communities equipped to elevate others.

Momentum accelerates through success, illustrated by new partnerships tied to the Daytona and Rolex racing tradition at Daytona International Speedway— aligning Miss America with success, excellence, performance, and global visibility. This is what happens when a women-led institution meets brands that understand legacy is built by those willing to move fast and think big.

As our great nation celebrates America’s 250th Anniversary, Miss America is a defining force of this era—celebrating progress, and honoring legacy, while launching the next wave of female empowerment and leadership. Global partnerships expand. New platforms emerge. The mission sharpens: empowering women to lead with purpose—everywhere leadership matters.

This is not a moment to simply applaud progress. This is your moment to join the movement, an invitation for you to step into your power through the local, state, national and global stages of the Miss America opportunity. Join us, either as a participant, volunteer, or in leadership of new local programs, state initiatives, or within the expansion of the national events. This moment marks the launching of the new Miss America Opportunity.

Seize the moment,

Robin Fleming Editor-in-Chief

Willow Newell (WI)

America’s Gold Star Families and Sharlene Wells Miss America 1985

It’s Miss America’s World Gala Honoring our partnership with the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women initiative with a Gala Evening of Dining, a “Show Us Your Shoes” Fashion Show featuring the State Delegates and a Special Tribute honoring America’s Gold Star Families.

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Kennedy Delap (ND)

Katie Wadman (DC)

Nicole Noonan & Steven Knobel

Tessa Dorrell (OK)

Heart of the Advocate Scholarship Winner Chloe Burke, AHA CEO Nancy Brown

Creativity Changes Lives

From the classroom to the boardroom early arts education builds leaders of tomorrow

As Miss America 2026, Cassie Donegan uses her national platform to champion arts education—advocating for creativity to be woven into learning from the earliest age.

Whether speaking in classrooms or on Capitol Hill, her message is clear: Early arts education changes lives.

For Cassie, the arts aren’t just a hobby— they’re a lifeline. At 12, music and performance carried her through her family’s financial hardship and ignited a mission to ensure every young person has access to the transformative power of the arts.

Today, she travels the country sharing that story and inspiring communities with her belief that from the classroom to the boardroom, the arts build the leaders of tomorrow—a truth reinforced by research showing that students engaged in the arts score higher academically, graduate at greater rates, and develop the creativity and confidence needed for lifelong success.

FAST FACTS: • National Ambassador for Go Red for Women • COO of Childcare Services Organization • Actor's Equity Association Member with Broadway ambitions • Dolly Parton Impressionist

Miss America 2026 Cassie Donegan

Miss America’s Teen 2026

Tess Ferm

Allergy Advocacy in Action FROM THE LUNCH ROOM TO THE LEGISLATURE, FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS SAVES LIVES.

When Tess Ferm was five, one cookie almost changed everything. It contained tree nuts, and she had a lifethreatening reaction. That scary moment sparked her mission: making sure no one else has to find out about food allergies the hard way. To turn her mission into action, Tess created From Fear to Freedom: Food Allergy Awareness.

Since then, she’s: • Reached more than 8,000 students through school assemblies • Helped secure official proclamations for Food Allergy Awareness Week • Served on FARE’s National Teen Advisory Group • Advocated for the FASTER Act, expanding food labeling protections for 1.5 million Americans • Partnered with nonprofits and brands to give families, teachers, and students life-saving tools As Miss America’s Teen, Tess is taking her work nationwide. She plans to: • Push for proclamations in more states • Team up with mission-driven organizations • Be a national voice for food allergy advocacy Her vision is simple: a world where kids, parents, and teachers feel confident making safe choices. Because food allergy awareness doesn’t just change lives—it saves them.

FAST FACTS: • Loves to sing “The Wizard and I” from Wicked • Spot-on Jennifer Coolidge impersonation from Legally Blonde • Go-to snack is a MadeGood Bar • Dance enthusiast— big fan of Dancing with the Stars

Taya

Ritterbush

Miss South Dakota’s Teen ‘25

Jamee

Kattner

Miss South Dakota ‘25