Every year, the Miss South Carolina pageant aims to select judges from all backgrounds, specialties, and educations. This year's selection of judges is no different! Each carefully selected judge is a prominent and respected member of the community or his/her field of expertise.
Let's take a look at this year's panel.
 
Alicia Barnes joined the ABC Columbia family in May 2008. She serves as a Primary Anchor for WOLO-TV and co-anchors the evening news at ABC Columbia's downtown street-side studio on Main and Gervais, weekdays at 6 and 11 PM. She is a graduate of Clemson University where she pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and made Homecoming Court representing her sorority her senior year in Death Valley. Alicia has become an active member of the community and has a passion for the arts and finding a cure for breast cancer.

Entertainer and performer Dorothy Benham, also known as Miss America1977, is a classically trained lyric-coloratura soprano having performed in stage productions from Opera to Broadway. She was an original cast member of the Tony and Grammy Award-winning show, 'Jerome Robbins Broadway.' Dorothy has been a guest artist with Symphony Orchestras throughout the country, performed the title role of Sonia in the Connecticut Opera Company's production of 'The Merry Widow.' For many years she was a featured performer and co-host of the Miss America Pageant and was recently hired as a Guest Host with Shop NBC.


A current resident of Raleigh, North Carolina, David Clegg is known for his active participation and volunteerism in his community. He was the Executive Director of the Miss Brunswick County Pageant and later was the Scholarship Chairman of the Miss North Carolina Pageant. He is the President of the Miss North Carolina 75th Anniversary Celebration, highlighted by the opening of a retrospective exhibition about the pageant at the State Museum of History. He is the recipient of the North Carolina Governor's Award for Excellence in Public Service and the U.S. Unemployment Insurance Legal Award of Merit. David received a Master of Arts Degree in Theatre and Speech from the University of South Carolina, as well as a Juris Doctor Degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists.

Mark Hinson is Chief Human Resource Officer for Colorado's fifth-largest school district. Mark is on the Board of Directors for The Boettcher Teacher Program that prepares quality teachers for high need urban schools. He also serves on the Board of Directors for a Denver Metro area credit union. Mark received a Bachelor's Degree in Organizational Communication and his Masters of Education in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Central Florida. Mark served as Executive Director for the 1992 Miss Winter Park Pageant. Mark has personally attended the Miss America Pageant consecutively for the past 23 years.

Currently the Vice President at Pratt Community College in Kansas, Lisa Perez Miller received her Master of Education Degree from Wichita State University and her Bachelor's Degree from Kansas State University. Actively involved in the Miss America system for the past 26 years, Lisa is currently the President of the Miss Kansas Board of Directors, where she served as the Executive Director until 2010. Lisa is a public speaker, consultant and seminar facilitator in the areas of communication, marketing, leadership, board development, and personal/professional development.

The Miss South Carolina Scholarship Pageant will be held at the Township Auditorium on Saturday, July 14, 2012, at 7:00 pm. For more information about the Miss South Carolina pageant, keep up with the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Organization on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Tickets for the Miss South Carolina Scholarship Pageant are available for purchase at the Township Auditorium box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Book a hotel room online at columbiacvb.com.