Brooklyn, New York: J’Lynn Howle, national director of Virtue International Pageants, crowned Staci Shands Ms. New York 2006. Ms. Shands will compete later this year for the national title of Ms. America International.
Ms. Shands is a book publicist. Her career goal is to continue to work in the publishing industry as an author and publisher of books for children and young adults. After working in the public relations industry for several years, Ms. Shands started her own firm, called Icats Publicity.
She attends church regularly at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York and spends her time volunteering and working with the homeless in her area. She is a member of the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a Christian based service sorority founded to highlight issues and provide solutions for problems in the community, promote academic excellence and offer support to the underserved. In addition Ms. Shands served in the United States Peace Corps as an agriculture volunteer in the Congo.
Ms. Shands enjoys collecting rare and new first edition hardcover books. She also takes pleasure in reading, practicing Tai Chi, going apple picking in the Fall and creating delicious organic vegan meals. As a classically trained dancer, Ms. Shands studied modern, tap, ballet, jazz and African dance for 12 years, and was the recipient of the Dorothy P. Stanley Modern Dance Scholarship.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Ms. Shands is a native New Yorker and resides in Brooklyn, New York.
The Ms. America International Pageant is designed especially to celebrate women ages 40 to 79 who are energetic, love life, liberty and freedom. To schedule appearances with Ms. New York or to get involved by reserving your title today, please feel free to contact the national director at 254-694-4006, Ms. New York directly at 718-259-2107 or log onto www.msamericainternationalonline.com.
