D Beauty’s 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas 2009
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The D Beauty editors sorted through hundreds of nominations and narrowed down the list to 20 finalists for the 10 Most Beautiful Women in Dallas. To learn more about each beauty, watch a short video clip. You you can vote once a day, every day, during the three-week voting period. The winners will appear in the winter 2009 issue of D Beauty. Vote now!!
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Wendy Cruz
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Age: 28
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| Occupation: News Anchor, Reporter for Univision 23 |
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Why She’s A Finalist: Why She’s a Finalist: Wendy moved to Dallas from Costa Rica for an opportunity to become the anchor for Univision, and although she knew not a soul when she arrived a year and a half ago, she has settled right into the Dallas scene. Now, instead of zip lining through the trees of the Costa Rican rain forest, she enjoys biking along the Katy Trail and trying out new restaurants. She volunteers her spare time to children’s reading programs, and each month she meets with groups of Hispanic students to talk about their successes and inspire them to continue their education to reach their goals. With an inspiring story of her own, she’s certainly a positive force.
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Shana Hamilton
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Age: 30
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| Occupation: Events manager, The Women’s Museum of Dallas |
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Why She’s A Finalist: When she isn’t coordinating weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other special events at the Women’s Museum, this entertaining lady volunteers her time to the Girls of Virtue. The nonprofit organization mentors young girls in life, love, and learning with the goal that they will have the education and encouragement to develop into women of virtue. She’s also the youngest member to serve on the board of directors for the Mill Renaissance Project, which aims at revitalizing a sector of South Dallas with an entertainment district. Makes sense. Shana also loves to sing and has even found a way to volunteer that talent to support her community.
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Neely Holand
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Age: 24
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| Occupation: Director of Marketing & Relationship Manager, American Trinity Group |
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Why She’s A Finalist: This bubbly beauty focuses much of her charitable energy on the American Cancer Society and its Starlight Gala. Last year, as the event’s director of publicity, the gala raised $45,000 for cancer research. This year, she’s moved on to become the food and drink chairwoman. Though self-admittedly a bit nervous about such a huge task, we’re certain she’s got it under control. After all, when asked what she liked to do in Dallas, her reflexive response was "Eat!€VbCrLf In her spare time, this Red Raider enjoys Big 12 football and recently went sky diving over the Alps.
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Amanda Kirane
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Age: 26
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| Occupation: General Surgery Resident, UT Southwestern/Parkland Memorial Hospital |
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Why She’s A Finalist: Dr. Kirane is a soft-spoken, modest soul who has made a career out of helping others, as she daily serves the needs of underserved patients in Dallas. Her colleagues praise her compassion and kind heart. When she’s not balancing the rigors of the hospital with her volunteer projects-including participating in a medical mission to Juarez, Mexico, to set up primary care clinics around the outskirts of the city-she’s balancing her chi. This yogi keeps fit, both physically and mentally, with the practice.
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Gail Warrior-Lawrence
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Age: 40
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| Occupation: President and Owner of Warrior Group, Inc. |
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Why She’s A Finalist: You could call Gail lots of things-businesswoman, philanthropist, wife, mother. As the CEO of a successful construction company, she spends some days visiting sites in her jeans and hardhat. But as you can see, she cleans up good. Last year, she and her husband, Wayne, founded the Heart of a Warrior Charitable Foundation in honor of her parents, Melvin and Dorothy Warrior. The organization provides summer learning programs for underserved children. She also serves on many boards, including the Woman Business Enterprise National Council, the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and the African American Museum. She adores her son and is teaching him a valuable lesson she learned in life and business-you’ve got to work hard to play hard. She does both well.
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Allison Lehman
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Age: 32
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| Occupation: Public Relations & Special Events Planner |
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Why She’s A Finalist: "She is always doing something!€VbCrLf her friends say. And by something, they mean anything. It could be hanging out in the West Village or shopping at the farmers market or catching the new conductor at the symphony, but this is a woman on the go. For years she worked for the Autism Treatment Center; now, as she is striking out to start her own business as a liaison between nonprofits and the corporate world, she volunteers her time to the organization. She also volunteers with Equest, which provides therapeutic riding classes for those with physical, mental, and emotional disabilities. It’s a natural step for her. She’s been riding since the age of 5.
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Nanci Masso
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| Age: 51 |
| Occupation: Owner, Nanci Corporation and Nanci Realty |
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Why She’s A Finalist: No one can say this woman doesn’t like Texas. Even when she crossed the Red River to live in Tulsa for 20 years, she claimed to be a Dallas gal. That’s love. In 1986, after discovering one of her five children had a birth defect that would require multiple surgeries, she started her first business, a nutrition company, in order to keep her daughter healthy through the procedures. She also founded and ran a nonprofit camp in Colorado for both privileged children and those with special needs. Now that she’s back in Dallas, she’s picked up golf and spends free time practicing at the Top Golf Range when she’s not taking care of her young adopted son. What you might not have expected it that she’s a linguist, speaking three languages: "Spanish, English, and, most important, Texan.€VbCrLf That’s right, y’all.
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Allison Moran
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Age: 28
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| Occupation: Flight Attendant, Southwest Airlines |
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Why She’s A Finalist: She’s a busy bee, literally flying across the country on a weekly basis making the skies a bit more beautiful. But she’s always happy to get back to Big D, where she grew up (Lake Highlands, holla). If the Mavericks are playing, she’s watching. If not, you’ll find her studying for her real estate license or volunteering at Jonathan’s Place, an emergency shelter for children who have suffered abuse. There, she cares for the children in the infant ward.
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Nikki Ngo
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Age: 40
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| Occupation: Hairstylist and Founder of eyecandy Custom Eyebrow Stencils |
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Why She’s A Finalist: This pint-size firecracker is overflowing with energy and enthusiasm. Her family moved from Vietnam during the war to a refugee camp in Arkansas when she was a young child. They soon moved to Dallas to achieve the American dream, and with six successful siblings plus her own entrepreneurial spirit, they’ve done it. Recently, the hairstylist and beauty expert launched eyecandy, a custom eyebrow stencil business you might have heard about (check the fall issue of D Beauty). Although she’s lived in the states almost her entire life, she speaks Vietnamese to her parents out of respect, which has given her an interesting accent. She laughs, saying her husband notices the Vietnamese in her English, while her parents comment on the bit of "Texas€VbCrLf in her Vietnamese.
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Karen Noseff
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Age: 32
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| Occupation: Designer and CEO of Fortune Denim |
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Why She’s A Finalist: She’s just so cool. She designs her own jeans, which means, ladies, she always has the perfect pair. And she teaches a super-popular hip-hop class at 24 Hour Fitness (a D Beauty award winner). And she’s writing and co-producing her own dance record in her spare time. But aside from all that, she’s got a philanthropic heart. She’s sponsored children through World Vision for the past 14 years, and she’s even using her design prowess for good. She’s teamed up with designer Abi Ferrin to create a line of Fortune silk and jersey tops to complement her denim, the proceeds from which will go to the Nepal Project, an organization that provides food, shelter, and training to women and children who have been rescued from slavery and prostitution.
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Marie Reyes, R.N.
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Age: 38
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| Occupation: Owner of SkinSpaMed |
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Why She’s A Finalist: This skincare specialist was turned on to the industry in her early 20s, when she was working as an actress and a model. While others were basking in the sun, she was applying sunscreen (her No. 1 beauty tip) and studying up on the chemistry behind all kinds of beauty concoctions. Her interest turned to passion, and here she is today, with her own med-spa and a menu of services ranging from Botox to breast augmentation. She’s involved with Heroes for Children, a Texas nonprofit that provides financial and social assistance to families with children who are battling cancer, as well as the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Advocacy Awards.
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Capera Ryan
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Age: 33
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| Occupation: Vice President at Christie’s Auction House; Head of Christie’s, Dallas Fort Worth |
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Why She’s A Finalist: This woman is everywhere. All. The. Time. She’s chaired the Affair of the Art Ball for the Dallas Museum of Art, UT Southwestern’s Friends of Human Nutrition, and Planned Parenthood’s Cocktails for a Cause. This year, she’s heading up the live auction for the Cattle Baron’s Ball. Plus, she’s involved with the Junior League, the Trinity River Project Committee, and the Dallas Historical Society, for which she is planning a fundraiser at the Fairmont this fall. So, when she’s not filling her days at Christie’s or philanthropising (yup, made up a word just for her), she likes to travel. On her short list are Tibet and Burma.
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Donna Scoggins
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Age: 45
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| Occupation: Copy Writer, Neiman Marcus |
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Why She’s A Finalist: Donna found success in modeling as a teen and has enjoyed a long run in the industry, even if there’s no "super€VbCrLf in her title. In fact, it’s the absence of that word that instigated her current career as a writer. In the mid-90s, when supermodels were elevated to celebrity status, Scoggins wrote her first story about life as an average model and sent it to Cosmopolitan. They bought the piece, ran it in the next issue, and now she writes the Beauty Book for Neiman’s. (There are a few steps we may have missed, but you get the gist.) When she’s not writing or working out, she’s running around with her son.
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D’Andra Simmons
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Age: 39
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| Occupation: Creator and Founder of D’Andra Simmons Skin Care |
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Why She’s A Finalist: If you had seen her resume, you would have chosen her too. Her list of charitable affiliations is staggering (everything from Junior League involvement to the Genesis Women’s Shelter Alliance and Dallas Summer Musicals), and after speaking with her, it’s clear she’s passionate about each organization. D’Andra also has her own skincare line, Hard Night Good Morning, which promises a glowing complexion, and has written a book called Natural Guide to Healthy Living. Ah, beauty on the inside and out. Isn’t that what this competition’s all about?
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Christel Tappin
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Age: 35
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| Occupation: Principal for the Employee Relations APA, American Airlines |
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Why She’s A Finalist: Tappin is a Texas girl-born and raised in Houston, then school in Austin, and finally to Dallas for business. She’s an officer for the Greater Dallas Asian American Chamber of Commerce, and she was asked to co-chair the Technology Steering Committee for So SMAART, that’s Set on Science, Math, the Arts, Aviation, Reading, and Technology, which aims to inspire minority girls ages nine to 12 to do well in school. Plus, she does cute things like start her own Spanish club with a few of her friends to practice their language skills, and she claims to have found Dallas’ best queso at P.D. Johnson’s.
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Casey Thompson
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Age: 30
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Occupation: Chef and Consultant
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Why She’s A Finalist: We asked each of our 10 Most Beautiful finalists what they like to do in Dallas, and without fail, each one mentioned dining out. Talk about job security. Although Dallas’ beloved Top Chef finalist has left her post as the executive chef at Shinsei, she’s been keeping busy by doing some consulting for Central 214. Many of her charitable endeavors revolve around the kitchen, as you might imagine, and she’s happy to use her talents for such worthy causes as the March of Dimes and the Women of A&M, which raises money to help women attend the university. When she’s not traveling, Casey is finally getting to do what she never had time for when she was behind the line: dine out. A few of her Dallas faves are The Mercury, Charlie Palmer, and Teppo Yakitori & Sushi. Order up.
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Jeanette Vloitos
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Age: 37
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| Occupation: Partner, Gardere |
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Why She’s A Finalist: Jeanette is a triple threat: intelligent, athletic, and beautiful. The third one’s obvious, and the first one reveals itself in her work as an attorney. Here’s the scoop on No. 2. She’s a Dallas sports superfan, but she likes to play sports almost as much as she likes to watch them. You might find her boxing, running, or playing on her co-ed softball or football teams, or perhaps using her athletic prowess for charitable causes. As a member of the Gardere Gearheads, her firm’s cycling group, she rides in the MS 150 each year to raise money for multiple sclerosis. She’s also on the board of directors of the March of Dimes Dallas Division and contributes to several committees within the organization.
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Michele Wahlder
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Age: 44
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| Occupation: Life and Career Coach, Life Possibilities |
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Why She’s A Finalist: In her work, Michele helps others realize their gifts and talents so they can achieve their goals and add more meaning to their lives. In her life, she works to achieve the same thing. Having lost her mother to cancer and survived cancer herself, she actively supports the Susan G. Komen Foundation. But by no means does this define her. In fact, she finds the most pleasure in supporting the Buckner Children’s Home Birthday Program, a great cause that provides birthday presents to the children each month. As a child, her mother elevated her birthday to holiday status, making her feel like the most special person in the world for one day each year. She hopes to give the children a bit of that same feeling.
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Heather Wiese-Alexander
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Age: 33
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| Occupation: Owner of Bell’Invito Couture Stationery and Nest |
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Why She’s A Finalist: Dallas’ own paper doll, Heather began designing stationery several years ago but found that more conventional printing methods didn’t provide the aesthetic she was looking for. That’s when she discovered letterpress, and as luck would have it, her in-laws had some old machines stored away. Thus began Bell’Invito, a stationery studio known for its unique, handcrafted designs. She’s involved with Central Dallas Ministries, a nonprofit that serves the poor by providing food, housing, employment training, and other services. But another project close to her heart is Predisan, which provides mobile water treatment facilities to villages in Honduras. Although originally from Houston, she says "Dallas feels like home.€VbCrLf
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Joette White
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| Age: 41 |
| Occupation: President and Owner of Park Cities Pet Sitter, Inc. |
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Why She’s A Finalist: It’s clear Joette loves animals. She has created a successful business around the care of animals and continues that work through her involvement with local pet shelters and rescue groups by helping to raise funds and find good homes for lost, homeless, or abused animals. When she’s not channeling Dr. Dolittle, she’s spending time with her family and wrangling her 3-year-old son. With another on the way (due this January), she’s truly a wonder woman.
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