About Us

Meet the Director:
Luana Alapa

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Luana, a native Hawaiian, was born in Agana, Guam while her father was stationed at the military base and a year later returned home to Laie, Oahu to raise their three daughters, Laura, Luana and Lana Alapa. Luana a graduate of Kamehameha Schools, received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Hawaii-Manoa with emphasis in Sports Psychology. Prior to her college graduation, Luana won the homecoming queen title for the University of Hawaii. Two years later, her dream came true as she was crowned Miss Hawaii- America. Luana’s Miss Hawaii title took her to various places throughout the world meeting countless dignitaries as well hollywood celebrities and olympic athletes. A professional emcee, hula dancer, polynesian dancer, Luana has traveled the world performing and sharing Hawaii’s culture at various venues. She is currently a part time commercial model and Oahu director for Larson Talent Hawaii Model agency, as well as their head modeling instructor. A self motivator, Luana quickly exercised her entrepreneurial skills in various business ventures and later settled into the world of Nutraceuticals as an independent sales rep and recently received her state license to practice Health and Life Insurance.

Luana was recently elected by the State of Hawaii as a Trustee to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs(OHA), serving with eight other Trustees over seeing a Trust fund of over $700 million serving native Hawaiian beneficiaries.

Luana, together with her siblings, opened a retail store in 1991, and formed a production company: L.A. Productions Hawaii where for many years they produced fashion shows, entertainment shows and pageants. Luana was granted the state directorship for the Mrs. Hawaii America pageant and has been going strong ever since with 2 Mrs. America’s, 13 Top 5 finishes and 3 Top 10. 33 years later she is still excited to continue her passion of producing pageants for women including the Miss Hawaii American Teen, MS. Hawaii, and Little Miss Hawaii.

She is most proud of her own production: Two beautiful children. Kyla Hee, 26yrs old, is a professional influencer and graduate in media communications from University of Hawaii, 2015 Miss Hawaii Teen USA, and a professional model/actress. Her son Marcus Hee is 22 years old, a College graduate from Arizona State University degree in pre-law, a scholar-athlete in high school and is also a Model/actor for Larson Talent Hawaii.

Director's Message

I am extremely proud of serving as the Hawaii State Director for the past 28 years. The Mrs Hawaii America pageant, a preliminary to the Mrs. America, affords married women the opportunity to showcase their best self. It is a true joy to witness the before and after transformations of these women who stepped out of their comfort zone and joined our pageant Ohana.

With the support of your husband and family, participating in an exciting pageant will help you grow from within, make new friends, and do things you would otherwise never do in your lifetime. Make this your personal challenge and watch how much you will gain by simply getting involved in this Family oriented event.

Be your beautiful self that’s all you can possibly do.

Founders of Mrs. America

David & Elaine Marmel

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The heart of Mrs. America & Mrs. World

THE MAN BEHIND THE BRAND AND THE WOMAN BEHIND THE MAN

 

MRS AMERICA… The “Mrs. America Competition” rich in history, was first held in 1938 and continued until 1968. In 1977, after a nine year hiatus, it was revived by David Z. Marmel, after his successful career in professional athletics and independent television production. He was instrumental in setting the new direction for the pageant and transforming the pageant into the multifaceted event it is today

Mrs. America was the first and remains the foremost competition for the married woman in America. Now in it’s 42nd year it is considered to be the premiere pageant for married women and has epitomized excellence, professionalism and the celebration of family values, and is supported by an office and full time director in every state in America and the District of Columbia. The winner of the Mrs. America crown will have an exciting year ahead with boundless opportunities to raise awareness for special causes as well as represent the modern married woman. Our present-day pageant, while maintaining its traditions, now seeks to recognize what David calls, “America’s greatest natural resource – the contemporary married woman.” The winner of the Mrs. America Competition represents America in the international Mrs. World Pageant. Thanks to Mr. Marmel for his vision and is why we have a Mrs. America Competition today!

Mrs. America

Mekayla Fawn Eppers is a true “Michigana” girl: born and raised on the Michigan/Indiana state line. After graduating from Albion College in Michigan in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Mass Communication, she moved back home to Indiana to work as the Production director and Radio DJ. Mekayla’s love for serving community started as a contestant in the Miss America organization with a platform advocating against child abuse, as she herself is a survivor.

As a registered Native American, Mekayla shares how traditional teachings helped her overcome dysfunctional childhood. Her message gets shared all over the country through volunteering and motivational speaking. In 2015 she was awarded the Indiana Association of Resourcs and Child Advocacy Rescue(IARCA) Youth Voices Award for her work with Bashor Children’s Home. She hopes to grow The Feather Project into a non-profit organization that provides college scholarships for students who were in foster care.

Today she spends her time working as a real estate broker, fitness coach, promotional spokes model and writer. Mekayla and her husband Chris, are living life to the fullest by camping, hiking and competing in obstacle course races.

Mrs. World

The Concept for “Mrs. World” has its roots in one of the oldest and most respected of all competitions – “Mrs. America.” That extravaganza was reorganized by David Marmel featuring a more contemporary and glamorous approach. While beauty is the key element, contestants are also urged to voice their opinions about marriage and current events.

All married women – young wives, mothers and even grandmothers – are eligible to participate. By providing this unique forum, in which delegates from around the world can come together and share a common purpose. “Mrs. World” successfully fosters greater communication, friendship and mutual understanding among all people.

Over the years, “MRS. WORLD” has been produced in many fascinating locations around the world including: Queensland; Australia; Jerusalem; israel; San Jose; Costa RIca; Honolulu; Hawaii (4 years); Las Vegas, Nevada (3 years); 2005, Amby Valley, India near Bombay; 2006 in St. Petersburg, 2007 in Sochi Russia and 2008 in Kaliningrad, Russia, and the 2009 international broadcast of Mrs. World originated from Ba Rua Vung Tau Province, Vietnam. December 2011 the Mrs. World competition will be held in Orlando Florida. In 2013 the pageant was held in Guangzhou, China, 2014 in Solomons, Maryland, 2015 in Dongguan, China, 2016 in Incheon, South Korea and in 2017 it was held in Johannesburg, South Africa.