Artist and galley owner David Holtzman, right, unveils his annual Miss New Jersey portrait during a one-man show at the Milton and Betty Katz JCC on Aug. 25, 2018. Also pictured is Miss New Jersey Jaime Gialloreto and actor Armand Assante.
The Miss America Organization announced Wednesday, Dec. 26 that it has reinstated the Miss New Jersey Organization license for one year with board member, Ventnor artist and gallery owner David Holtzman as executive director.
Holtzman, who is on the executive board of the Miss New Jersey Scholarship Foundation, has been creating portraits of all the Miss New Jerseys since 2003.
The reinstatement comes following an appeal process conducted by the Miss America Organization.
The New Jersey organization’s license was yanked by national organization after New Jersey published a letter of no confidence in the new leadership in June. Several other state pageants became vocal against the new leadership at Miss America 2.0, including New York, Florida and others. The licenses were revoked for breach of contract, according to the national organization, and the local organization put on probation subject to a review process.
As part of the renewal, the New Jersey organization will be required to obtain new board members from across the state in an effort to draw broader participation, according to a release. It will also seek new corporate and organizational partners to further the organization’s mission of providing scholarships and service opportunities to women.
“The new operations proposal will give New Jersey an even stronger program for the young women who see the Miss America system as a path to education and service,” Holtzman said in a statement. He thanked the volunteers who provided “a strong foundation to build upon.”
Former longtime volunteer Sally Johnson was named President Emeritus.
“We appreciate the Miss New Jersey program’s participation in the appeal and review process,” said MAO board member Brenda Keith, who chaired the appeal process. “We feel confident the plans laid out by Mr. Holtzman’s team will work to make New Jersey an even stronger participant in the MAO system.”
The Miss New Jersey competition is held in June each year at the Ocean City Music Pier.
