Today we’d like to introduce you to Anissa King.
Anissa, can you briefly tell us what inspired you to start the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition and the impact it has on businesswomen?
Growing up, I noticed that women in corporate leadership positions and female founders were underrepresented. Subsequent to my early childhood years, I also developed a passion for pageantry, as it helped boost my self-confidence as a young girl. I combined my passion of women’s empowerment and pageantry and created the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition (MCA) under the leadership of the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Organization.
The MCA Competition empowers professional women and gives businesswomen a platform for their voices to be heard on a national stage. The competition allows little girls to see the impact that they could make in the world if they keep pursuing their dreams; and it provides hope to college students who may not have a focused career path but are determined to excel at whatever they put their minds to.
I pride myself in producing a competition that has substance and is not based on superficial characteristics. I want the world to know that women in corporate positions and female founders have come a long way; and because of our strength, tenacity, and determination, we will continue to THRIVE because we will forever embrace the queen within.
This MCA Competition provides a platform that recognizes and honors the professional achievements and community service contributions of dynamic women in the Americas (North, South, or Central America). Whether a corporate professional or female founder, the MCA Competition is committed to putting the spotlight on remarkable businesswomen! It is the only competition system where business AND beauty take center stage.
In contrast to the Miss America and Miss Universe Competition, the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition redefines the essence of real beauty and provides a national platform for women to share their internal elegance, confidence, drive, and commitment to their career, family, and community. We will also be providing a business grant, career or business coaching, and an official MCA crown ring as part of the queen prize package for the 2021 competition.
The MCA Competition allows remarkable businesswomen to OWN their story and share their purpose-filled vision with other women. It also allows contestants to:
-Gain speaking appearances throughout the U.S. and abroad
-Become a part of a sisterhood of empowered women who empower other women
-Support women’s movements across the globe
-Obtain national media exposure
-Receive training to enhance personal and professional goals
-Acquire motivation to achieve health and wellness goals
-Experience a life-changing competition weekend
The MCA Competition is an equal opportunity system. There are no set rules on height, weight, or “look.” Our mission is to change the way that the world views “true beauty.” The main areas of competition are private panel interview, on-stage question, athletic wear, and formal wear.
There is no talent category as climbing the corporate ladder or building your own entrepreneurial empire is a talent within itself. We also have an athletic wear category instead of a swimsuit category because physical fitness and self-care are important elements in ensuring that women are healthy and whole.
Is the MCA Competition just a glamorous competition for women in business?
No. The MCA event is more than a “competition.” It is a movement! The contestant who captures the crown becomes the voice of professional women across America. Essentially, she becomes a queen, change agent, and role model.
However, the job of Ms./Mrs. Corporate America is not only glitz and glamour. Our queens work! As part of a queen’s reign, she is required to partner with a charity close to her heart in order to serve her community.
Real beauty is about resilience: These are women who have been through something and come out on the other side with an idiosyncratic scar or a hard-earned wrinkle like the first lines of a powerful story. MCA highlights a contestant’s real beauty.
You do not have to sport a two-piece bikini in the MCA Competition to be recognized but you do have to be business savvy.
What makes MCA a lot different from other “beauty competitions”?
The MCA Competition’s target contestant encompasses a certain niche. Not any woman can participate, which makes our marketing strategy more complex than other competitions that are open to all women regardless of their professional background.
The MCA Competition is the only pageantry platform that focuses on a woman’s career accomplishments, community service initiatives, and the combination of inner and outer beauty. Within the MCA Competition, it is not about wearing glass slippers; it is about breaking glass ceilings.
Participants are women who are corporate executives, business owners, and community leaders between the ages of 21 and 65 who live in North, South, or Central America.
MCA has a full complement of services to offer women who are seeking to improve their opportunity to meet or exceed their professional goals, including networking, brand building, PR/marketing resources, coaching, leadership training, business development, and international exposure.
Anissa King is the force behind the drive to change the way America sees women in the workplace. In producing the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition, Ms. King strives to emphasize character, integrity, and business acumen without compromising the natural beauty of women.
In addition to empowering businesswomen, MCA provides a platform for women to strengthen leadership skills, enhance self-confidence, and promote themselves to accomplish personal and professional goals. The MCA environment is a great way to network and establish friendships with other professional women.
The Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition also hosts the Ms. Mompreneur Online Competition geared towards moms who mean business. There is no on-stage competition. The Mompreneur award honors female business owners living in North, South, or Central America who are actively balancing the role of mom and entrepreneur as a stay-at-home-mom who runs a business or a mom who manages her own business outside of the home. The winner for the Ms. Mompreneur Online Competition will be announced on May 10, 2021, and the official Mompreneur crowning will take place during the MCA Competition on June 12, 2021, in Orlando, Florida.
Please tell us about the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Organization.
The MCA Competition introduces a world where business and beauty come together to celebrate fast-forward females making their mark in the workplace as corporate professionals or female founders.
MCA is geared towards celebrating women who contribute to and stay committed towards their communities, families, and careers. The goal is to provide a platform that allows the voices of hard-working women to be heard across the globe.
The MCA Competition’s most popular hashtag is #BeyondBeauty, and our mission is to put the spotlight on beautiful, confident, driven businesswomen.
MCA is currently accepting applications for our 13th Annual Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition and Ms. Mompreneur Online Competition. The MCA Competition will take place June 10-12, 2021, in Orlando, Florida. To claim the crown, submit your application via www.MsCorporateAmerica.com.
The application deadline for the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition and Ms. Mompreneur Online Competition is April 10, 2021. An application extension may be provided due to COVID-19. Check website for updates.
Want to put your company in the spotlight and support women’s empowerment? Looking to invest in a reputable organization and help propel the MCA Competition forward? Partner with MCA and become a supporter of our nationally-recognized annual competition. Serious inquiries e-mail info@mscorporateamerica.com.
What characteristics or qualities do you feel are essential to success?
- Resilience: Even if you get knocked down at the first hurdle, you should always keep going. In life, you will face obstacles and things that might hinder your success. However, having resilience can really help you to quickly bounce back from these things.
- Drive: Having the drive and determination to work harder, keep going, and try new things is an excellent trait to have when it comes to being successful. Without drive, you are not going to be as passionate about what you are trying to achieve. Therefore, you are more likely not to achieve it.
- Courage: A lot of times, most people do not achieve success because of fear. Many people have a fear of failing and this is what can stop them from achieving. Some of the most successful people will say that failing is key to succeeding and that you need to make mistakes. Having this mindset is a quality required for success. If you have courage, you can stop being so fearful of failing and instead, focus on what you can achieve. If you can look at mistakes and failures as lessons to learn from, this can also encourage you to keep going and not give up. Courage will help you to develop the right mindset when it comes to reaching your goals, and you won’t be afraid to try even after you make a mistake.
- Integrity: Integrity is an important trait to have. When you are honest, people will believe in you, they will help you, and you can also take pride in knowing that you are honest with yourself and others. Not only is this just a good trait to have in general, but it will also help you to become more successful too!
Contact Info:
- Address: Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Organization
6000 Metrowest Blvd., Suite 200
Orlando, FL 32835 - Website: www.MsCorporateAmerica.com
- Phone: 855.MCA.CROWN (855.622.2769)
- Email: info@mscorporateamerica.com
- Instagram: @mcacompetition
- Facebook: @mcacompetition
About Anissa King:
King has helped thousands of women pursue greatness and make their mark in the world as the Founder and President of the Ms./Mrs. Corporate America Competition. Founded in 2007, the MCA Competition recognizes the professional achievements, leadership success, and community service initiatives of female founders and women in corporate America. Winners and contestants have been featured in various national media outlets such as Huffington Post, Essence, and Inc. Magazine.
With over 15 years of corporate and non-profit management experience in the areas of Public Relations, Marketing, Healthcare Management, and Education, King is no stranger to the corporate world. Her most recent non-profit experience led her to create The Pay It Forward Project, Inc., a resource and advocacy organization for homeless individuals who have been marginalized in society.
King received a Bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal and Organizational Communications from The University of South Florida, a Master’s degree in Management & Leadership from Webster University, and she is a PhD Candidate studying Leadership from Liberty University.
Currently, King serves as a Board Member of PACE Center for Girls – Orange, an organization established to provide girls in Central Florida with an opportunity for a better future. She is also a Hospice volunteer, Big Sister (Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Florida), Give Kids the World volunteer, and Program Mentor for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida.
Image Credit:
Nativ Lens www.nativlens.com
Suggest a story: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
