Miss California 2025 Judges

Meet the judges who will be selecting Miss California and Miss California's Teen

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Elyzabeth Pham

Elyzabeth Pham is no stranger to the Miss America Pageant franchise. She credits the Miss America Organization for helping her earn thousands in scholarship to pay her college tuition by winning titles at Miss North Orange County America, Miss Beach Cities America, and Miss La Jolla America Pageants. She graduated from the University of California in San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts, then continued her Masters Degree at UCLA. 

Elyzabeth moved to the midwest and won State titles in other systems, was awarded Miss Photogenic, and made the Top 15 at the National contest.

She has had a lucrative career as a model & actor. Elyzabeth is featured in print campaigns for Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Bride & Mademoiselle magazines. She has graced the runways of New York, London and Milan fashion weeks for designers such as Calvin Klein, DKNY, Vera Wang and Burberry. Her commercial credits include spots in Taco Bell, Disney, Coppertone, & Samsung commercials. Elyzabeth is now the Agency Director of Pacific Models. She lives in Laguna Hills with her husband and two teen daughters. 

Tim Hire

Tim A. Hire grew up on the Central Coast of California and graduated from Arroyo Grande High School. After graduation he attended California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo where he played soccer and completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Technology. After a short stint playing professional soccer in England, Tim returned to Cal Poly SLO and earned his Master’s Degree in General Agriculture and Agriculture Teaching credential at the same time winning a National Championship title with the Central Coast Roadrunners soccer team.

Tim has dedicated his life to helping young people gain experiences and develop to their full potential throughout his 28-year career as a teacher, coach, and administrator. He currently serves as the Tulare County Superintendent of Schools and is responsible for supporting 43 school districts and over 100,000 students in the county. He is a passionate educator that consistently puts what is best for students at the center of his work.

When Tim is not working for the students and educators of Tulare County, he can be found enjoying the outdoors with his wife of 29 years, his two adult children, and his grandson. They enjoy camping, hunting, golf, and Tim still plays competitive soccer. Tim says that “This organization changes lives for the better and he is honored to be a Miss California judge.”

Charlie Vantramp

Charlie Curry Vantramp knows what it takes to compete successfully. She’s a former title holder in the Miss America organization and was 3rd runner up in Mrs. America. She coached both of her daughters, Natasha and Victoria, who became very successful in their systems. Word got out that Charlie had a knack for coaching, so she soon found herself in various leadership positions, including Executive Director for Miss Pierce County and Executive Director for Miss Washington.

Ms. Vantramp is a former dental hygienist, Seattle area TV host, college instructor. She is nationally certified by the Washington D.C. School of Protocol in Corporate Etiquette and co-owns a dental practice in Washington State with her husband, Raleigh. 

In her free time, Charlie enjoys mentoring married couples and young women, traveling the world, zip lining, jumping off tall buildings (with harness attached) and flying in twin engine planes. She’s served on various boards, including the Washington Scholarship Foundation and the Tacoma-Pierce County Chaplaincy Board, serving the first responders in Pierce County. Married for 50 years, Charlie and Raleigh are blessed with two adult daughters, their handsome husbands, six grandchildren and a California born “grandpug” named Otis. 

Kelsey Norris

Kelsey’s journey unfolded through a dual path: immersed in both a modeling career and her education at FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in Los Angeles. Her international modeling assignments led her to European fashion capitals like Milan, London, and Paris, where she found these cities became more than mere destinations; they became integral to her identity.

Kelsey’s international success led to an introduction to the founder of Albright Fashion Library, Irene Albright, where she quickly rose to become the company’s youngest ever showroom director. Since 2019, Kelsey’s work there has been a tour de force: leading Albright Fashion Library LA in a series of award winning projects, collaborating with world-renowned editors, celebrity stylists, costume & fashion designers, entertainment and media platforms.

During her time at Albright, Kelsey worked with clients including Vogue, The Gray Man (Netflix), Selling Sunset (Netflix), Birds of Prey (Warner Bros), Kylie Cosmetics, Chaka Khan for W Magazine, Megan Thee Stallion (AMAs), Megan Fox for Instyle, Serena Williams for Stuart Weizman, and Nick Knight (BMW).

Highlights span from 2021, when Kelsey was featured in the finale of Netflix’s hit show Selling Sunset, dressing Chrishell Stause and Mary Fitzgerald for the series finale. In 2022, Vogue Editor Dena Giannini invited Kelsey to assist on set for Beyoncé’s British Vogue cover shoot. By 2025, Kelsey is credited as lead stylist for Hunger Magazine, shot by legendary photographer Rankin, with fashion by design extraordinaire Lessja Verlingieri of Lever Couture. Kelsey is now based in Milan — the global heart of fashion and design — giving her unparalleled access to, and to draw inspiration from, the city that sets the standard for luxury, creativity and style.

Armi Abiera

Armi Arabe Abiera has worked in the performing arts and entertainment industries for the past 25 years. As an actor and vocalist, she has appeared in the West End production of The King and I as Tuptim. She also starred as Belle in Beauty and the Beast in Germany, and has appeared in numerous other professional musical theatre productions, including Miss Saigon and Mamma Mia! Armi has worked as a voice actor, appeared on-camera in over 20 national commercials, Television, short films, and web-series. She can be heard as Tuptim in Warner Bros. animated feature film The King and I, English Dub voice for various K-Dramas, BMW Holiday campaign, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. 

In addition to bringing her talents to the stage and film, Armi is passionate about sharing her love of the performing arts by helping developing artists hone their skills. Armi is the Founder and Artistic Director of Irvine Theatre Company, has directed and taught musical theatre, and offers private coaching in singing, acting, and voice-over. Armi’s students have gone on to work in TV/film, voice-over, and musical theatre. 

Adrian Young

Growing up in the entertainment industry with a mother who was a director, Adrian was surrounded by theatre from an early age. She began her journey as a child actress at the age of five and has since explored nearly every aspect of live entertainment, including television and film.

Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of managing and overseeing a wide variety of theatrical productions and events around the globe. Her work has included collaborations with renowned organizations such as Cirque du Soleil, Dragone Productions, the Sundance Theatre and Film Festival, Caesars Entertainment, Criss Angel, and numerous other corporate entertainment companies.

Guided by the mantra “anything is possible,” she has particularly cherished her roles as Production Supervisor, Artistic Director, and Technical Director for various national and international tours. These experiences have enabled her to demonstrate strong leadership in coordinating complex productions and managing global teams with deep respect for diverse cultures. Her passion for creativity and innovation—both in performance and problem-solving—continues to fuel her drive to push the boundaries of live entertainment. Above all, the most meaningful role in her life is being a mother to her two incredibly talented and beautiful children, Berkley and Sydney. They remain her greatest source of inspiration and love.