MISS WEST FLORIDA WORLD CLASS
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Sherry Jones : Founder and Executive Director
Sherry is the Founder and Executive Director of World Class Pageantry. Her pageantry experience spans almost forty years, beginning in 1982 when she took her first step into the pageant world as a contestant in a local preliminary. With her crown in hand, she headed to the Miss Florida Teen pageant. Sherry got a first-hand, front-row experience, which taught her the importance for role models to support and empower young woman. She realized a pageant director can be – and should be – a source of inspiration for her contestants.
Prior to founding World Class Pageantry, Sherry graduated from the University of West Florida and obtained her B.A. in Communications, minor in Behavioral Science. Sherry held various corporate roles with multi-million-dollar companies. Notably, she was responsible for the success of over 100 store locations throughout the East coast with over $1B combined average sales. Sherry attributes her success in the corporate world to her ability to connect, inspire, and develop the people she led. She witnessed, with great pride, the people she mentored and guided as they received promotions to operate their own regions or gained the confidence to launch their own businesses. Years of working in the beauty industry and climbing the corporate ladder ignited her passion and dream of owning a world class pageant.
Sherry holds dear to her heart helping others in need and works as a Communications and Public Relations Director for a non-profit writing grants and fundraising for One Hopeful Place, a shelter for the community homeless. She also serves on the board as Vice President for the nonprofit organization, Parkinson Strong in Santa Rosa Beach and is a certified volunteer Guardian Ad Litem in the First Judicial Circuit Court in Florida.
Sherry is mother to four children and four grandchildren. Her three daughters Jade, Sydney, and Krystle, also love the comradery that the pageant world has to offer. Jade’s pageant career started in 1998 and went on for many years during which time she earned numerous local, state, and national titles. Sydney’s pageant journey began at the age of three, and she won titles across Florida and Georgia. And Krystle, although not a competitor, enjoyed judging pageants with her mother and cheering on her younger sisters. Sherry and her daughters forged meaningful relationships with fellow pageant moms, contestants, and directors, including her business partner, Jula Ruhland.
World Class Pageantry’s goal is to instill the core values of leadership, integrity, poise, and community service. Sherry believes it to be nothing short of an honor to support young ladies’ growth in rising to their full potential. Her mantra is, “If you want a rewarding life, invest in the growth and future of women around you”. Sherry looks forward to empowering the next generation of pageant women.
jula ruhland : co-founder and pageant director
Jula is Co-Founder and Pageant Director of World Class Pageantry. This Thailand native started competing in several local pageants in an effort to build a resume for college.During her reigns she learned to appreciate having a platform to speak on current issues, make an impact for her local community and being a positive role model for young women. She appreciated pageants for being a stepping stone to obtaining her Master’s Degree in Business Administration at Chiang Rai Rajabhat University. She used her degree and moved up through the ranks at Siam Commercial Bank, a well-renowned bank in Thailand.
At the age of 26, Jula moved to the United States in pursuit of her goal of learning English as her second language. While studying English at Northwest Florida State College, she met her now-husband, Terrance Ruhland. Jula’s husband has served 22 years so far in the United States Air Force. Jula and her husband have 2 beautiful children, Tyler and Tylin, both of whom were introduced into the world of pageants at an early age. Tyler enjoys karate and competing in pageants. He won overall grand supreme in his first pageant.
Jula’s daughter, Tylin, entered her first pageant at the age of three and recently took the title of Toddler Miss Okaloosa County. She loved twirling in her beautiful dresses and feeling like she has older sisters while representing her title at events throughout the community.
Jula met her partner, Sherry, while their daughters served as sister queens on the same court. While listening to Sherry’s vision to create a world class pageant, Jula instantly knew she wanted to be a part of her vision. Primarily, to create a platform to raise a new generation of confident, strong woman through education, activism and outreach.
To Jula, pageants are more than a beauty contest: pageants can serve the community and the individual contestants. Jula looks forward to expanding the pageant network to her hometown in Thailand.