Kim Seelbrede

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Kimberly "Kim" Seelbrede is a beauty queen from Ohio who held the title Miss USA 1981. Kimberly Seelbrede currently lives in New York City with her two sons and holds a graduate degree from New York University (NYU) School of Social Work and an undergraduate BA in Psychology. Kimberly is licensed to practice social work in the state of New York (LMSW) and is a psychotherapist in private practice in Manhattan. As a clinician, she has advanced training in pschodynamic and cognitive and behavioral therapies and utilizes an eclectic approach in her psychotherapy work with clients. As a yoga teacher trained in the Vinyasa Flow tradition, Kimberly's wellness practice draws on the ancient healing traditions of yoga, creating positive change in clients using a holistic and integrative philosophy. Kimberly enjoys giving back to the community through her volunteer work and as a meditation and Reiki practitioner.

Seelbrede, who hails from Germantown, Ohio (born in Greenville, Ohio) won the Miss Ohio USA pageant in late 1980. She represented her state at the nationally televised Miss USA pageant that was held in Biloxi, Mississippi in May 1981, where she became the second woman from Ohio to win the Miss USA title. She was twenty years old at the time, a college student studying psychology and communications. Kimberly was trained in ballet and modern dance and was a competitive gymnast and swimmer.

Seelbrede later competed at the Miss Universe pageant held in New York City in July 1981. This was the first time the pageant had been held in the United States for ten years: the pageant had been staged internationally for the previous decade after originally being held in the United States for the first twenty years of the pageant's existence. Seelbrede placed in the semi-finals at the pageant, which was won by Irene Saez of Venezuela. Her relatively low placement was somewhat unexpected, as she had placed second in the preliminary competition.

The host of the 1981 Miss Universe pageant, Bob Barker, has been criticised for his sarcastic manner during the interview round.^[1] It has been speculated that Seelbrede's failure to advance into the finals during the main competition was due to his sardonic questioning about the “exciting” places that she had visited since becoming Miss USA in May that year.^[2]

Seelbrede was the second Miss Ohio USA to win the national title, the first being Sue Ann Downey in 1965.