Ashley Halfman

Ashley Halfman
Beauty pageant titleholder
Born June 14, 1975
Education Birmingham–Southern College
University of Georgia School of Law
Title(s) Miss Alabama Music Hall of Fame 1996
Miss Cullman Area 1998
Miss Alabama 1998[1]
Major
competition(s)		 Miss America 1999

Ashley Ann Halfman is an American attorney and beauty pageant titleholder from Birmingham, Alabama, who was named Miss Alabama 1998. In August 2013, Halfman was made a partner in the Miller & Martin law firm.

Early life and education

Halfman's father, Timothy, is a retired Secret Service agent and president of Security Engineers, Inc.[2][3] Her mother, Jeanne, is a homemaker. She has one younger brother, Carter.[4] Halfman describes herself as an avid reader, especially of science fiction novels.[2]

Halfman is a graduate of Vestavia Hills High School in Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama.[4] She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Birmingham–Southern College, graduating cum laude in 1997.[4][5][6]

Pageant career

Halfman was chosen first as Jefferson County's then Alabama's Junior Miss for 1993.[7][8][9][10] She placed sixth at that year's national competition and won a $1,000 scholarship.[11]

Halfman was crowned Miss Alabama Music Hall of Fame in July 1995 and competed in the 1996 Miss Alabama pageant.[12] She placed third in the state competition.[13]

In her fourth attempt at the Miss Alabama title, Halfman entered the 1998 Miss Alabama pageant as Miss Cullman Area 1998.[14][15] She participated in the traditional "Show Us Your Shoes" parade and other pageant festivities.[16] Her preliminary competition talent for Miss Alabama was performing ballet en pointe to the song "Everybody Says Don't" from the Stephen Sondheim musical Anyone Can Whistle. Halfman won the competition on Saturday, June 20, 1998, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Alabama titleholder Beth Stomps.[14]

As Miss Alabama, Halfman's activities included public appearances across the state of Alabama. In August 1998, She was commended by the Alabama State Department of Education for her years of service establishing mentoring programs in Alabama's schools.[17]

Halfman was Alabama's representative at the Miss America 1999 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[15][18] Her competition talent was performing ballet en pointe.[4] Her platform, "Keeping America's Promise", focused on youth mentoring.[17][19] She was not one of the finalists for the title.[1] Her reign as Miss Alabama continued until Julie Smith was crowned on June 19, 1999.[20]

Law career

Halfman earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Georgia School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2002.[21][22] Halfman is a member of the Alabama State Bar, State Bar of Georgia, and the District of Columbia Bar.[21]

For five years, Halfman worked in the mergers and acquisitions and capital markets groups of Jones Day, working in the law firm's Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., offices.[21] In 2007, she relocated to Atlanta full-time to practice with the law firm of Hartman, Simon, Spielman & Wood.[23] She then joined the Miller & Martin law firm in their Atlanta offices.[22] Halfman was elevated to partner at Miller & Martin in August 2013.[24]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Miss Alabama History". Miss Alabama. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "New Partners Class of 2013: Ashley A. Halfman". Daily Report (Atlanta, GA). Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Corporate Officers". Security Engineers, Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Miss Alabama". Miss America. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Miss Chattahoochee Valley wins Miss Alabama pageant". TimesDaily (Florence, AL). Associated Press. June 20, 1999. p. 2B. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  6. ↑ "2008 Class Reunion Committees". 'Southern 34 (2) (Birmingham–Southern College: Office of Alumni Affairs). Fall 2008. p. 63. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Jefferson County contestant wins Young Woman of Year". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). Associated Press. January 24, 1993. p. 3B. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Contestant from Jefferson named Young Woman of Year". The Gadsden Times (Gadsden, AL). Associated Press. January 24, 1993. p. B2. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  9. ↑ Wesley, Miranda (June 26, 2014). "Area residents compete in Distinguished Young Women". Vestavia Voice (Vestavia Hills, AL). Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Past Representatives". Distinguished Young Women. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Georgia teen wins Junior Miss". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). Associated Press. June 27, 1993. p. 3B. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Out and About". TimesDaily (Florence, AL). July 18, 1996. p. 4D. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  13. ↑ Howard, Suzanne (July 12, 1996). "Halfman to crown newest Miss Music Hall of Fame". TimesDaily (Florence, AL). pp. 1C–2C. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Birmingham native named Miss Alabama". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). June 21, 1998. p. 1A. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Hargett finishes second to winner". TimesDaily (Florence, AL). Associated Press. June 18, 1998. p. 2B. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
  16. ↑ Moore, Tamika (September 6, 2013). "Miss Alabama Show Us Your Shoes Parade outfits over the years". The Birmingham News (Birmingham, AL). Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Adopted Resolution Commending Ashley Halfman, Miss Alabama 1998". Montgomery, AL: Alabama State Department of Education. August 13, 1998. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Relaxed rivals". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). Associated Press. September 10, 1998. p. 3B. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  19. ↑ Lee, Katherine (February 23, 1998). "Reach out and touch". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). p. 4B. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Miss Chattahoochee Valley is named Miss Alabama". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). Associated Press. June 20, 1999. p. 4B. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Ashley A. Halfman, Member". Atlanta, GA: Miller & Martin. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Ashley Halfman - People on the Move". Atlanta Business Chronicle (Atlanta, GA). January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Alabama's Distinguished Young Women Alumni Association". Distinguished Young Women. January 24, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Six Miller & Martin Attorneys Named Members". Atlanta, GA: Miller & Martin. August 15, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2014.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Beth Stomps		 Miss Alabama
1998 		Succeeded by
Julie Smith