Our Staff
Shanice Mckinley Reed,
Pageant Director
I am dedicated to changing the image of what people think of the inner city- youth through reaching my educational goals, and continuing to create opportunities for youth coming after me.
My mother as a single parent raised me, my little sister, and my two older brothers with the mindset to value education, and work hard for what we want. Although we did not have much growing up, she always encouraged us that if we work hard, we could have everything we ever wanted.
My mother, my sister, two older brothers and I moved in with my aunt and uncle to Compton California when I was twelve years old. Soon after that, I began my education in Compton Unified School District. I attended Roosevelt Middle School and Dominguez High School, and carried that mindset my mother instilled in me as a little girl and continued my education at California State San Bernardino. At Cal State, I received my BA in Business Administration with concentration in Marketing in Dec. 2007. In the year of 2008, I decided to continue my education at the University of Redlands to widen my opportunities of helping me reach my goals of becoming a living example to my community. I received my MBA year Dec. 2010.
After receiving my MBA, I was determined to come back to my community and make an impact in youth lives. Currently, I work for Farmers as an insurance agent and I am also the President of a non-profit organization named Filling the Lack Inc. who service inner-city youth. Our goal is to fill the things youth are lacking in inner-city communities. We currently have 2 programs active, which is the Brains and Beauty Etiquette classes target to JR. High School girls, and Reality Check. Our organization’s biggest goal is to one day open a youth center to teach youth like myself that were raised in the inner cities how to reach their goals through education and begin creating role models for my community. We also want to start encouraging our youth to go get educated and come back to our community to become living examples to the generations after them. I am also a fully license insurance agent; who works for Framers insurance as a Life Insurance, Auto, Workers Compensation, Business, and retirement plans.
Debra Dowell-Durant, Lead Pageant Coach
Debra M. Dowell-Durant is Pageant Director and Choreographer for the 2012 Miss Compton Pageant, the city’s premier stage for pageantry and the performing arts. Debra has the pleasure of training Compton’s rising stars on pageant techniques, stage production, modeling, dance, learning and development, and talent management.
She is an experienced choreographer and has directed multiple pageants, stage productions and fashion shows throughout California. Debra most recently served her community by directing and choreographing the Miss Los Angeles Christian Scholarship Program for Miss International (ages 18-28); Miss Los Angeles Teen (ages 13-17); Little Miss Princess (ages 9-12); Little Miss Pre-Princess (ages 6-8); and Little Miss Tot (ages 3-5).
A fashion model at seventeen, Debra has been honored with multiple awards and beauty pageant titles, including Miss City of Commerce, Miss Ebony Queen, Miss Elegant Teen, Miss Grand Talent and Miss Model of the Year. In addition to her current occupation as real estate agent, beauty/hair specialist and communications professional at a leading aerospace company, Debra previously was a popular children’s dance instructor for the City of Los Angeles’ Parks and Recreations for ballet, tap, jazz, and modern dance. She also founded her own company, Dowell Productions, to stay true to her passion of motivating and instilling confidence in young women to pursue careers in dance, modeling and the performing arts.
Debra started her dance career at the age of five under the direction of Be Be Carpenters School of Dance and Fine Arts in Los Angeles where she excelled in ballet, toe, tap, and modern jazz. A former student of the Emily Walker School of Modeling and Fabian Brown Modeling Agency, she looks forward to sharing her expertise with women who want to make a difference in their communities.
Steve Reed, Marketing Director
Steve is the marketing director for the Miss Compton Pageant. He is in charge of the social media, website, and graphic design for the Miss Compton Pageant. Steve worked at several interactive agencies and web development companies. He was born and raised in Compton, CA. An alumnus of Dominguez High School. Steve received his Bachelor of Science in Information and Computer Science from the University of California at Irvine.
Andrea Logan, Pageant Photographer
I now introduce to you Andrea Logan, our photographer sponsor and project manager
Greetings, my name is Andrea Logan I was born in July 15, 1984. My grandparents raised me in the city of Compton in a traditional old school household, which meant less television and a mass of housework. Growing up we couldn’t afford all the lavish toys ...and grant every child desire, so I embraced my McDonald happy meal toys and was grateful for a creative imaginations. Throughout the years I realize that you have to create what you wanted with what you had. I knew from a young age I wanted to have a career and enjoy a profession in something I would love to do and capturing memories with a camera is my favorite thing to do.
I didn't have much photos of me from when I was young so I invested in disposable cameras. Since I was 14 years old I’ve been taking pictures of myself, plants, animals, insect, and all my love one’s around me. In the summer me and my 11 nieces and nephews would get together a team to do hair, make-up and put on their parents clothes to get a fun photo shoot going. When I got to the point that I realized that this is something that I can do this everyday and all night because I loved to take pictures, I finally knew what I wanted my profession to be. I wanted to be a professional photographer.
In November 2010 my husband took me to get my first professional camera, a Canon Rebel T2i and I’ve been capturing clear memories and creating beautiful pictures that have changed my life and many others. My photos have been proof that photography is my talent and I’m looking forward in taking photography classes so that I can take my gift to a whole new level. I plan opening my own studio and perfecting my skills in wedding and fashion photography. Once I get my photos to the level of fine photography I want to open an art gallery in the city of Compton. In the meantime, I want to help aspiring models and performing artist get into top industry agencies with the photos we can create together.
If you need a photographer call Andrea Logan at 562-682-8349