Music Industry’s Heather Kinder And Kassie Perkins Gear Up For Mrs. And Miss America Competitions

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Miss. Tennessee Kassie Perkins and Mrs. Tennessee Heather Kinder. Photo: Jodie Kelly

Music Row industry members Heather Kinder and Kassie Perkins have earned their place in the entertainment industry over many years. Kinder has worked at Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group as Senior Executive Assistant to Tri Star’s CEO/Owner, Lou Taylor, since 2012; and Perkins works for Kris Wiatr at Wiatr & Associates.

But on top of their professional titles, Kinder and Perkins have each earned another title: Mrs. and Miss Tennessee. The two will compete in Las Vegas for Mrs. and Miss America in August.

“I competed in pageants growing up, moved to Nashville, got married and gave up the pageant life and then I decided this year to do Mrs. Tennessee,” said Kinder. “I just think it’s so interesting that in all of the women in the state of Tennessee that entered, both of us won and not only do we both work in the entertainment industry, but we both work for business management firms.”

Perkins added, “I participated in my first pageant during my freshman year of college. I now work for Wiatr and Associates, and transitioned from public accounting to business management in January of this year. I love helping my clients reach their financial goals which translates into them reaching their personal goals and creating fantastic music! Miss Tennessee for America was my first pageant after my three-year break and I was fortunate enough to win.”

Miss. Tennessee Kassie Perkins and Mrs. Tennessee Heather Kinder. Photo: Demarcus Bowser

Since crowned in March, Kinder and Perkins have been volunteering with the following organizations: Habitat for Humanity, Baby Steps, Imagination Library, Kinder’s Kids Foundation, Rock n Roll Marathon Series, Julia Green Elementary School, Safe Haven, Walk Bike Nashville, Love the Way You Lyme. Kinder and her musician husband, Ryan, also have their own foundation called Kinder’s Kids that provides—through music and the arts—a toy for as many children as possible affected by natural disasters.

“I feel that my work, both in the entertainment industry and in pageantry, have the same common thread of service,” Perkins said. “I love to see others grow and I love being a part of their success. I’m very fortunate that I get to do that in both of my jobs.”

“I think it’s important to represent the business-women in the entertainment industry,” Kinder said. “I think that the business-women in the industry are the driving force behind what’s happening in the industry. So having the opportunity to go to nationals and really ride that out as ‘Here’s what I do, I’m in the entertainment industry, I work for a female,’ that is making such a difference. It is a good opportunity to show that females are making a difference and that we can also have our own things going on at the same time. I’m pursuing this dream of mine and my boss is so supportive of it and I think that’s because she is a female. She wants me to have my own ambitions and goals and dreams.”

Kinder and Perkins didn’t know each other before the Mrs and Miss Tennessee for America pageant, but were fast friends once they learned how much they had in common.

“It’s been amazing because we have similar schedules, we have similar demands, we have similar expectations in our jobs so it’s been really good to be able to help each other through this time of balancing our schedule, balancing our work loads, supporting each other because we both understand what the other is going through on all sides of it,” Kinder said.

Perkins and Kinder will have a Mrs. Tennessee and Miss Tennessee for America Send Off Party on Sun, July 21 at Layman Drug Company in Nashville. Portions of the proceeds will go to Victoria’s Voice Foundation. Click here for tickets.

LB Cantrell
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