ABOUT
KARI
More About Kari Volen
Kari Volen has been a prominent figure in pageantry for over 25 years, excelling as a competitor, director, choreographer, judge, producer, and coach. Her journey began as a contestant in systems like American Coed Pageants, Miss Teen USA, and the Miss America Organization. She was crowned Mrs. California America, placing Top 6 at Mrs. America, and later became the inaugural America's Most Beautiful Mrs. Most recently, she held the title of 2023-24 Royal International Ms. As a director and producer, Kari has successfully produced and directed pageants for a variety of pageant systems and has worked as a sponsor and approved coach for most major systems.
As the founder of Pageant Coaching & Designs Inc., she has coached thousands of contestants at local, state, national, and international levels. Her clients have captured prestigious titles across virtually every system.
Kari and Team PC&D have been recognized as a five-time recipient of The Pageant Planet's Best Coach Award and were nominated for Best Pageant Coach at the Global Beauty Awards. Her coaching philosophy goes beyond crowns and sashes, emphasizing personal growth and life skills. She combines her in-depth knowledge of pageantry with a background in sales and communication to help her clients excel on stage and in life.
Her holistic approach includes interview preparation, personal branding, non-verbal communication, platform development, and choreography. Known for her authentic and personal coaching style, she builds deep connections with her clients, empowering them to become their best selves both on the stage and in life.
Other Coaches
Ariel’s journey in pageantry began as a shy 7-year-old, stepping onto the stage with a heart full of passion but a fear of public speaking. Since then, Ariel has blossomed into an inspiration in the pageant world, earning multiple prestigious titles, including 2023-2024 National All-American Miss (NAM), International Role Model (RIM), multiple state titles, and national optional titles as well. Her accomplishments also include best overall international interview with IJM, and best state and national resume with NAM.
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Beyond pageantry, Ariel is an accomplished investment analyst and the creator of The Royally Chosen Podcast, where she invites guests to discuss overcoming adversity and transforming challenges into opportunities for success.
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Ariel is thrilled to coach and mentor the next generation of pageant competitors, guiding them to embrace their authentic selves and shine with confidence. With her wealth of experience and heartfelt dedication, Ariel is committed to empowering others to reach their fullest potential—on stage and beyond!
Ariel Gavriliuc
Kate Platten
PC&D welcomes Kate Platten to the team! With over ten years of experience in the pageant circuit, Kate has held local, state, and international titles. Most notably, Kate was crowned the Royal International Miss Teen Role Model in 2020. During her year of service, Kate advocated for those living with low vision through Service for Sight, Delta Gamma’s foundation.
After graduating from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Business Administration and a minor in Criminology, Law, and Society, Kate worked at HCLTech in the fintech space before joining Delta Gamma national staff as a Collegiate Development Consultant. Since August, Kate has traveled nearly 50,000 miles supporting thousands of collegiate women in their professional development and leadership abilities. She has a passion for unlocking young women’s potential and motivating them to be the best version of themselves.
In her free time, Kate enjoys cooking, traveling to new places, and singing opera. She has been a student of PC&D for years and is ecstatic to be joining the team that has supported her pageant journey.
Jenai Wilcox has been involved in pageantry for over 8 years as a top level competitor and coach and has over 9 years experience as a sought after dance teacher, choreographer and mentor. She has extensive experience in a variety of pageant systems including Royal International Miss, National American Miss, International Junior Miss, and America's Most Beautiful Miss. In 2019, she was crowned the Royal International Miss after winning 8 International Optional Titles.
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Jenai specializes in talent and modeling preparation. A teacher of ballet, pointe, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, and hip hop at dance studios across California, her goal is to make learning fun and enjoyable, while helping her students improve their skills in pageantry, dance and life.
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Jenai has won over 35 scholarships and awards in styles such as Ballet, Jazz, and Tap. At the West Coast Dance Explosion National Finals, Jenai competed in the Elite Dancer Competition and placed 1st Runner Up in the Senior Division in 2017. Jenai was also part of the West Coast Dance Explosion's Fuzion Dance Company for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.
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Jenai started up her own business in 2020 called Jenai's Jewels where she designs, creates, and sells her own handmade jewelry. She also has served as a Brand Ambassador and Model for companies including Covet Dance, Metronome Dancewear, Orange Blossom Belle, Noell Store, Marc Defang, and Crowning Around. She has been featured in Pageantry Magazine, Top Model Magazine, Dance Spirit, and on Target.com. We are so excited to have Jenai as part of our PC&D Coaching Staff!
Jenai Wilcox
