Robertson named producer for 2020 Miss Mississippi

Published 3:52 pm Monday, October 14, 2019

By Terri Cowart Frazier

: Mary Margaret Hyer reacts to being named Miss Mississippi 2019 during final night of the 2019 Miss Mississippi Competition at the Vicksburg Convention Center in June. (Courtland Wells/The Vicksburg Post)

Changes are coming to the Miss Mississippi Competition.

Long-time music educator Nancy Robertson has been named as the competition’s new producer.

The Miss Mississippi Corporation’s board of directors made the announcement last week.

“I am honored and overwhelmed,” Robertson said.

Jaynie Fedell, who served as the producer for several years, retired from the organization earlier this month.

Currently, Robertson serves as the fine arts coordinator for the Vicksburg Warren County School District. She is the producer of the school district’s convocation, which is held in August, serves as the choral liaison of the Mississippi High School Activities Association and is the president of the Mississippi Music Educators Association.

Robertson said she will be assisted by Jennifer Tillotson, who also serves as the producer for the Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen Pageant.

The pair has more than 20 years of work experience together, Robertson said.

“I am excited to work with Jennifer,” Robertson said. “Working with her is like working with my best friend and my sister.”

Robertson said she and Tillotson have already begun work on the production.

“We spent hours on the couch the other night eating popcorn and looking at old Miss Mississippi tapes,” Robertson said.

She has also reached out to Ted Laney, who will serve as the choreographer for the 2020 production.

Laney is not new to the Miss Mississippi organization. He was a performer in the 90’s, Robertson said, when Mallory Graham was the choreographer.

In a press release from the board, it said, “we are excited to have this new team on board and look forward to the great production they will create that will highlight our current Miss Mississippi and all of the candidates who will be competing on stage next June.”

The 2020 Miss Mississippi Competition will be held June 24 through 27 at the Vicksburg Convention Center.

About Terri Cowart Frazier

Terri Frazier was born in Cleveland. Shortly afterward, the family moved to Vicksburg. She is a part-time reporter at The Vicksburg Post and is the editor of the Vicksburg Living Magazine, which has been awarded First Place by the Mississippi Press Association. She has also been the recipient of a First Place award in the MPA’s Better Newspaper Contest’s editorial division for the “Best Feature Story.”

Terri graduated from Warren Central High School and Mississippi State University where she received a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations.

Prior to coming to work at The Post a little more than 10 years ago, she did some freelancing at the Jackson Free Press. But for most of her life, she enjoyed being a full-time stay at home mom.

Terri is a member of the Crawford Street United Methodist Church. She is a lifetime member of the Vicksburg Junior Auxiliary and is a past member of the Sampler Antique Club and Town and Country Garden Club. She is married to Dr. Walter Frazier.

“From staying informed with local governmental issues to hearing the stories of its people, a hometown newspaper is vital to a community. I have felt privileged to be part of a dedicated team at The Post throughout my tenure and hope that with theirs and with local support, I will be able to continue to grow and hone in on my skills as I help share the stories in Vicksburg. When asked what I like most about my job, my answer is always ‘the people.’

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