Chelsea Killman Hensley is no stranger to the pageant world — but it’s not one she’d been a part of for some time. That changed this past weekend, when Hensley was crowned Mrs. United States of America.
“My mind was blown,” said Hensley, a 2012 graduate of Southwestern High School. “I could barely stand or walk for my crowning moment.” The event took place over the Independence Day holiday period, July 4-6, in San Antonio, Texas.
Hensley was crowned on Saturday night. In 2013, Hensley — then Chelsea Killman — won the Miss Teen Kentucky United States pageant as a freshman at the University of Kentucky, and got the opportunity to go on and compete in the national Miss Teen United States event, where she reached the top six. Four years earlier, she had advanced to the national level with the Miss Junior Teen United States pageant.
In 2019, Killman competed again, and claimed the title of Miss Florida Earth. She placed in the top 20 at the national level of that pageant. “I was fully focused on my family and my career,” said Hensley, now a general contractor with a company operating in three states.
“I didn’t think I would ever do another pageant until I heard about the United States of American pageant and what they stood for.” What Killman learned impressed her enough to throw her crown into the ring one more time. “Their motto is ‘Empower Women, Inspire Others, and Uplift Everyone,’” said Hensley, of the United States of America pageant orga.