Lily K. Donaldson

Lily K. Donaldson (born 1999) is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss United States 2022. She was the first Miss United States to visit all 50 states during her reign. Donaldson was crowned Miss United States 2022 in her hometown Memphis, Tennessee on October 16, 2022.

Early life and education Donaldson was born in Indianapolis, Indiana and grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. She has a twin sister. Newburgh Elementary School in Newburgh, Indiana, Bon Lin Middle School in Bartlett, Tennessee, and Bolton High School. Donaldson participated in student theatre while growing up. She participated in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.

As of 2023, Donaldson is a Ph.D. candidate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute studying controlled environment agriculture within a School of Architecture built ecologies program. While at American University, she worked in vision scientist Arthur Shapiro's lab. Art Technically provides disadvantaged K-12 students with free STEM and Arts workshops, free STEM and STEAM books, STEM and Arts themed toy donations including teddy bears in scientist costumes, or "Science Bears", and a program called Love Letters, where students learn to code Valentine's Day cards for Meals on Wheels programs.

Miss United States 2022, Lily K. Donaldson, sits in a NASA helicopter during a tour of Kennedy Space Center to promote STEM education. In 2022, Donaldson wrote an article about her work with Art Technically for the United States Department of Education. In 2024, Donaldson gave a keynote on the importance of STEM education at the AI Expo for National Competitiveness in Washington, DC. and on a capstone project with the United States Department of Energy. While at GISS, Donaldson led an ISS downlink with NASA where students at Brighton Elementary School in Tipton County, Tennessee asked questions to astronauts aboard the International Space Station, and hosted an astrobotany workshop for students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Black Families Technology Awareness Day.

Pageantry Donaldson has held the titles of Miss Memphis US 2021, Miss Tennessee US 2021, and Miss Franklin County 2022 (Tennessee). She performed Irish dance for her talent and won awards for charitable fundraising and was third place at the Women in Business interview award at Miss Tennessee 2022 and the STEM Award at Miss District of Columbia 2019. During her year as Miss United States, Donaldson guest-wrote an article about her work with Art Technically for the U.S. Department of Education