Ambassador Crew | The AAO - Aquatennial Ambassador Organization

Aquatennial Ambassador Crew

The Aquatennial Ambassadors represent the Minneapolis Aquatennial at nearly 300 community festivals and events throughout North America each year.

The Ambassador Crew consists of the Queen of the Lakes, Commodore, two Aquatennial Princesses and two Captains who volunteer their time and efforts for the AAO.

The Senior Ambassadors, supported by the Minneapolis Aquatennial Senior Alumni Association (MASAA) complete the Aquatennial Ambassador Crew with the Senior Queen, Senior Commodore, Senior Princess and Senior Vice-Commodore.

At the end of their year of service, the Queen of the Lakes and Princesses each receive educational scholarships provided by the generous donors and AAO members.

Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes Malaya Yague

From the Community of Wilmar - Malaya Yague is the 20-year-old daughter of Richard and Felicia Yague. Malaya is furthering her education at Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, pursuing a BM in Violin Performance and a Minor in Social Services. Malaya has enjoyed training and playing the violin for the past 17 years. Through her music program, Augsburg University Suzuki Talent Education, she had the privileged of traveling on tour around Austria, Czech Republic, Mexico, and England. While in her first two years of college in Florida, she worked as a Master and Doctoral Enrollment Assistant in the admissions department at school and served as an RA for 32 girls. She is an active volunteer within her church. Malaya’s future plans are to earn her Master in Music Performance and continue sharing her love of music with those she comes in contact with. Her hobbies are singing, painting, reading, enjoying time with friends and family, and soaking in the sun. During the AAO Candidate Program, she is eager to connect with candidates and AAO members and learn from and alongside everyone.

Aquatennial Commodore Ron Christopher

Ron Christopher was born on 06 February 1947 in Lorain, Ohio. He attended Admiral Ernest J. King High School and upon graduation enlisted in the Navy as a Seaman Recruit in October 1965. He attended various technical schools and served as an Electronics Technician where he rose to the enlisted rank of Electronics Technician Senior Chief Petty Officer (ETCS). In April 1977, he was commissioned as an Ensign under the Navy’s Limited Duty Officer Program.

Commander Christopher served for over 32 years in the U. S. Navy in a variety of commands ashore, afloat and in various hostile fire zones throughout the world. As an Electronics Technician he served in a position of increasing responsibility in the Surface, Sub-Surface, Aviation and Special Warfare Communities. Here, he was responsible for all Navy, as well as other governmental agency, communications within the National Capital Region. He also spearheaded the development of automated communications systems and prepared the Navy for 21st century communications operations. Finally in 1996, Christopher served on the staff of Commander, Naval Air Forces, responsible for the hardware development and training on the Navy’s Tactical Mission Planning System.

Ron retired from active service in 1998 and joined Intergraph Corporation as a Manager for Business Development as well as a Program Manager for Naval Sea Systems Command special programs. He left Intergraph Corporation in 2006 to serve as President of American Engineering and Manufacturing Corporation and concurrently served as President, PECI Flotation, LLC. He later started and served as President, Combat Solutions, LLC. All three of these corporations were started to provide products and services aimed at safe and secure operations for the DoD and Law Enforcement communities.

In 2019, he moved to Minnesota where he met and later married his wife, Paulette Christopher. Here, he was introduced to the festival world, actively supporting his wife as a captain in the Aquatennial Ambassador Organization during the year 2022. He currently serves as the AAO Chairman of the Board where every decision made is aimed at ensuring Minnesota’s young ladies of today are mentored into Minnesota’s young leaders of tomorrow!

Service and patriotism have always been hallmarks of Ron Christopher’s achievements.

Aquatennial Princess Grace Panek

From the Community of Hanover - Grace Panek will be a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin Madison where she is pursuing a degree in nursing. At school, Grace is involved in Care for a Cause, a club, at UW-Madison where she participates in activities to help with the financial burden of parenthood. When she is not at school she works at Big Bore BBQ in Hanover and nannies. She enjoys going up to the lake and being on the water with friends and family. One of her favorite things to do is to go shopping and try new restaurants. Grace is looking forward to the AAO dance and reconnecting with her crown sisters.

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Aquatennial Captain Shanna Nemitz

Shanna is a 2001 graduate of Sibley East High School and in 2004 completed her certification as a Massage Therapist at Aveda Institute Minneapolis. She has been a Financial Worker with McLeod County Health and Human Services for 11 years and is also a Pharmacy Technician at Walgreens. She currently resides in Mayer, MN with her husband of 19 years, Dan, and their 16-year-old son Sawyer. They spend most of their time at Wrestling Tournaments watching Sawyer compete or at home with their pets Sophie and Goose.

Shanna has been involved in the festival community since being crowned a Sibley County Princess in 2003. She has continued her work in the festival world by volunteering with the Hutchinson Jaycee Water Carnival for 14 years and has chaired many events including, Motorcycle Run, Junior Royalty Coordinator, Grand Day Parade, Finance, and Royalty Chaperone. She decided to join the Aquatennial Ambassador Organization in 2022 and has enjoyed driving the crews in parades and helping wherever needed during Aquatennial Week. Shanna has also spent many years volunteering with the Hutchinson MS Walk, Hutchinson Jaycees, and Waconia Wrestling Club serving as the board Secretary.

She cannot wait to spread her love of volunteerism with her new Aquatennial family and the Communities they visit because service to humanity is the best work of life.

Aquatennial Princess Jacquelyn Wibstad

From the Community of Sibley County - Jacquelyn Wibstad will be a Junior in the Fall at South Dakota State University where she is majoring in Community and Public Health with the hopes of becoming a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. She currently works at Cub Care at Sibley East Elementary in Gaylord where she has worked for the past three summers. Some hobbies Jacquelyn enjoys include playing tennis and pickleball, spending time with friends and family, being outdoors, and going to Target with her little sister Josie. During her reign as Miss Sibley County, Jacquelyn had the opportunity to volunteer in her community, with her favorite volunteering event being helping in various ways at the Sibley County Fair. While in college, Jacquelyn has been a part of the SDSU Women in Aviation Club and Little International Livestock Show. At the Minneapolis Aquatennial, Jacquelyn is most looking forward to meeting all of the girls from each community and participating in the Torchlight Parade. She knows that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and cannot wait to embrace and enjoy the entire experience!

Aquatennial Captain Paulette Christopher

Paulette was born and raised on a dairy farm in Wadena, MN where she first learned about the festival world serving as a regional dairy princess and county pork queen. She represented the Region 3 Dairy Farmers at the Princess Kay of the Milky Way competition the summer of 1981 and can proudly report she survived the butter sculpting process at the State Fair. Paulette has a home economics teaching and public relations degree from North Dakota State University and a Masters degree in Teaching & Learning from St. Mary’s University. She recently retired from a rewarding 26 year teaching career and successfully transitioned to a full time granny nanny and now a full time volunteer.

Paulette has 3 adult children, and 6 grandchildren ranging in ages from 13 to 9 months. She is married to retired Naval Commander, Ron Christopher, who keeps things running smoothly at their busy household. They reside in Burnsville and enjoy spending as much time as possible up north at their lake cabin in Ottertail.

Paulette’s volunteer history is long and varied. She proudly served as the events coordinator for the Farmington Ambassador Program for over 6 years where she cultivated many festival world connections and friendships. Most recently she has served as the co-chair for the Minnesota Boychoir’s 60th Anniversary Committee. She also completed a year’s service as a Captain with the Aquatennial Ambassador Organization’s Crew of 2022 and currently serves the organization as a Vice Commodore.

When you meet her, you’ll soon learn that she is committed to faith, family, community service and improving the lives of others one smile and hug at a time.

The Queen of the Lakes began with the Aquatennial's inception in 1940.

When the Ambassador Crew visits a community that sends an Ambassador Candidate to Aquatennial Week, a Queen's Charm is given to the Candidate as her official invitation.

The Commodore
is the primary spokesperson for the AAO and escort of the Queen of the Lakes.

At each festival the Ambassador Crew visits, an Honorary Commodore Award is presented to an outstanding volunteer nominated by the local community.

In recognition of his/her year of service, the Commodore is promoted to Admiral and is given a blue coat.

The Aquatennial Princesses were added to the Ambassador Crew in 1952.

Similar to the Queen of the Lakes, each Princess wears a Crown featuring a stylized "M" for Minneapolis inside of a heart and waves representing the City's nickname, "The City of Lakes."

The Aquatennial Captains

are the primary escorts of the Princesses and responsible for keeping the Aquatennial Crew organized and on-time.

Captains & Commodores are chosen by a nomination committee. In recognition of their year of service, the Captains are promoted to Commanders and given a gray coat.