Nicole Lamarche

Nicole Lamarche is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss California 2003. Competing in the Miss San Francisco Pageant in 2003, she won the title and went on to win Miss California 2003 and became the Fourth runner up to the title of Miss America 2004. She was the swimsuit winner and although she decided to wear high heels during this segment of the competition it was erroneously reported by an espn.com columnist that she competed barefoot. This is most likely due to pictures of her competing in the Miss California swimsuit segment not wearing high heels, as the contestants normally do. She earned over $26,000 in scholarships.
She earned an MA in theology from the Graduate Theological Union and a Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion.
Lamarche spoke publicly about Miss California USA Carrie Prejean's controversial answer regarding gay marriage. Lamarche was featured on Larry King Live to discuss the topic.
Lamarche served as pastor for the Cotuit Federated Church in Cape Cod from 2007 until 2010. She subsequently relocated to Northern California, where she is trying to get a new United Church of Christ congregation started in the Silicon Valley region.
In 2008, Lamarche married Jeremy Nickel, whom she has met in divinity school. In July, 2011, the couple had their first child, a baby daughter.