BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today announced the selection of Whitney Derks as Montana’s Cherry Blossom Princess for the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival, April 7-14, 2012.  Rehberg’s office worked with the non-partisan Montana State Society to help with the selection of the Princess and her alternate.

“The best testament to our great state is our people,” said Rehberg, a fifth-generation Montanan and a member of the Montana State Society.  “The Cherry Blossom Princess is a good-will ambassador of Montana to the world.  It’s a tremendous honor and one that I’m confident Whitney will fulfill effectively.  I look forward to meeting with her when she gets into town.”

Every year, Cherry Blossom Princesses from every state and territory are invited to Washington, D.C. to honor the 1912 gift of Japanese cherry trees to the capital city.  This year’s applicants were judged by a panel that included representatives from Montana’s Congressional delegation, including Sheila Rath from Rehberg’s office.  They selected Whitney Derks as the 2012 Princess and Katie Russell as the runner up.

Derks, daughter of Keith and Sheri Derks of Denton, attended Denton High School and graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota.  She currently resides in Moorhead and works in Fargo, North Dakota for the marketing agency Results Unlimited.

If Whitney is unable to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival, runner-up Katie Russell will take her place. Katie is from Great Falls, and is the daughter of Joe and Leslie Russell. She attended CMR High School in Great Falls graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

For more information on the Cherry Blossom Princess Program, please visit the Montana State Society's website at www.montanastatesociety.com.

"This year's applicants were incredibly talented and any one of them would have been an excellent choice to represent Montana during the Cherry Blossom Festival," said Stephanie Samford, with the Montana State Society. "Ultimately, Whitney really stood out because of her articulate and thoughtful comments during the interview process. She will serve as the perfect representative of Montana during the Cherry Blossom Festival as she has the opportunity to share with people from throughout the country exactly what makes Montana the Last Best Place."