The Professional Beauty Association has announced its first PBA Beautiful Humanitarian Award, which will be presented during the North American Hairstyling Awards on Sunday July 19 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. The inaugural honor will be given to Nancy O’Dell, co-anchor of Access Hollywood, the national entertainment news program. O’Dell is also an author and tireless advocate for various charities, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, March of Dimes, Child Help, Best Buddies and the American Red Cross.

PBA established the Beautiful Humanitarian Award to honor an individual who represents beauty, both on the inside and out. The award acknowledges that beauty is not only skin deep and that achieving outer beauty is only part of what constitutes happiness.

“It is an honor to be selected as the very first recipient of the PBA Beautiful Humanitarian Award. While I am a huge fan of the many wonderful products and beauty professionals who are such an integral part of my profession, I know that true beauty comes from within and I am humbled by this honor, which will help me continue to raise awareness for the many causes of which I am blessed to be a part,” says O’Dell. For more information, visit probeauty.org.