Kaitlyn Maher

**Kaitlyn Ashley Maher** (born January 10, 2004) is an American teen singer and actress known for being the Youngest Top 10 Finalist on America's Got Talent and for her roles in films such as *The Search for Santa Paws*, *Santa Paws 2*, *Free Birds*, Turning Red, Detective Jackie, the Thea Stilton film series and the *PupStar* series; as well as television shows such as FOX's *The Goodwin Games* and PBS' *Mack and Moxy*. She serves as the first-ever youth ambassador for the global nonprofit Compassion International and is a national debate champion, singer/songwriter, and global advocate.

In 2008, at the age of 4, Maher appeared on the third season of *America's Got Talent* and for her audition sang "Somewhere Out There". She reached the top 10 of AGT season 3, and was the youngest person to ever reach that level. Maher has since appeared live at The Great Kids Expo in Chantilly, Virginia, on October 25, 2008, a live broadcast of the 2008 lighting of the National Christmas Tree, on December 4, 2008, attended by President George W. Bush and over 7,000 guests, and the 2009 Cherry Blossom Festival on April 11, 2009, attended by First Lady Michelle Obama. On October 3, 2009, Maher was the opening act of The Addi and Cassi Hempel Fund benefit. Maher has appeared in a Harris Teeter commercial airing during December 2008. She was also selected by Compassion International as its first ever Child Ambassador, visited children in El Salvador with Compassion, got to meet her sponsored child, and shot a music video to her title song "You Were Meant to Be."

Maher signed a recording deal late in 2009 with Indie Extreme for the release of her debut album *You Were Meant To Be*. The album was released December 15, 2009. Maher appeared in the Disney movie *Santa Buddies* as the voice for the character Tiny, which was released on November 24, 2009. Maher played the orphan Quinn in *The Search for Santa Paws*. She played Sarah Reynolds in *Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups*. In 2013, Maher starred alongside T.J. Miller, Scott Foley, Becki Newton, and Beau Bridges as Piper Goodwin in the FOX TV series *The Goodwin Games*. She acted as the President's Daughter in *Free Birds*, alongside co-stars Amy Poehler, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, and George Takei. From 2016 to 2019, she played the lead roles of both Tiny and Scrappy in AirBud's four-film *PupStar* series. She has acted in supporting roles in the Disney movie *Treasure Buddies*, the PBS TV series Mack and Moxy, the Disney series *Disney's World of English*, the AirBud film *Russell Madness,* and subsequent 2020 film series *Russell Maniac,* among others.

Maher continues to write and produce music across her social media platforms, including her recent self-written inspirational song, "World Without You," which was released in 2020 and has gained tens of thousands of YouTube views. She has performed on behalf of special needs children for the nonprofit organization, Jill's House, for critically ill children at the National Institutes of Health Children's Inn, for wounded warriors at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and for retired soldiers at the Veterans' Affairs Center in Washington, D.C.. In addition to touring internationally (including across China, Canada, and Israel), Maher has traveled to Ghana, Honduras, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, South Africa, and Malawi to engage in humanitarian outreach alongside local community partners in poverty-stricken areas. When not performing professionally, she is a lead singer in her church band.

## Early life and education

Maher was born as Kaitlyn Ashley Maher in the state of Michigan on January 10, 2004 and grown up in the state of Virginia. To accommodate a demanding movie and performance schedule, she was homeschooled through the Laurel Springs School up until Grade 9 where she started attending the Potomac School. In secondary, Maher competed on the America Debate Team and captained her school's ranked speech and debate team, placing first in the nation in Extemporaneous Debate at the 2021 National Speech and Debate Tournament. Passionate about public talking and political advocacy, her writing has been published by the Aspen Institute, a leading global think tank. She now attends Duke University.

## Profession

### America's Got Talent

Maher started her profession on Season 3 of the USA TV real life series America's Got Talent when she reached the Top 10. Producers from the series first became aware of her from a Youtube video. The video had been created after she had been asked to sing at a party for 1 of her family relations in Canada and the video was later posted because her mommy was pregnant with her 2nd baby and they could not travel to the country. On Maher's 4th birthday, 5 months after the video had been created, her parents received a letter from AGT's website on NBC.com, asking if their daughter would be able to audition for the series' Season 3 in 2008.

#### The Goodwin Games

In 2013, Maher joined the cast in the role of Piper Goodwin, the daughter of Jimmy Goodwin (portrayed by Todd Joseph Miller)

#### Russell Madness

Maher portrayed Grace in Russell Madness, directed by Robert Vince. The movie was released on February 21, 2015.

## Discography

* You Were Meant to Be (2009, Universal Music; 11 tracks, 39 minutes)