The daughter of a minister, Meade grew up in New London, Ohio and graduated from New London High School. She is of part Native American descent. She attended Malone College and Ashland University, where she majored in radio/television production, programming and performance and minored in political science. She graduated in 1991 with a major in programming and performance. In 1992 she became Miss Ohio, and was a top ten finalist in the Miss America pageant. She married Tim Yeager on November 6, 1993.