The Miss America Organization tapped into its past titleholders to find its new leadership.
After CEO Sam Haskell and stepped down after a Huffington Post story shed light on emails with sexist and vulgar remarks about winners, the pageant is starting anew.
Miss America 1989 and former Fox news anchor Gretchen Carlson will be the new chairman of the Board of Directors.
The board also added Miss America 2012 Laura Kaeppeler Fleiss, Miss America 2000 Heather French Henry and Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle.
"Everyone has been stunned by the events of the last several days, and this is not easy for anyone who loves this program," Carlson said. "In the end, we all want a strong, relevant Miss America, and we appreciate the existing board taking the steps necessary to quickly begin stabilizing the organization for the future."
Board resignations were timed to make sure the organization had a continuing governance structure, interim board Chairman Dan Meyers said.
"It has been important to the directors that incoming leadership be provided with what it needs to drive this American icon into a new direction," he said.
Carlson thanked Meyers for facilitating the leadership transfer.
She said she and the new board would work with all stakeholders — including the state executive directors and former state titleholders — to continue an ongoing inclusive and transparent process to identify additional new board members and management.
Carlson said she's "honored to move this iconic program forward with so many amazing volunteers."
