Gretchen Carlson elected chair of Miss America organization

Gretchen Carlson.
(Image credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Gretchen Carlson, the former Fox News anchor and 1989 Miss America, was chosen Monday to lead the Miss America organization's board of directors, and she will be joined on the board by three other past winners.

In December, CEO Sam Haskell and two other top leaders resigned after sexist emails they sent about former Miss Americas were leaked. In a statement, Carlson said those who love the program 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." This is the first time a past Miss America has been named leader of the pageant institution.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.