Gretchen Carlson is making headlines again, this time for being tapped to serve as chair of the Miss America Organization board of directors. Carlson, who was Miss America in 1989, will be the first former Miss America to serve as the leader of the nearly 100-year-old organization. Carlson helped ignite the discussion of workplace harassment when she sued then-Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes for sexual harassment. Other Miss America winners are joining the board was well: Laura Kaeppeler Fleiss (Miss America 2012), Heather French Henry (Miss America 2000) and Kate Shindle (Miss America 1998). The Huffington Post recently revealed internal Miss America Organization emails between former Miss America CEO Sam Haskell and another board member that were filled with misogynistic and inappropriate language directed at two former Miss Americas, Mallory Hagan (Miss America 2013) and Shindle.
Carlson sent a statement to Huffington Post, saying, “Everyone has been stunned by the events of the last several days, and this has not been easy for anyone who loves this program. 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.”
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