For the first time in the organization’s history, Miss America will be led entirely by women — and they’re all former pageant winners.
Regina Hopper was appointed president and CEO of the Miss America Organization, and Marjorie Vincent-Tripp was named as chair of the Board of Trustees of the Miss America Foundation, according to a statement from the organizations.
With their appointments, the two join Gretchen Carlson, who was named the chairman of the Miss America Organization’s Board of Trustees in December.
The female trio takes over for the leaders of the Miss America Organization who resigned in December after the Huffington Post revealed that leaders and employees had sent emails disparaging pageant contestants, including references to their weight and sex lives.
One example was when employee Lewis Friedman wrote to Miss America Organization CEO Sam Haskell, who wanted to refer to past pageant winners as “formers” instead of “forevers.” Friedman said he’d changed “forevers” to “c****,” to which Haskell replied: “Perfect…bahahaha”
Haskell, President Josh Randle and board of directors Chairman Lynn Weidner resigned amid the backlash to those emails.
In the statement announcing the new leaders, Miss America said the all-female team signaled a new era for the organization, best known for its widely televised pageants.
“The induction of this all female leadership team signals forthcoming transformational changes to the entire organization and program, ushering in a new era of progressiveness, inclusiveness and empowerment,” the organization said in a statement.
In another first, all three leaders are former pageant winners in the Miss America system.
Hopper, former CEO of Intelligent Transportation Society of America, was Miss Arkansas 1983. Vincent-Tripp, an assistant attorney general at the Florida Office of the Attorney General, was Miss America 1991. Finally, Gretchen Carlson, the advocate and former Fox News host, was Miss America 1989.
