The following statement was sent to the Miss America Board by State Executive Directors. I am proud to be associated with volunteers who care so deeply for our organization.
As state leaders we are fully committed to the pillars of our program and supporting our respective states which result in organizational health at all levels. We are supportive of the below recommendation in hopes that a clear plan of transition allows us to redirect our efforts on the foundations and strengths of our program moving forward in a positive way. We are keenly focused on being a relevant and represented group in a more formal capacity in future decisions for our program.
The below acknowledged State Executive Directors, respectfully request the immediate election of three (3) Forever Miss Americas to include Gretchen Carlson in order to comply with the bylaws of the Miss America Organization. At the conclusion of their election, we request the resignation of any remaining board members of the Miss America Organization who were any part of the dismissal of these allegations before they became national news. All parties complicit in this decision by the leadership of the Miss America Organization have contributed to irreparable harm to our organization. While it is important to acknowledge that there are many long time volunteers for the program as part of this board, the dismissal of the behavior that has now captured national headlines as well as the financial decisions made regarding our national organization are currently impacting our ability to reach sponsors, contestants and volunteers at the local and state level. Our desire is that a transition team move immediately to ensure that all operational needs of the organization are maintained while establishing a long-term leadership team. Our hope is that the Miss America Board of Directors will embrace the opportunity to reestablish the integrity and respect worthy of our extensive and impressive history. We as State Executive Directors appreciate the thousands of sponsors and volunteers on the local, state and national level that depend on leadership capable of putting the needs of the organization first; our future most certainly depends on it.
–Aren Straiger, Executive Director, Miss Indiana Scholarship Pageant