Anoka native Gretchen Carlson, who was Miss America in 1989, is stepping down as board chair of the Miss America Organization and will be succeeded by former South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs. Carlson headed an all-female leadership team put in place after an e-mail scandal in which male leaders of the pageant denigrated former Miss Americas. Carlson says she’s extremely proud of the work the group has done and “the time is ideal to give new leadership the opportunity to move forward with what has been accomplished.” In 2016 Carlson settled a sex harrassment lawsuit against Fox News for 20 million dollars. Her allegations resulted in the ouster of the network’s powerful chairman, Roger Ailes.
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