Transcript for Gretchen Carlson on how she wants to reinvent Miss America

Now to that ABC news exclusive, Gretchen Carlson, the former miss America who took on sexual harassment at Fox News is now taking the reins of the miss America organization after its own scandal. She's on a mission to modernize it and, Amy, you had a chance to sit down with her in this is amazing. This is the first time a former miss America has led the nearly 100-year-old organization and Gretchen Carlson says there are big changes coming. Miss America is Gretchen Carlson. Reporter: In 1989 former fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson taking home the crown at the miss America pageant and now almost three decades later she's at the helm. Gretchen Carlson, I had to check this, chairwoman of the miss America organization. That's your official title. That is my official title right now. How does that feel? Feels incredibly empowering but, listen, I'm looking at this as a call of duty, I had no intention of ever having this position. It's a volunteer job and huge undertaking but for me in being a former miss America I felt compelled to come back to help the program. Reporter: Compelled to help because the organization is reeling from a crisis. Former CEO Sam Haskell and other top executives recently resigning after leaked e-mails were given to "The Huffington post" revealing alleged sexist and lewd comments. Haskell saying the many e-mails are conveniently edited. Were you surprised. I was shocked. It was appalling. Part of me knows after my life over the last 18 months that this behavior is prevalent, unfortunately. On Twitter you called out then pageant CEO Sam Haskell and some of his associates for making those vulgar and inappropriate comments about former winners and former contestants. Yourself included and you said the only solution to save miss America was that all boards members resign who were aware of these e-mails. Now that you're in charge are you satisfied with who is on that board. We are a work in progress on this board. So right now the board is very small. We need to add people to it but currently the board is made up, the majority of us are all former miss Americas. And, you know, I find that incredibly empowering in this me too movement. That some of the women who were allegedly maligned in those appalling e-mails are now running the place. And a form of justice as well. Yeah, it's a form of justice. When I jumped off my cliff on the whole sexual harassment story 18 months ago, that was a lonely experience. But look at what happened when that gift of courage kept being passed on to one woman to another to another, we formed a collective voice and look where we are today in a tsunami. The same thing will happen with the miss America organization. Full disclosure, I too was in the miss America pageant system. Didn't get quite as far as you did. I was a runner-up to miss Georgia. Police gwi netnet county, miss Amy robach. Is the idea of a successful young woman parading around in a swimsuit on stage to be judged by her physical appearance which you and I both subjected ourselves to, is that outdated? Amy, I have so many great ideas for this organization and I will be talking about all of those with all the other board members and the eventually CEO and staff of miss America, so what I would love to say about that is please stay tuned because I plan to make this organization 100% about empowering women. Changes are coming. Changes are coming. Big changes. Potentially big changes. It was 18 months ago that Carlson sued then Fox News chairman Roger Ailes for sexual harassment. Ailes stepped down and Carlson settled with fox for $20 million. Your book "Be fierce" obviously tackles the issues of sexual harassment in the workplace, helped so many women find their own personal courage to stand up and tell of their stories. Are you the voice of the voiceless? Well, I guess I am. I never intended to be. But I feel overwhelmed that I have been able to help so many other women. I couldn't help but ask Carlson about a potential future in politics and she told me with a twinkle in her eye she's not ruling out a run for office. But right now -- that's right. She is focused on the big tank and it is a big tank of modernizing miss America and I think all of us are looking forward to see what she does. You buried one of the ledes miss gwinnet. I tried my entire career to live that down. We re talking before. You had changes in your pageant. Right. When we did the swimsuit competition we had to be in one pieces without heels and now everyone is in high heels and bekinys. We'll see what she does with it. If she doesn't get rid of it maybe alter it like in my day. 18 months ago, I mean, how she said she jumped off a cliff and went out there to see what has happened in those 18 months. And describing it as a tsunami, dead on.

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