Gretchen Carlson, who was Miss America in 1989 and in recent years has become a prominent voice against workplace sexual harassment, will take over as chairwoman of the pageant’s board of directors, the organization announced on Monday.

Ms. Carlson, a former Fox News anchor whose harassment lawsuit against the Fox chairman Roger Ailes led to his departure in July 2016, will be expected to lead the pageant through its own harassment scandal. Three executives resigned last month after reports that leadership had used vulgar language to deride former winners in emails.

Ms. Carlson said on Twitter that she was “honored to move this iconic program forward with so many amazing volunteers.”

“Everyone has been stunned by the events of the last several days, and this has not been easy for anyone who loves this program,” Ms. Carlson said in a statement. “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.”