The president of the Miss America Organization is stepping down.
Sharon Pearce has served the group for the past nine years.
The organization announced Friday that Sam Haskell, its chairman and CEO, has been promoted to executive chairman and will assume Pearce's duties.
Pearce says she wants to spend more time with her family.
She helped lead the pageant during its return to Atlantic City in 2013 after a brief stint in Las Vegas.
Lynn Hackerman Weidner was named chairwoman of the board.
A former Miss New Jersey, she is the first former Miss America contestant to hold the position.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The pageant will mark its 95th anniversary this September at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
