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Miss America:A True Original
An Interview with Miss America CEO Robert Renneisen

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by Carl Dunn
Robert M. Renneisen, Jr. photo photo
Robert M. Renneisen, Jr.
President and CEO
Miss America Organization

Robert M. Renneisen, Jr., the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Miss America Organization, reflects upon the past year and expresses the vision of the new MAO. Robert Renneisen, Jr., was appointed President and CEO of the Miss America Organization on February 29, 2000. As President and CEO, Renneisen provides the strategic vision and active leadership necessary for one of the country's most prominent community-service and scholarship organizations. He also serves as the executive producer of the Miss America Pageant, the third longest-running live special in the history of television.

With more than 30 years of management background, Renneisen, 54, brings to his role a successful history of relevant experience in management, organizational planning, marketing, public relations and entertainment. Prior to joining the MAO, he served as Chairman and CEO of the Claridge Hotel and Casino Corporation and its subsidiaries in Atlantic City.

CD: Mister Renneisen, as the largest provider of college scholarships to women in the world, approximately what is the value of those scholarships today?

RR: In the year 2000, the Miss America Organization nationwide was able to make available approximately $40 million in scholarship assistance. This is the cumulative total of scholarships made available at the local, state, and national level. The vast majority of these scholarships are cash or in-kind scholarships donated by organizations, individuals, and many colleges and universities. Each year some of the in-kind scholarships, although available, aren't utilized for various reasons. Currently we are exploring the possibility of finding ways to make these unutilized or underutilized scholarship dollars available to students in need of financial assistance. I think this represents a potential positive opportunity for the Miss America Organization in future years.

CD: Entering your second year as CEO of the Miss America Organization, what do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment this past year?

RR: During my first year as CEO of the MAO, my primary challenge has been to learn as quickly as possible all of the particular details of the organization. It has been a very quick and very thorough learning experience for me, and I feel very prepared to lead the organization and make the critical management decisions necessary to maintain Miss America's prominence as a known icon. I am also very pleased that we are able to attract some extremely qualified new executives to our staff and equally proud that we have been able to maintain and promote well-qualified and experienced existing staff members. These people will form the nucleus of our growth plans moving forward.

CD: What are the immediate short-term goals for the Miss America Organization?

RR: Over the next year or so, our intention will be to wisely invest some of our working capital in programs that are designed to build strength and continuity over the long term. In doing so, we need to expand our revenue base, reposition and restage our "brand image," and begin to increase our network of strategic alliances. We also need to improve the perception of our program among young women and teen girls as relevant and meaningful for their lives.


... we exist for the purpose of providing women with opportunities to achieve their educational goals and realize their personal potential through access to scholarships...


CD: What are some of the long-term goals?

RR: Over the long haul, our principal goal is to dramatically increase our success at providing young women with opportunities for scholarships.

CD: What do you feel is the greatest challenge facing the Miss America Organization?

RR: I believe the greatest challenge for the MAO is to maintain a proper balance between the traditional and nostalgic values and aspects of our program and, yet, in so doing, never failing to maintain a currency and relevance for today's market.

CD: What is the greatest attribute of the Miss America Organization?

RR: Miss America's greatest attribute, of course, is the fact that among all pertinent markets we are perceived as "the real one."Although the MAO is substantially different from most other "beauty" pageant organizations, we're still viewed as the original -- perhaps in the same way that Coke-a-Cola advertises the fact that they�re perceived as "the real thing."

CD: What enables the Miss America Organization the opportunity to provide a forum for the social concerns that are important today?

RR: The extremely broad awareness and popularity associated with Miss America means that a huge spotlight shines wherever someone who holds or has held the title of Miss America appears. In the past 10 or 15 years, primarily as a result of the individual platforms espoused by Miss Americas, the program has also gained a tremendous amount of credibility with the media and government agencies and with the public in general. This means that as an organization we have the ability to bring a great deal of focus and attention on many issues.

CD: As a former veteran yourself, how rewarding was it for you to honor Heather French with the Woman of Achievement Award for her work on behalf of homeless veterans?

RR: Like Heather's father, Ronnie, I too am a Vietnam veteran, and I know first hand some of the concerns and obstacles facing our nation's veterans, including the thousands who are homeless. There are few issues that personally would emotionally move me more than this one, and I felt a great sense of personal reward in being able to present Heather French with the Woman of Achievement Award on behalf of her work with homeless veterans.

CD: As the Miss America Organization continues to evolve, where do you see the Organization in 2 years, 5 years, or 10 years?

RR: This is a good question and happens to go to the heart of a process we're currently involved in and that is, specifically, the organization is currently deciding where and what we want to be in 10 years. The process we're involved in is a thoughtful one and is designed to take, however, a number of viewpoints and ideas gleaned from within the organization; and other than to say that we're involved in an extremely detailed process to arrive at the answer, I'm not prepared at this point to go into details which I believe might be premature now.

CD: What is the ultimate goal of Miss America in terms of college scholarships?

RR: I think for us to have the "ultimate goal" might be self-limiting. I think because the MAO, like any other organization, is a living entity, our ultimate goal in an area like scholarships should be a goal of continuous improvement. I believe that will be as true 10 years from now as it is today.

CD: With a grass-roots organization of over 300,000 volunteers, how does one become involved in the Miss America Organization?

RR: The most likely and fulfilling way to get involved is probably at the local level with any of the many many local pageants in our various state organizations. There are a number of communities that don't have local Miss America preliminary pageants. Those interested in starting one would be encouraged to contact their state organization for details.

CD: Please give us one lasting vision of Miss America and the Organization.

RR: I think the best and most appropriate lasting view of Miss America and the organization would be to quote our own mission statement which simply says that we exist for the purpose of providing women with opportunities to achieve their educational goals and realize their personal potential through access to scholarships, and for the purpose of advancing a national platform, having the scope and support needed to positively impact the future of America's youth.


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