A Conversation with Crystle Stewart, Miss USA’s First Black President

When it comes to Crystle Stewart, nothing can stop her from achieving her goals. As Miss USA’s first Black president and CEO, she is on a mission to ensure that women understand the power they have when they embrace self-confidence and understand the value of brand development. I had the privilege of speaking with Crystle about why she accepted the position and her vision for the company. She also shed light on the many misconceptions people have in regard to pageants. 

Cox: Before we get into your new role as President and CEO of Miss USA, had pageants always been a passion of yours? 

Stewart: To be honest, I was never into pageants when I was younger. It wasn’t until I was sitting with a friend at the Galleria Mall in Houston, Texas that she suggested that I should do pageants. I was like, “no, thank you” because when I looked at pageants, I never saw much African American representation. My friend kept pushing me to do it, and I started learning more about pageantry, and it began to intrigue my interest.  

If you know Ms Stewart, then you know when she puts her mind to something, she will see it through. After being convinced by her friend and following her new interests, she entered to be Miss Houston. She entered the pageant five times and never won, but because of her tenacity and who she is, she was invited to compete for Miss Texas. Five must be her lucky number because she went for Miss Texas five times, and in the last year of her eligibility, she won.  

Cox: Wow, you stayed the course. It’s easy for many to give up after the first and second try, but what kept you going? 

Stewart: It was the fire I had in my heart that kept me going, and I’m happy that I didn’t win the first time around. Through this journey, I was able to learn more about myself, and what I call the three P’s I apply to my life: Patience, Persistence, and Perseverance.  

It was her faith and trust in God that kept Crystle going even when she hadn’t won multiple times. She said it’s hard for her to give up because that’s not an option. She has to keep going and see it through even if, in the end, she doesn’t achieve what she desires. It is because her internal fire to keep going matches her faith in God and lets her know that there is a bigger picture for what she is doing. Her efforts never go in vain. The end will always pay off for Ms Stewart.  

Cox: You mentioned you have a passion for women’s empowerment. Where does that passion come from? 

Stewart: When I was 16, I would hold workshops called Inside Out at my High School focused on teaching young girls how to take care of themselves. I created this because though we learned a lot of things in school education wise such as math and history, we aren’t taught how to present ourselves properly. This was the question I had, and which encouraged me to start workshops called Inside Out. 

Crystle was intrigued about how women like herself would be equipped with the proper life skills to give them confidence and assertiveness. At this pivotal stage in her life, she wanted to understand how young girls like herself would be able to have the different life skills they need to present to the world who they are and what they require. Empowerment comes from understanding who one truly is and how to effectively communicate their thoughts and desires. 

Cox: You are all about empowering women. Many people have misconceptions about pageants. How do they empower women? 

Stewart: Michael, people think it’s about women parading on stage and that’s far from the truth. These women have to be trained. I treat pageants like a sport just as if the women were doing track and field. They are training multiple times a week leading up to the actual pageant. When I was going for Miss USA and Houston, I was training a year before the events. The training takes you on a journey that is mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.  

In her new leadership role, she wants people to see women of all shapes and sizes on the stage because there isn’t one way to see women as being healthy and physically fit. It’s about a new era of representation for women.  

Cox: You have been advocating and implementing a mental health component for the pageant. Can you explain it? 

Stewart: Mike, first I learned this was one of the areas we needed to improve because when I spoke with the contestants and asked them how they are doing they would mention being fit physically and intellectually because they prepare for the different parts of the competition. But my concern was that they never mentioned how they were mentally, and I wanted to change that. Research has shown that mental health awareness is on the rise in many things we see outside of pageants, such as schools and sports. So, I made sure we incorporate different workshops specifically to address and help mental health in Miss USA and Miss Academy. 

Cox: Speaking of MISS Academy, tell me about it because it seems so full circle for you.  

Stewart: It’s crazy to look back at this little plan I had when I was young doing Inside Out. It’s the same platform I created then and now we have two locations in Houston and Los Angeles. When they attend Miss Academy, they learn the power of their brand and how to sell it. It doesn’t matter if they are trying to sell themselves as a model or their entrepreneurial dream, it’s about how they position themselves and effectively communicate. So, I took the fundamentals of pageantry and implemented them into the school. That’s how I came up with Miss Academy. Crystle Stewart is focused on empowering women year-round by understanding the power of their personal and professional brands. She is helping them understand how to develop and build their brand strategically. They will learn how to effectively communicate, present and use it. address and help mental health in Miss USA and Miss Academy.