Presley Ann/Patrick McMullan/Getty 
 
 Gretchen Carlson, who serves as the chairwoman of the Miss America board of directors and won the crown herself in 1989, says she was “incredibly sad and heartbroken” when she read current Miss America Cara Mund’s public letter Friday morning stating Carlson had “silenced,” “marginalized” and “bullied” her. 
 
 “I want to be clear that as a proponent of women my entire life, I have never bullied Cara Mund,” Carlson tells PEOPLE exclusively. “We have supported Cara for her entire year and we will continue to support her. It’s just disappointing that she chose to air her grievance publicly and not privately.” 
 
 In Mund’s letter, posted three weeks before the scheduled Miss America telecast in Atlantic City on Sept. 9, Mund, who hails from North Dakota, accused Carlson and Regina Hopper, the organization’s CEO, of “disrespect, passive-aggressive behavior, belittlement, and outright exclusion.” 
 
 Donald Kravitz/Getty 
 
 Carlson joined the board of directors in December after the then-CEO reportedly used sexist and fat-shaming language in internal emails that led to several executives and board members resigning. She says she took on the volunteer role in January in hopes of making it more inclusive, relevant and empowering to women. “I have been putting all of my energy and countless hours into moving this organization forward,” she says. In 2017, Carlson wrote the book, Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back inspired by the many women who reached out to her after she reached a $20 million settlement in her sexual harassment lawsuit against former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes in 2016. 
 
 One of the new initiatives put forward by Carlson is the elimination of the famous swimsuit competition in an attempt to downplay the importance of physical appearance alone. Mund states that during a recent Good Morning America appearance discussing the changes, she was told that “GMA only wanted Gretchen on the segment,” adding, “I served as my own advocate and asked if I could attend” despite not getting any airtime. 
 
 But Carlson, 52, says this was not the case. “We brought her to New York the day before and provided her with media training. We asked Cara to come to the studio because we thought by chance, even at the last minute, they would maybe include her.” Ultimately, ABC decided to go with a singular interview with Carlson. “There were so many interview requests that day,” says Carlson. “Cara did all the entertainment shows and a lot of radio and print interviews.” 
 
 Carlson, who says she plans to reach out to Mund shortly, says she can sympathize with Mund’s comments about this being a challenging year. 
 
 “It’s the toughest job you will ever have,” Carlson says of being Miss America. “Every Miss America could tell you if they wanted to about the ups and downs of their year. I could. But you realize as more time passes what an amazing opportunity you have been given to serve as a role model and an ambassador for our country and to make a difference.” ||||| Newly crowned Miss America 2018 (Miss North Dakota 2017) Cara Mund celebrates during the 2018 Miss America Competition Show on Sept. 10, 2017 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo: Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images) 
 
 In a twist of irony, the most recent Miss America winner is accusing the Miss America Organization – one that's recently taken public steps in the name of female-empowerment – of bullying and silencing her. 
 
 In a five-page letter addressed to "Miss America Sisters" and obtained by USA TODAY on Friday, Cara Mund, Miss America 2018, calls out Miss America CEO Regina Hopper and chair Gretchen Carlson for having "silenced me, reduced me, marginalized me, and essentially erased me in my role as Miss America in subtle and not-so-subtle ways on a daily basis." Mund hinted at trouble with the organization earlier this month in an interview with The Press of Atlantic City. 
 
 Mund says she was forced to stick to specific talking points, was "not important enough" to do big interviews – those were reserved for Carlson, and she was told that it was Mund's fault sponsors dropped the Miss America Organization. 
 
 More: Gretchen Carlson takes on the 'shocking epidemic' of sexual harassment 
 
 Earlier: Miss America axes swimsuit competition 
 
 The Miss America Organization released a statement Friday afternoon in response to Mund's letter. 
 
 "It is disappointing that she chose to air her grievances publicly not privately. Her letter contains mischaracterizations and many unfounded accusations. We are reaching out to her privately to address her concerns," says the statement. "The Miss America Organization supports Cara.” 
 
 Miss America chair Gretchen Carlson (Photo: Getty Images) 
 
 Carlson released a lengthy statement Sunday evening on Twitter, which conveyed she was "surprised and saddened beyond words" by Mund's letter. 
 
 "I also want to be clear that I have never bullied or silenced you," the statement read. "In fact, I have acknowledged to you and your parents many times that the organization understands the frustrations of serving during such a change-filled and stressful year... We've acknowledged your grievances, and taken many steps to try to make your experience a good one." 
 
 Carlson continued: "Actions have consequences. Friday, as an organization, we learned that $75,000 in scholarships which would have been the first scholarship increase in years, is no longer on the table as a direct result of the explosive allegations in your letter. The impact won't stop there – we are already seeing a negative ripple effect across the entire organization, and I am so concerned that it will the dilute the experience for the next woman selected to wear the crown." 
 
 USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Carlson for a statement. 
 
 There are examples in Mund's letter that are reminiscent of the "Mean Girls" movie: Gretchen Carlson and Regina Hopper, like the Gretchen and Regina in the film, criticized Mund's clothes, mispronounced her name and spread misinformation about her, Mund says. 
 
 "The rhetoric about empowering women, and openness and transparency, is great; however, the reality is quite different. I am living that difference," writes Mund, who adds that her treatment in the organization, which crowned her in Atlantic City, fits the New Jersey definition of "workplace bullying." 
 
 Mund says, "Let me be blunt: I strongly believe that my voice is not heard nor wanted by our current leadership; nor do they have any interest in knowing who I am and how my experiences relate to positioning the organization for the future. I truly felt more valued, respected, and viewed as a real collaborator within my first three months rather than these last eight months. The differences in treatment are stark." 
 
 In the past year, Carlson, a former Miss America winner and Fox News host, has been vocal about the fact that Miss America is no longer a pageant with a swimsuit portion. She has also been promoting her book about stopping harassment, called "Be Fierce." 
 
 The 2019 Miss America Competition will broadcast live on Sept. 9 on ABC. 
 
 Earlier: Miss America made a welcome change. But let's not pretend pageants are the root of the problem. 
 
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– Gretchen Carlson was installed as chair of the Miss America Organization's board of directors earlier this year in the wake of a scandal that forced out the organization's CEO and other executives after "unacceptable" emails were revealed about past winners. Now, drama of her own for Carlson and Miss America CEO Regina Hopper. They've been pilloried in a letter written by Miss America 2018 Cara Mund, who alleges she was bullied. USA Today obtained a copy of the five-page letter, which accuses the women of having "silenced me, reduced me, marginalized me, and essentially erased me in my role as Miss America in subtle and not-so-subtle ways on a daily basis." Some of her grievances revolve around interviews: She alleges the plum ones were handed to Carlson, as she was "not important enough" to do them, and that she was made to stick to three talking points, one of which related to Carlson's Stanford education. She also claims she was told her poor social media skills caused certain sponsors to sever ties with the Miss America Organization, that she was given grief over her clothes ("During a photo shoot this year, Regina looked at the Karl Lagerfeld dress I was wearing and said 'Yuck. You should burn that. Don’t ever wear that again,'" she wrote), and that Hopper referred to her as "Kira." "The rhetoric about empowering women, and openness and transparency, is great; however, the reality is quite different. I am living that difference," wrote Mund, who says things were better in the first three months of her tenure before the leadership was shaken up. Carlson had this to say to People: "I want to be clear that as a proponent of women my entire life, I have never bullied Cara Mund. We have supported Cara for her entire year and we will continue to support her. It’s just disappointing that she chose to air her grievance publicly and not privately."