Mark Makela/Reuters
Vanessa Williams was welcomed back to the Miss America stage Sunday night, when pageant executive chairman Sam Haskell apologized to the actress and singer on behalf of the organization. Williams, who became the first black woman to win the pageant in 1984, was forced to resign her crown in the wake of a nude photo scandal. "I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are," Haskell told Williams, "and the Miss America you always will be." Miss Georgia Betty Cantrell was also crowned Miss America 2016 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Sunday night, ending New York's reign at the annual pageant over the past three years. Cantrell's opera performance landed her a victory at a preliminary competition earlier in the week and helped her secure the crown.