Art McMaster, Miss America President and CEO
- Community
- Annuitants & Former ExPats
Author: Aramco ExPats
Released 3 April 2007
Art McMaster, former Senior Planner and Assistant to the Vice President of Saudi Aramco, has been recently appointed Permanent President and Chief Executive Officer of the Miss America Organization. Art McMaster has been a key member of the Miss America organization for the past eight years. Named acting President/CEO in 2004, McMaster has worked closely with the Organization’s Board of Directors, and has overseen fifty-two state scholarship programs.
Art brings more than 20 years of international financial and executive management experience to his position. In the early nineties, he worked as a Controller for the engineering firm of Day and Zimmerman in Philadelphia. Looking for a change, he noticed an ad in the Wall Street Journal. McMaster interviewed for Saudi Aramco in Houston, and arrived in Arabia in 1992.
Art and his wife, Theresa, brought two of their three daughters (Stephanie and Katie) to live in Dhahran. Having graduated from high school before their departure, their third daughter, Natalie, stayed stateside. The McMaster family was involved in many activities including soccer, softball, and the bowling league. Mr. McMaster’s favorite activity was golf. A member of the Rolling Hills Golf Club, he played twice a week.
“Living and working in the same town was great,” McMaster said. “We miss the social events… I miss working a 40-hour week so close to home. Now I work 10-12 hour days and live an hour from the office!”
The McMaster family stayed in Arabia until 1997 when they decided to return to the States for their second eldest daughter’s education. His third daughter was very young when they arrived, and life in Saudi was all she knew.
“My daughters loved it there. They were so upset when we left that they wouldn’t speak to me!” McMaster said.
After spending almost 25 years in the oil industry, McMaster was ready for a change. When he returned to the States, there was a Controller position available close to his house in the Miss America Organization. He decided that a change of pace would be a great idea. McMaster was promoted to the position of Vice President of Finance in 2000, Acting President/CEO in 2004, and Permanent President and CEO in 2007.
The last three years have been a period of change for the Miss America organization. They have moved from Atlantic City to Las Vegas, and the pageant has switched from network television to cable. Instead of airing the Pageant one night a year on ABC, the pageant was shown more than 20 times on Country Music Television, and the number of viewers quadrupled.
Still, the glitz and glamour of the pageant hasn’t affected the cordial father of three. When asked what the best part of his job is, he answered, “Helping to raise scholarship money for women. It’s so great to be part of an organization that empowers young women and helps them to raise money for their education.”