Teri Brown-Walker has announced her immediate resignation as National Director for Universe Guyana and Co-Director for Universe Ghana, ending what she described as an “extraordinary journey” marked by both proud achievements and deep concerns about the current state of international pageantry.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Brown-Walker said her decision followed mounting issues relating to transparency in the contestant selection process, inconsistent and rising franchise fees that disproportionately affect smaller countries, and troubling restrictions imposed on national directors.
The most serious concern, she said, was pressure placed on directors to choose between the Miss Universe and Miss Cosmo pageant systems—pressure she described as accompanied by threats and a disregard for her financial and contractual obligations.
“What became truly untenable was when democracy and free will were replaced with threats, restrictions, and pressure to choose between the Miss Universe and Miss Cosmo systems,” Brown-Walker wrote. “Pageantry should be about opportunity, dignity, and empowerment—not intimidation.”
Despite these challenges—and even as she battled kidney cancer—Brown-Walker said she continued to act in the best interests of her delegates. She sent representatives to both Miss Universe in Thailand and Miss Cosmo in Vietnam “freely and without coercion,” insisting that integrity, not fear, guided her decisions.
She noted that her commitment has always been to the young women representing the brands, including Miss Universe Guyana, Miss Universe Ghana and Miss Cosmo Guyana. Her resignation, she said, reflects a desire to preserve the values she believes should define pageantry: transparency, fairness and respect.
Brown-Walker said she remains open to future opportunities within the Universe organisation, but only under conditions that are free of threats or undue pressure. Her long-term commitment, she added, is to speak out against wrongdoing and advocate for the values of the industry she grew to love.
Looking ahead, she revealed that her next major project will be a tell-all book, promising “truths and personal experiences” from her years as a state and national pageant director.
“I will forever cherish the meaningful moments from my tenure,” she said. “My guiding principle has always been: ‘A woman who stands for nothing will fall for anything.’”
She closed her statement with a hope that one day the industry can reunite “in fairness and love” for pageantry.
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