Norah O'Donnell
2024 Speaker • 6 p.m. March 21, 2024 • Miller Concert Hall
Norah O'Donnell is the anchor and managing editor of the “CBS Evening News,” the oldest and most revered evening news broadcast in America. She also anchors all of CBS News Election Specials and is a “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent.
O’Donnell is a multiple Emmy Award-winning journalist with nearly three decades of experience covering the biggest stories in the world and conducting impactful, news making interviews. She has covered seven presidential elections and interviewed every living President of the United States.
Recently, O’Donnell has taken the “CBS Evening News” broadcast across the world to provide viewers with a first-hand look at some of the most important stories of our time. O’Donnell was the first American journalist to travel to the Red Sea to report on the rising tensions in the Middle East. She also reported from Tel Aviv to cover the deadly war between Israel and Hamas, in addition to visiting Maui to cover the deadliest wildfires in the U.S. in over a century. Over the past year, she has interviewed major figures shaping politics, culture, and foreign affairs, including presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, retired General Mark Milley, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, and global icon Dolly Parton, among others.
O’Donnell is the only woman to anchor an evening news broadcast. Before taking over that role, she anchored CBS News’ morning television program in New York for more than seven years. During her distinguished career, she has covered the White House, Congress, and the Pentagon.
Born into a military family, O'Donnell grew up in San Antonio, Texas; Landstuhl, Germany; Seoul, South Korea and Washington, D.C. O’Donnell is currently writing a book on a female-focused retelling of American history that will feature women who have been forgotten from our country’s narrative. The book will be published by Ballantine in the first half of 2026.
O’Donnell is a graduate of Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences and received a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy as well as a Master of Arts in liberal studies. She is married to the bacon-loving Geoff Tracy, otherwise known as Chef Geoff, and is the mother of three children.
