NPR recently announced that it has appointed Eva Rodriguez as its next vice president and executive editor.

Effectively, she will now be at the helm of the network’s global journalistic operations and report to NPR Editor-in-Chief Edith Chapin. 

The veteran Latina newsroom leader joins NPR after her own tenure as editor-in-chief of The Fuller Project, a nonprofit newsroom that covers issues affecting women worldwide. 

Prior to joining The Fuller Project, she held various leadership positions at The Washington Post and The New York Times. During her time as The Washington Post’s deputy foreign editor, Rodriguez led teams that won awards for their coverage of corruption in Mexico and the growth of cities in Africa. 

She now brings her newsroom experience and background in domestic and international news to NPR. 

“I felt that with NPR, I could bring all of myself and all of my experiences to bear on what we do on a daily basis," Rodriguez said in an interview with NPR. “There's just nothing off the table, and there's something really, really appealing about that.”

In her new role, she hopes to grow NPR’s audiences and bring in listeners who “haven’t had the chance to get hooked on NPR” the way that she did several years ago.

Despite having so much experience in several different newsrooms, it was her most recent work at The Fuller Project that reinforced her commitment to mission-driven newsrooms.

“NPR has a broader, different mission, but a mission nonetheless — and one grounded in public service. And that is really important to me,” Rodriguez added. 

Rodriguez is a first-generation Cuban American who earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida. 

She joins NPR during a time of upheaval for the public media network. Earlier this year, NPR reduced its staff by 10% due to a steep decline in podcast sponsorships and broader financial challenges for the media industry as a whole.

NPR has also undergone some recent leadership changes. Rodriguez’s predecessor as executive editor, Terence Samuel, stepped down from his role in late June after accepting a new role leading USA Today. 

NPR Editor-in-Chief Edith Chapin wrote in a note to NPR staff last week that she believes Rodriguez’s “deep and varied” journalism career will serve as an asset to the network.

“The breadth and depth of Eva’s experience both in areas covered and organizations she has worked in will serve us well,” Chapin said. 

Rodriguez will officially begin her new role as vice president and executive editor at NPR on Monday, Sept. 11, 2023.