In a note to newsroom staff, Edith Chapin, Executive Editor of NPR News, announced this staffing update:
I am delighted to announce that Shirley Henry will become Chief Washington Editor, leading the Washington desk and the 2020 election campaign coverage. As we further ramp up our election work while staying focused on the current administration, Shirley is poised to lead the team to break stories and provide the daily reporting, enterprise and context that our audience has come to expect.
Shirley has impressed everyone in her role as Deputy Washington Editor since her arrival from CNN more than four years ago. In addition to directly managing and editing the White House team, she has co-edited the Politics Podcast and brought a high degree of planning and coordination to the desk's coverage. Her multi-platform experience meshed perfectly with the desk leadership in adopting a story first approach to reporting.
Prior to NPR her extensive experience at CNN's Washington bureau included supervision of teams reporting on National Security, homeland security and the Justice Department as well as producing Inside Politics, then the only hour-long live cable show devoted solely to political news. Shirley also spent five years as the senior news manager overseeing all Washington newsgathering on weekends.
Shirley has a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown and dual Bachelor's degrees from Boston University in Journalism and International Relations, including a summer spent in St. Petersburg, Russia.
Congratulations Shirley!
Edith
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