American business mogul Rashida Jones previously presided over MSNBC, a cable news network. There has never been a Black woman before her to head up a major cable news network.
Background and schooling
Jones was the eldest of three children born to Richard and Alice Adkins. Her childhood was spent in York, Pennsylvania. She became the student newspaper editor at Henrico High School in Richmond, Virginia, after her family relocated there.
Jones earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Hampton University. In 2002, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media Arts from Hampton University. Jones created a journalism scholarship endowment to Hampton University in 2022.
Her career began in 2002, while she was a senior in college, when she worked as a morning show producer at WTKR in Norfolk, va. Eventually, she became director of live programming in 2009 after working for a while there. She then moved on to produce weekends for The Weather Channel.
Afterwards, Jones was the news director at WIS-TV in Columbia, SC, before relocating to New York to serve as an executive producer for MSNBC's daytime programming. Afterwards, she held the positions of managing editor at MSNBC and senior vice president of specials for NBC News and MSNBC. In her previous jobs, she oversaw dayside and weekend news programming on MSNBC and oversaw coverage of significant events and breaking news on both networks. With the help of a criminal justice special shot inside the Sing Sing correctional prison, Jones broadened the town-hall concept's audience. She oversaw a change in coverage priorities at NBC News and MSNBC, moving the network's attention away from the election and toward the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jones became the first African-American woman to head a major cable news network on February 1, 2021, when she succeeded Phil Griffin as president of MSNBC. Her departure from the network was announced on January 14, 2025. Up until March of 2025, Jones will serve as an advisor for the network.
Awards and recognition
The Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications has inducted Jones into its Hall of Fame.
It was in 2020 that Variety recognized her in their New York Women's Impact Report.
Jones received the first-ever Media Leadership Award in October 2022 from the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University.
The Scripps Howard School of Journalism & Communications at Hampton University honored Jones with the Achievement of Excellence Award in February 2023, and he was the featured speaker at the 20th anniversary gala that same year.
Jones was honored with the Leonard Zeidenberg First Amendment Award on March 2, 2023, by the Radio Television Digital News Foundation.
In recognition of "her outstanding contributions to the area of journalism and her unwavering dedication to teaching and mentoring future generations," Jones was bestowed an honorary doctorate by the University of the District of Columbia on May 11, 2024.
Life outside of work Jones has a son and a daughter from a previous marriage. Edward Fisher, an official at American University in charge of community and government relations, is her partner. After graduating in 2023, she joined the Delta Sigma Theta sorority as an honorary member.