Marie Nelson

Marie Nelson serves as senior vice president of Integrated Content Strategy for ABC News. In this position, she leads the brand and reporting strategy for building multicultural audiences, strengthening engagement between the network and viewers, readers and listeners. Nelson also collaborates with ABC News division leaders to develop senior-level talent and employees that reflect ABC News’ global audience.

Prior to ABC, Nelson was the vice president for News and Independent Film at PBS, where she led programming strategy for PBS news and documentary film series. She served as creative executive of new public affairs and documentary series including, “Breaking Big,” “Point Taken,” “#MeTooNowWhat” and “In Principle.” Nelson also drove the programming strategy around PBS election coverage in 2016 and 2018. She was the PBS executive for films, including “I Am Not Your Negro,” “Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” and “Minding the Gap.”

Before PBS, Nelson served as executive producer of national programs at WGBH in Boston where she helmed several national productions, including “America by the Numbers,” a documentary series that explored the impact of America’s changing demographics. Nelson also executive produced a live town hall, America After Ferguson.

Preceding her work at WGBH, Nelson worked for Viacom/BET Networks as acting vice president and executive producer of News & Original Programming, where she led a long-form news unit and served as creative executive on television and digital projects.

Nelson has also co-launched and executive produced “Tell Me More with Michel Martin,” NPR’s daily news program. Previously, she produced for ABC News’ “World News Tonight” and “Nightline,” and worked for AllAfrica Global Media as vice president for Business Development.

In addition to her extensive media experience, Nelson has served government, nonprofit and development organizations throughout her career. Nelson directed the public diplomacy and communications efforts for the office of President Barack Obama’s Special Envoy to Sudan at the U.S. Department of State, created an elections SMS/text messaging project that enabled Sudanese voters to report election irregularities during the South Sudan referendum, directed a governance training initiative for newly elected officials, and a professional and educational development program for college students in the aftermath of South Africa’s first post-apartheid national election. During her tenure as the Washington Bureau Chief and International Affairs Director for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition (RPC), she planned and executed the international mission that resulted in the release of three U.S. POWs during the international conflict in Kosovo.

Nelson holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts in political science and women’s studies from Duke University. Her work has been recognized by the Emmy® and Peabody Awards, the Asian American Journalists Association, the Imagen Awards and the National Association of Black Journalists.