Sally Buzbee named Associated Press executive editor

Sally Buzbee, a veteran journalist with deep experience leading both international and U.S. news coverage, has been named executive editor and senior vice president of The Associated Press.

Buzbee's appointment is effective Jan. 1. She will oversee a global news operation that includes journalists working in more than 260 locations in 106 countries to deliver text, video and photo coverage.

"The AP's mission of strong, impartial, fact-based journalism has never been more important," Buzbee said. "My colleagues are the most talented and committed journalists in the world, rededicating themselves to that mission each day. It is a privilege to be a part of this team as we dive into the future."

Buzbee replaces Kathleen Carroll, AP's top editor since 2002, who announced her plans to leave the job earlier this year.

Buzbee has led the AP's Washington bureau for the past six years, responsible for guiding coverage of national politics and foreign affairs.

She previously spent five years as the AP's Middle East editor, based in Cairo, overseeing coverage of the Iraq war and other stories in one of the globe's most challenging regions for newsgathering.

"Sally's leadership and extensive history with the AP make her the perfect candidate to take the helm as executive editor," said AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt. "Sally's focused vision will guide our news content in all formats well into the future."

Buzbee, originally from Olathe, Kansas, joined the AP in 1988 as a reporter in Topeka. She moved to San Diego as the news agency's correspondent before relocating to the Washington bureau in 1995. Buzbee reported on education and politics in Washington, and was eventually promoted to assistant chief of bureau, responsible for overseeing coverage of foreign affairs and national security.

In 2004, Buzbee was named AP's Middle East editor, in charge of news reporting, staffing and logistics for a region covering 16 countries. In addition to Iraq, she led coverage of the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah, the Darfur crisis and the growth of terrorist cells in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and elsewhere.

In early 2010, she was promoted to deputy managing editor in charge of building out AP's Nerve Center, a hub created at the agency's New York headquarters to work with regional and department leaders around the world to ensure comprehensive coverage. Later that year, she was named chief of the Washington bureau, where she continued efforts to accelerate delivery of news for readers on mobile and social platforms.

In Washington, Buzbee oversaw coverage of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections, the White House, Congress, the Pentagon and the bureau's polling and investigative teams.

Buzbee earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University.