Moises Naim
Global Political Analyst; Bestselling Author of The End of Power & The Revenge of Power; Former Editor-in-Chief, Foreign Policy; Distinguished Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Rashida Jones
CEO of Uncensored | First Black Woman to Lead a Major Cable News Network | Former President, MSNBC | 2x Emmy & 3x Murrow Award Winner
Rashida Jones ran an 800-person newsroom, managed $800 million in annual cash flow, and made history as the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network. As former President of MSNBC and now CEO of Uncensored, she has navigated media's most turbulent decade from the top. On stage, she translates that experience into hard-edged, practical leadership for any executive audience.
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Rashida Jones biography
Media speaker Rashida Jones is one of the most consequential media executives of her generation, a leader who has run an 800-person newsroom, managed roughly $800 million in annual operating cash flow, guided a major network through one of the most turbulent periods in the history of television news, and made history as the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network in the United States. Her career spans two decades of senior leadership across NBCUniversal, The Weather Channel, and local news operations, culminating in her appointment as President of MSNBC in 2020, a role she held until early 2025. She holds both a B.A. and an MBA from Hampton University, where she now serves on the Board of Directors.
At MSNBC, Jones took end-to-end responsibility for one of America’s most prominent news organizations and transformed it for the digital era. Under her leadership, the network expanded into streaming, social video, podcasts, newsletters, and live events, a full omnichannel pivot executed while maintaining sustained profitability through seismic industry disruption. She brokered landmark talent deals, including the widely reported agreement with anchor Rachel Maddow, and led coverage of defining national moments that drew record viewership. Her work earned two Emmy Awards, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the RTDNA 2022 First Amendment Award, recognizing her commitment to press freedom and editorial independence.
Building the Next Era of Media
After leaving MSNBC in January 2025, as the network prepared for its structural separation from Comcast, Jones founded Imagine Strategies, an advisory firm guiding media, sports, and technology enterprises through high-value mergers, acquisitions, and global expansion. In March 2026 she was appointed CEO of Uncensored, the digital-first media company founded by journalist Piers Morgan and backed by a $30 million round from Raine Ventures, Antenna Group, and the Reuben Brothers at a $130 million valuation. As CEO she leads the company’s global growth and its build-out into a multi-genre, talent-driven digital network, with new verticals spanning long-form interviews, sports, true crime, and more.
Beyond her executive roles, Jones chairs the CEO Council for World Leaders in Data and AI, serves on the boards of The Alliance for Women in Media, Hampton University, and the We Are Family Foundation, and holds fellowships at the Aspen Institute and the Knight Center for the Future of News at Arizona State University. As a speaker, Rashida Jones brings the hard-won perspective of a leader who has navigated disruption at the highest level, offering senior audiences concrete frameworks for building trust-based cultures, leading through uncertainty, and turning media and technology upheaval into strategic advantage.
Rashida Jones Speaking Videos
The stories that shape us: Why journalism still matters | Rashida Jones | TEDxBoston
Know Your Power: Rashida Jones, President of MSNBC
Rashida Jones Keynote Topics
Trust is not a soft ideal; it is an operational system. Drawing on her experience leading an 800-person newsroom through some of the most scrutinized news cycles in recent American history, Rashida Jones examines what it actually takes to build an organization people believe in. She unpacks the leadership behaviors, structural choices, and cultural investments that create accountability and resilience from the inside out, and what happens when they are missing. For any leader managing people through ambiguity, the session offers a rigorous, experience-grounded blueprint for the kind of organizational trust that performs when the stakes are highest.
Every industry is being disrupted, and most organizations respond by doubling down on what once worked or chasing the newest thing without a clear strategy. Jones draws on her years at the intersection of media, technology, and cultural change to argue that disruption, handled well, is not a threat but a forcing function for clarity. She shares the frameworks she applied at MSNBC to navigate streaming fragmentation, social media upheaval, and political polarization at once, and shows how any executive team can convert uncertainty into competitive advantage rather than existential anxiety.
The hardest part of digital transformation is rarely the technology; it is the leadership. Turning a legacy organization into a digital-first business while protecting the values, standards, and culture that made it worth transforming demands a particular executive discipline. Jones led exactly that transformation at MSNBC, launching streaming products, social video, podcasts, newsletters, and live events while keeping a complex, high-performing newsroom aligned. This session gives executives a field-tested framework for leading transformation that delivers results without destroying what made the organization worth saving.
What does it mean to be the first, and how does that shape the way you lead? In this candid keynote, Rashida Jones reflects on making history as the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network, the responsibilities that come with that distinction, and the broader argument for why diverse leadership produces better decisions, more resilient organizations, and more relevant products. This is not a talk about diversity as a values statement; it is a business case, made with the authority of someone who has lived it at the highest levels of American media.
FAQs on Booking Rashida Jones
Why Rashida Jones?
Booking Rashida Jones means bringing to your stage a leader who has actually run the room: a newsroom of 800 people, an $800 million operating budget, and one of America's most scrutinized media organizations during one of the most volatile periods in cable news history. She is the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network, a two-time Emmy winner, and a three-time Edward R. Murrow Award recipient. Her authority on leadership under pressure, organizational transformation, digital disruption, and trust-based culture is grounded not in theory but in the high-stakes decisions that defined her tenure at MSNBC, and in the entrepreneurial chapter she has entered since as CEO of Uncensored. For leadership summits, media industry events, women's executive forums, and transformation-focused conferences, she delivers with rare credibility and candor. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to check her availability for your next event.
What did Rashida Jones accomplish at MSNBC?
As President of MSNBC from 2020 to 2025, Rashida Jones made history as the first Black woman to lead a major cable news network in the United States. She oversaw an 800-person newsroom and roughly $800 million in annual operating cash flow while steering the network through a period of unprecedented industry disruption. Under her leadership, MSNBC drove a digital-first, omnichannel transformation, expanding into streaming, social video, podcasts, newsletters, and live events while maintaining sustained profitability. She brokered a widely reported deal with anchor Rachel Maddow, led the network to record viewership periods, and received two Emmy Awards, three Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the RTDNA 2022 First Amendment Award during her tenure.
What is Rashida Jones doing now?
Since leaving MSNBC in early 2025, Rashida Jones founded Imagine Strategies, an advisory firm serving media, sports, and technology companies on mergers, acquisitions, and content strategy. In March 2026 she was named CEO of Uncensored, the digital-first media company founded by journalist Piers Morgan, following a $30 million investment round from Raine Ventures, Antenna Group, and the Reuben Brothers at a $130 million valuation. As CEO she is leading the company's global expansion and its build-out into a multi-genre, talent-driven digital network spanning long-form interviews, sports, true crime, and more. She also chairs the CEO Council for World Leaders in Data and AI and holds fellowships at the Aspen Institute and the Knight Center for the Future of News at Arizona State University.
What topics does media speaker Rashida Jones cover?
Rashida Jones speaks on leadership under pressure, building high-trust organizational cultures, leading digital and media transformation, navigating disruption in fast-changing industries, the future of media and journalism, and women's executive leadership. Her talks draw directly from her experience managing one of America's most prominent news organizations, advising on global media M&A, and leading a next-generation digital media company. She is equally compelling for media industry audiences, corporate leadership summits, and women's leadership forums. Reach out to Aurum Speakers Bureau to explore the right format for your event and confirm her availability.
How to book Rashida Jones as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Rashida Jones as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Rashida Jones's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Rashida Jones or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Rashida Jones speaking fee?
Rashida Jones speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Rashida Jones to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Rashida Jones.
How can I contact Rashida Jones?
We only work with Rashida Jones on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Rashida Jones and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Rashida Jones speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Rashida Jones for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Rashida Jones for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Rashida Jones is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Rashida Jones for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
