ABC News is losing another veteran executive. Tom Nagorski, who is currently managing editor for international coverage, will depart the company in September to become executive VP of The Asia Society.
Nagorski joined ABC News in 1983 as an intern, and since that time has reported from across the globe in Cuba, Russia, China and the Middle East, among many other places.
In a memo to staffers this afternoon, ABC News president Ben Sherwood thanked Nagorski by recalling this story:
On a Sunday we all remember last May, Tom was sitting on a plane preparing to depart for an overseas trip when the news broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed. He convinced a flight attendant to open the cabin door and let him off the plane so he could come to work, proving his commitment to ABC News is only matched by his power of persuasion.
It is the second high-profile ABC News announced this week, with longtime producer Jon Banner announcing his plans to join PepsiCo.
From Ben Sherwood:
I want to share some news about our friend and colleague Tom Nagorski.
Tom let me know recently that he intends to change professional paths and has accepted a prestigious new post as executive vice president of the Asia Society.
In 1983, Tom started at ABC as an intern at 20/20. Not long after in 1987, he was part of a landmark trip to the Soviet Union for ABC News, a journey that marked the first of so many overseas projects he would undertake.
Over the years Tom served as ABC News Producer in Frankfurt, Berlin and Moscow, and during those tours he reported on the fall of communism, the tides of war in the Middle East, the famine and U.S. military intervention in Somalia, and a great many other stories.
In 1993 he returned stateside to work for Peter Jennings as Foreign Editor of World News Tonight — a role that took Tom beyond our shores again, from Cuba to Mexico, Iran to India, from Russia to China and once again to the Middle East. Later Tom served as Senior Broadcast Producer for both Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer before joining the Foreign Desk as Managing Editor.
For the past two years Tom’s steady hand has guided and championed the news division’s award-winning international coverage of the Arab revolutions, the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan. As the story in Fukashima unfolded, Tom worked around the clock coordinating our coverage and assuring all of our people were taking the proper safety precautions, pausing only to take brief naps in his office.
On a Sunday we all remember last May, Tom was sitting on a plane preparing to depart for an overseas trip when the news broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed. He convinced a flight attendant to open the cabin door and let him off the plane so he could come to work, proving his commitment to ABC News is only matched by his power of persuasion.
When Tom speaks up for a story, he commands our attention because his deep voice resonates with the great heritage, mission and highest standards of ABC News.
Tom’s last day with ABC will be September 13. Marcus Wilford, a long-time ABC News producer and former London Bureau Chief will step in as acting Managing Editor for international coverage until a replacement is named.
Please join me in thanking Tom for his excellent and dedicated service and wishing him well in this exciting new venture.