Award-Winning journalist Adam Verdugo, who currently serves as executive story editor of the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL, has been promoted to executive producer, it was announced today by Neeraj Khemlani, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations. Verdugo will lead the venerable CBS News broadcast from Washington, D.C. beginning June 13.

Verdugo has worked closely with O’Donnell for more than a decade. He has been integral in her coverage of numerous breaking news events, presidential election nights, the Jan. 6 insurrection and exclusive interviews with newsmakers in sports, entertainment, business and politics, including Presidents Biden, George W. Bush and Vice President Pence. Verdugo has contributed to the program’s award-winning investigation into sexual assault in the U.S. military. He also co-produced O’Donnell’s 60 MINUTES pieces on how auto manufacturers were using its factories to make PPE and ventilators during the pandemic as well as her interview with whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright, who was ousted by the Trump administration after he raised concerns over the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. This year, Verdugo helped launch and currently executive produces the CBS News streaming program PERSON TO PERSON with Norah O’Donnell.

“Adam is an experienced, innovative leader with a proven track record of producing a wide-range of significant events and interviews for CBS News’ weekday programs as well as long form pieces and the reboot of Edward R. Murrow’s iconic franchise ‘Person to Person’ for the CBS News Streaming Network,” said Khemlani. “As we move into the midterms, his extensive experience booking and producing political coverage over the last decade will also be invaluable in continuing the EVENING NEWS’ momentum.”

Verdugo’s experience at CBS News spans three CBS News bureaus, managing teams in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. He joined the Network in 2013 as a senior producer for “CBS This Morning” based in Los Angeles, before moving to New York in 2017 to oversee talent bookings. Previously, Verdugo and O’Donnell worked together at NBC News, beginning in 2007 in the lead up to the historic presidential election of Barack Obama. 

“On the road, at an interview, and during every broadcast, Adam is the trusted colleague you want by your side. He is a calm and steady leader with keen journalistic instincts,” O’Donnell said. “His editorial vision will help the CBS EVENING NEWS continue to excel and expand the reach of our impactful storytelling.”

Verdugo’s appointment comes as the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL is in the closest competitive position with NBC in the key demographic of adults 25-54 in 27 years.

Verdugo was part of the launch team of the CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O’DONNELL in 2019 and served as executive story editor. He helped develop franchises including the “Profiles in Service,” which features everyday Americans and U.S. military service members who dedicate their lives to helping others. 

Verdugo has traveled with O’Donnell to help coordinate her coverage of major stories where she reported from the scene, including the Tops Supermarket shooting in Buffalo, N.Y.; the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas; the memorial services for George Floyd in Minneapolis and Houston; the deadly tornadoes in Mayfield, Ky.; the beachfront condo building collapse in Surfside, Fla.; and the first in-depth look at the conditions inside the Ursula migrant processing facility in McAllen, Texas. He’s also worked overseas with O’Donnell as she covered international stories, including her recent reporting of the refugee crisis on the Ukraine-Poland border, the Biden-Putin summit in Geneva, Switzerland, and her 2019 interview with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Saudi Arabia.

In 2018, he helped secure exclusive, behind-the-scenes access that chronicled the aftermath of the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which culminated with the Emmy Award-winning CBS primetime special 39 DAYS. In 2019, he and the “CBS This Morning” team were responsible for a number of major exclusive interviews, including Gayle King’s interview with disgraced recording artist R. Kelly.

Previously at NBC, Verdugo produced stories across the country and the globe, including the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and the royal wedding in London. He traveled the country covering the 2010 midterm elections as a digital journalist covering key political races. He later served as a senior producer on “Meet the Press.”

A native of Southern California, he played Division I football at the College of the Holy Cross, where he received a bachelor’s degree in political science while minoring in economics-accounting.

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