As an award-winning anchor and correspondent, Elizabeth Vargas has traveled the world covering breaking news stories, reporting in-depth investigations and conducting newsmaker interviews. During the historic Iraqi elections in December 2005, she anchored World News Tonight from Baghdad, and anchored for both World News Tonight and 20/20 from the U.S. Gulf Coast, covering Hurricane Katrina's devastation. Vargas has also anchored ABC News coverage of live, breaking news stories including the deaths of President Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy, Jr. She won an Emmy in 2000 for Outstanding Instant Coverage of a News Story for anchoring live coverage of the Elian Gonzalez case.
Vargas has been credited by the New York Times as reinvigorating the newsmagazine format with her "intellectually brave" reporting. In addition to her many incisive investigations, Vargas’ 2001 exclusive interview with the owners of two dogs that killed a San Francisco woman was so revealing, prosecutors in the case say it was critical to winning convictions against the couple. Vargas was previously the anchor of World News Tonight Sunday and was also a frequent substitute anchor on Good Morning America. Previously a correspondent for 20/20 and Primetime Thursday and a co-anchor of Primetime Monday, Vargas joined ABC News from NBC News, where she was a correspondent and anchor, primarily for Dateline NBC and the Today show.
SPEAKER TOPICS
ABOUT Elizabeth Vargas (+/-)
Intelligent and Insightful Investigative Reporting
As an anchor and reporter for several ABC News specials, Elizabeth Vargas has brought clarity, intelligence and insight to many of today’s most complex cases. She led an examination of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a young man whose murder gained national attention as an anti-gay crime. In July 2003, she hosted "In the Shadow of Laci Peterson", an ABC News special that examined the disappearances of several young women in northern California and why their stories failed to attract significant media attention. In November 2003, she anchored "Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci", an hour investigating many theories raised in the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code.
Covering the Most Important Stories of Our Time
Vargas’ international coverage has sent her across the globe including Beslan, Russia, where she found stories of hope after rebels attacked a school and killed more than 300 people, over half of them children. She also reported from the Middle East for a special on the resurrection of Jesus; and reported from Cambodia on the plight of orphans and questionable international adoption practices there. Prior to joining ABC News, Vargas served as substitute co-anchor and news anchor for NBC News' Today show and as a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of NBC Nightly News. Vargas joined NBC News in 1993 as a correspondent for the NBC newsmagazine Now With Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric.
SPEAKER TOPIC DESCRIPTIONS (+/-)
This is a timely look at the domestic and international scene with context and political analysis to better understand this moment in history and where the future may lead. With her signature wit and style, Vargas engages audiences with her global perspective of the latest hot spots and world issues.
Drawing from her nearly four decades as an international journalist, Vargas discusses the roles and responsibilities of the continually-evolving media in our dynamic and fast-paced society.
Vargas shares her experiences growing up as the daughter of Puerto Rican and Irish-American parents, the struggles she overcame and continues to confront, and openly reveals personal anecdotes as a wife, working mother and Hispanic-American.
