MARIE NELSON serves as the Senior Vice President, Integrated Content Strategy,  for ABC News. In this position she leads the brand and reporting strategy for building  multicultural audiences, strengthening engagement between the network and viewers, readers and listeners. Nelson also collaborates with ABC News division leaders to  develop senior-level talent and employees that reflect ABC News’ global audience. Prior to ABC, Nelson was the Vice President for News and Independent Film at PBS,  where she led programming strategy for PBS news and documentary film series. She  served as creative executive of new public affairs and documentary series including,  Breaking Big, Point Taken, #MeTooNowWhat, and In Principle. Nelson also drove the  programming strategy around PBS election coverage in 2016 and 2018. She was the PBS  executive for films, including I Am Not Your Negro, Black Panthers: Vanguard of the  Revolution, and Minding the Gap. Before PBS, Nelson served as executive producer of  41 BLACK ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS LAWYERS ASSOCIATION national programs at WGBH in Boston where she helmed several national productions, including America by the Numbers,  a documentary series that explored the impact of America’s changing demographics. Nelson also executive produced a live  Town hall, America After Ferguson.

Preceding her work at WGBH, Nelson worked for Viacom/BET Networks as acting Vice President and Executive Producer  of News & Original Programming, where she led a long-form news unit and served as creative executive on television and  digital projects.

Nelson has also co-launched and executive produced Tell Me More with Michel Martin, NPR's daily news program.  Previously she produced for ABC News’ World News Tonight and Nightline and worked for AllAfrica Global Media as Vice  President for Business Development. In addition to her extensive media experience, Nelson has served government, nonprofit  and development organizations throughout her career. Nelson directed the public diplomacy and communications efforts  for the Office of President Barack Obama’s Special Envoy to Sudan at the U.S. Department of State, created an Elections SMS/ Text Messaging project that enabled Sudanese voters to report election irregularities during the South Sudan referendum,  and she directed a governance training initiative for newly elected officials and a professional and educational development  program for college students in the aftermath of South Africa’s first post-apartheid national election. During her tenure as the  Washington Bureau Chief and International Affairs Director for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition (RPC), she planned and executed  the international mission that resulted in the release of 3 U.S. POWs during the international conflict in Kosovo.

Nelson holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and an A.B. in Political Science and  Women's Studies from Duke University. Her work has been recognized by the Emmy and Peabody Awards, the Asian American  Journalists Association, the Imagen Awards and the National Association of Black Journalists.