Celebrating Women's History Month at NPR

Founding Mothers

We must start our "Women's History Month" tribute with a special thank you to NPR's Founding Mothers: Cokie Roberts, Linda Wertheimer, Nina Totenberg and Susan Stamberg. Who paved the way for women at NPR and in broadcasting.

"...along the way I made lifelong friends, covering Congress and politics and campaigns with the late brilliant Cokie Roberts who was a great partner and Nina Totenberg, the best Supreme Court correspondent there is. For years, the three of us sat in the corner of the newsroom and presided over what some of our colleagues called the Fallopian Jungle. We thought it was a nice nod to the fact that NPR put so many women on the radio..." (Linda Wertheimer's retirement note in 2024.)

"...this was the only place I had ever worked where I wasn't either the only woman or one of two... And it was an amazing thing to work with lots of other women. And, of course, you know, the only reason they hired lots of women by and large was because they could afford us. No man would have worked for what we worked for. " NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg to Michel Martin in a 2021 interview.

Industry Firsts

NPR is an organization with a long tradition of women who break down barriers and lead the way, here are some examples of "industry firsts" from NPR women:

• Susan Stamberg: Special Correspondent. Former host, All Things Considered. Former host, Weekend Edition Sunday. Currently special correspondent. First woman in America to anchor a national network nightly news broadcast.

• Linda Wertheimer. Former host, All Things Considered. First broadcast director of All Things Considered. First person to broadcast live from inside the United States Senate chamber. First woman in America to anchor network coverage of a presidential nomination convention and of election night.
• Pauline Frederick. First woman to moderate a presidential debate in 1976.

Women's voices on the air today

Below is a list of the women who hosts NPR's news magazines and podcasts today, we are grateful for their remarkable work helping all of us to make sense of world events and --in the words of Bill Siemering's 1970 Purposes-- to find "understanding, meaning and joy in the human experience."

Ailsa Chang, Co-host, All Things Considered

Aisha Harris, Co-host, Pop Culture Happy Hour

Amanda Aronczyk, Co-host, Planet Money

Anamaria Sayre, Co-host, Alt. Latino

Asma Khalid, Co-Host, NPR Politics Podcast

Ayesha Rascoe, Co-Host, Weekend Edition & Up First

BA Parker, Co-host, Code Switch

Brittany Luse, Host, It's Been a Minute

Deepa Fernandes, Co-host, Here & Now

Emily Kwong, Co-host, Short Wave

Erika Beras, Co-host, Planet Money

Juana Summers, Co-host, All Things Considered

Kelly MvEvers, Host, Embedded

Leila Fadel, Co-host, Morning Edition & Up First

Linda Holmes, Co-host, Pop Culture Happy Hour

Lori Lizarraga, Co-host, Code Switch

Manoush Zomorodi, Host, Ted Radio Hour

Marielle Segarra, Host, Life Kit

Mary Childs, Co-host, Planet Money

Mary Louise Kelly, Co-host, All Things Considered

Michel Martin, Co-host, Morning Edition & Up First

Rachel Martin, Host, Morning Edition (Former)

Regina Barber, Co-host, Short Wave

Rund Abdelfatah, Co-host, Throughline

Sarah Gonzalez, Co-host, Planet Money

Sidney Madden, Co-host, Louder Than a Riot

Stacey Vanek Smith, Co-host, Indicator, Planet Money

Terry Gross, Co-host, Fresh Air

Tonya Mosley, Co-host, Fresh Air