Libby Leist

Libby Leist is the Executive Vice President of TODAY and Lifestyle. In this role, Leist oversees the TODAY brand which includes NBC News’ TODAY, TODAY.com and the streaming channel TODAY All Day. She is responsible for managing brand editorial content, business development, ad sales, marketing and e-commerce.  

A 22-year veteran of NBC News, Leist was the Executive Producer of NBC News’ TODAY for the 7, 8 and 9 a.m. hours, from January 2018 through January 2021. Leist was responsible for the program content of TODAY, and she led the broadcast’s management team and staff.  Under Leist’s leadership, TODAY won the Daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Morning Show” in 2020. 

She was also a producer for two major political events in 2020 - a live presidential town hall with Donald Trump moderated by Savannah Guthrie and the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump moderated by Kristen Welker.  

Leist started at TODAY in 2013 as a senior producer overseeing the 7 a.m. hour. In that role, she oversaw day-to-day programming. She also led the show’s political coverage and special events, including TODAY’s historic broadcast from inside the White House in 2016 and three presidential candidate town halls. She was instrumental in the production of major show events including TODAY’s coverage of the Sochi Winter Olympics, the Summer Olympic Games in Rio and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.  

Leist began her career at NBC News in 2001 as a desk assistant in NBC’s Washington Bureau. Over the course of twelve years, she became Andrea Mitchell’s State Department producer – a role for which she traveled the world – and then took on several senior producer roles in the bureau, including MSNBC’s The Daily Rundown and Capitol Hill producer. During that time, Leist produced interviews with President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.  

Leist hails from Utica, New York and graduated from Cornell University. She resides in Connecticut. Leist is on Twitter @libbyleist.