ESPN has appointed veteran journalist Roxanna Scott as its new Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief, the company announced. In the newly created role, Scott will oversee ESPN’s Digital Editorial, Investigative & Enterprise Journalism, and News Desk teams, shaping the network’s editorial strategy across platforms and guiding its coverage of breaking news, investigative reporting, and sports storytelling.
Scott, who will be based at ESPN’s Bristol headquarters and report to David Roberts, ESPN Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Sports News and Entertainment, officially assumes the position January 5.
“Roxanna has had a distinguished career in journalism and has established herself as a strong and successful leader,” Roberts said in a statement. “Her experience and knowledge will make her a tremendous asset to our journalism, and we look forward to having her voice in our building.”
Scott brings more than two decades of experience in sports journalism. Most recently, she served as managing editor and executive editor at USA Today. There, she led the sports department from 2020 until July 2025. During her 18-year tenure at the national newspaper, she assigned reporters and collaborated across newsroom teams in news, politics, visuals, and entertainment. She also oversaw coverage of nine Olympic Games and 11 in total.
“It’s an honor to lead the newsroom at ESPN, the global leader in sports news,” Scott said. “I’ve long admired the talented and dogged reporters who break news, covering the biggest stories in all of sports. I look forward to serving ESPN’s massive audience with coverage that is exclusive, informative and innovative while continuing to raise the standard for excellent journalism.”
Before her time at USA Today, Scott worked at The Dallas Morning News as a sports copy editor, night editor, and deputy sports editor. She began there as an intern after graduating from the University of Iowa. At Iowa, she served as sports reporter and editor for The Daily Iowan. A Davenport, Iowa, native, she started in journalism at age 16 as a part-time sports reporter at the Quad City Times.
Scott has also held leadership roles in the broader journalism community. A former president of the Association for Women in Sports Media, she currently serves on the professional advisory board for the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023. She also sits on the boards of the Associated Press Sports Editors Foundation and The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland.
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