Commencement set for May 22, 2022 at Raleigh girls' school
RALEIGH, NC - Saint Mary’s School is pleased to announce Raleigh native Susan LaSalla, an Emmy Award winning producer who retired from NBC News after 42 years of service, as its 2022 commencement speaker. Ms. LaSalla will deliver the commencement address at graduation for the school’s 180th academic year, Sunday, May 22, 2022.
Susan LaSalla
In February 2009, Susan LaSalla retired from NBC News after 42 years of service. Her last 16 years were as the Washington senior producer of The Today Show for which she awarded two National Emmys.
In her last position, she was responsible for NBC correspondents’ stories and interviews with Presidents, Cabinet heads, Congressional members, and anything that happened in our nation's capital.
LaSalla oversaw coverage as a Today Show senior producer for shows on location in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; Iraq; Afghanistan and Doha, and Qatar for the second Gulf War.
Also, on her agenda were shows in St. Petersburg, Russia, and Havana, Cuba; several interviews with President and Mrs. Bush; and the first ever live broadcast off the deck of an aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
During political campaign years, LaSalla covered 16 national political conventions, eight of which she was the senior producer for The Today Show. She has covered every presidential inauguration since 1968, again being senior producer for four inaugurations for The Today Show coverage. She covered six presidential state funerals.
During the 2008 political campaign, LaSalla was Tim Russert’s stage producer for all NBC News presidential primary and general election debates.
Prior to coming to The Today Show, she was the NBC News White House producer for the first two years of the Clinton Administration, traveling hundreds of thousands of miles.
LaSalla did two tours of duty, totaling 11 years with NBC News in Chicago, first as a field producer for NBC Nightly News and The Today Show, before becoming Midwest bureau chief responsible for coverage in 24 states.
The invasion of Grenada began a trend of her covering revolutions, invasions, and wars.
Following Chicago, she became Southeast U.S./Latin American bureau chief based in Miami. It was during that time that she covered the invasion of Panama, various Central American uprisings/revolutions, and the first Gulf War working with Tom Brokaw, and the liberation of Kuwait.
Ms. LaSalla is the great-aunt of Saint Mary’s students Dimney Rideout ’22, a member of the graduating class of 2022, and Mary Susan Rideout, a member of the Class of 2024.
About Saint Mary’s School: Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, North Carolina, is an independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day school dedicated to academic excellence and personal achievement for girls in grades 9-12. Founded in 1842, the historic, residential 23-acre campus is located in the heart of North Carolina’s capital city of Raleigh. With a mission to prepare girls for college and life, Saint Mary’s immerses girls in a dynamic learning environment offering both hands-on classroom learning and opportunities for real-world experiences. Graduates leave Saint Mary’s prepared to flourish in college, continue a path of servant leadership, take on future challenges, and lead with purpose. Saint Mary’s School inspires girls to step outside their comfort zones, engage their minds, amplify their voices, and discover who they are and who they want to become. For more information, visit www.sms.edu.
For information, contact Mary-Virginia Swain at 919-424-4034 or mvswain@sms.edu.
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