Betsy Fischer Martin Executive Director, Women & Politics Institute and Executive in Residence Government
- Degrees
- MA, American University
BA, American University - Bio
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Betsy Fischer Martin is an Emmy-winning journalist and TV news executive. Currently she is Executive Director of AU School of Public Affairs' Women & Politics Institute and an SPA Executive in Residence. She also founded her own consulting business, Fischer Martin Media, where she specializes in providing media training to corporate executives. In the fall of 2023, she was a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics where she conducted a weekly seminar on the presidential election.
During her earlier career in television news, she was the Managing Editor of NBC News Political Programming, where she was responsible for the development and execution of network political coverage. Before being promoted to the executive role at NBC News in 2013, Fischer Martin was the executive producer of the top-rated Sunday morning public affairs program, Meet the Press with Tim Russert, for 11 years. Overall, her tenure with the program extended over 22 years, beginning as an internship during her senior year of college at American University.
She serves as immediate past president of Washington’s International Women’s Forum and is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is an alumni member of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum.
- See Also
- SPA Women & Politics Institute
- For the Media
- To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.
Teaching
Fall 2024
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GOVT-461 Politics in the TV Age
Spring 2025
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SPA-085 Topics in Public Affairs: Media Skills Training
AU Experts
Area of Expertise
Women and politics, gender gap in politics, media, campaigns, elections, U.S. political process
Additional Information
Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women & Politics Institute, spent 23 years at NBC News, including 11 years as the executive producer of “Meet the Press.” For almost two decades, she worked closely with the late Tim Russert, producing his headline-making interviews and serving as his producer for NBC’s coverage of special events and four presidential elections. In 2013, she became the managing editor for NBC News Political Programming. She also served as the Washington contributing editor for MORE magazine, interviewing female political leaders about policy issues, women’s empowerment, and leadership. During the 2016 election cycle, Fischer Martin was a contributor to Bloomberg Politics where she co-hosted a political podcast “Masters in Politics.” Most recently, Fischer Martin served as SPA’s executive-in-residence, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, sharing her expertise in political journalism.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.