Roxanna Scott joins ESPN as Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief

Roxanna Scott, a veteran of more than two decades in the news industry, has joined ESPN in the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Editor in Chief.

Scott will lead ESPN’s Digital Editorial, Investigative & Enterprise Journalism and News Desk teams, responsible for shaping and executing ESPN’s editorial strategy across platforms, driving impactful journalism and ensuring ESPN maintains its leadership in sports storytelling, breaking news and accountability reporting.

Based at ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Conn., Scott will report to David Roberts, ESPN Executive Vice President, Executive Editor, Sports News and Entertainment. She begins her new role Jan. 5.

“Roxanna has had a distinguished career in journalism and has established herself as a strong and successful leader,” said Roberts. “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 led the sports department at USA Today from 2020 until July of 2025, serving as managing editor, executive editor and vice president. She spent 18 years at USA Today, assigning reporters and collaborating with teams across the newsroom in news, politics, visuals and entertainment. While there, she led coverage of nine Olympics and has covered 11 overall.

“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.”

Prior to joining USA Today, she worked at The Dallas Morning News as a sports copy editor, night editor and deputy sports editor. She joined the Morning News as an intern and was hired full time after graduating from the University of Iowa, where she was a sports reporter and editor at The Daily Iowan.

A native of Davenport, Iowa, Scott began working as a sports journalist at the age of 16 at her hometown newspaper, the Quad City Times, where she was hired as a sports part-timer to compile box scores on deadline. Most recently, she has been a managing editor for The Athletic.

A former president of the Association for Women in Sports Media, Scott 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 is also a board member of the Associated Press Sports Editors Foundation and The Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at the University of Maryland.

By: Andy Hall