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Amna Nawaz (US Journalist )
Amna Nawaz salary is a topic many people search for — and it makes sense, because she is one of the most recognized faces in American public broadcasting today. As the co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour, Nawaz has earned her place at the top of journalism through decades of hard work, historic firsts, and fearless reporting from some of the most dangerous corners of the world.
Born and raised in Virginia to Pakistani immigrant parents, Nawaz is a first-generation American who turned her multicultural identity into a journalistic strength. She did not simply climb the ladder — she built new rungs for others behind her. In December 2019, she made history by becoming the first Asian American and the first Muslim American ever to moderate a United States presidential debate. That moment alone tells you everything about how far she has come.
Her career spans three major networks. She reported from war zones for NBC News, anchored breaking news at ABC News, and now co-anchors one of America’s most trusted nightly news programs. Along the way, she has collected four Peabody Awards, an Emmy Award, and the respect of viewers across the country.
| Full Name | Amna Nawaz |
| Date of Birth | September 18, 1979 |
| Place of Birth | Virginia, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Pakistani-American (First-Generation) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Profession | Broadcast Journalist, News Anchor, Television Correspondent |
| Employer | PBS NewsHour; NBC News and MSNBC (Contributor) |
| Education | B.A. in Politics, Philosophy & Economics — University of Pennsylvania (2001); M.A. in Comparative Politics — London School of Economics; Study Abroad — University of Zimbabwe |
| High School | Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Fairfax County, Virginia |
| Career Start | Nightline Fellow, ABC News |
| Current Role | Co-Anchor and Co-Managing Editor — PBS NewsHour (alongside Geoff Bennett) |
| Joined PBS NewsHour | April 2018 |
| Notable Coverage | September 11 Attacks, 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, January 6th Capitol Attack, Uvalde School Shooting, October 7th Hamas Attack in Israel, U.S.-Pakistan Relations, Family Separation Crisis |
| Historic First | First Asian American and first Muslim American to moderate a U.S. Presidential Debate (December 2019) |
| Marital Status | Married to Paul Werdel (journalist; former product director at The New York Times) — married in 2007 |
| Children | Two daughters — Karam and Lina |
| Father | Shuja Nawaz (journalist, author, and first director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council) |
| Mother | Seema Nawaz (author and policy professional) |
| Siblings | Not publicly available |
| Awards | 4× Peabody Awards; Emmy Award; Society for Features Journalism Award; Gold House A100 Honoree; APICS Vision Award; Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award |
| Estimated Salary | $100,000 – $200,000 annually (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
| Estimated Net Worth | $1 million – $3 million (estimated; not officially confirmed) |
| Residence | Washington, D.C. area, United States |
Early Life and Education
Amna Nawaz was born on September 18, 1979, in Virginia, United States. She grew up in a household where knowledge and current affairs were part of daily life. Her father, Shuja Nawaz, had been a journalist and anchor in Pakistan before the family immigrated to America. He later became the first director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council of the United States — a respected think tank in Washington, D.C. Her mother, Seema Nawaz, is also connected to the South Asia Center and is a published author. Growing up between two cultures, Amna developed a sharp curiosity about the world from a very young age. That environment shaped everything that came after.
For high school, Nawaz attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia. This is not an ordinary school — it is one of the most academically competitive high schools in the entire United States, known for producing exceptional graduates in science, technology, and public service. Getting in and succeeding there says a great deal about her discipline and intellectual drive from an early age.
University Education
Nawaz went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2001. During her time there, she co-captained the women’s varsity field hockey team — balancing academics with athletics at a high level. She also studied abroad at the University of Zimbabwe, an experience that clearly broadened her worldview and fed her passion for international affairs. She later pursued her Master’s degree in Comparative Politics at the prestigious London School of Economics, giving her both the academic foundation and global perspective that would define her journalism career.
Career Timeline and Professional Journey
Amna Nawaz did not wait long to find her footing in journalism. She began her career as a Nightline Fellow at ABC News — and within weeks of starting, the September 11 attacks happened. That single event dropped her into one of the most consequential news stories in modern American history. It set the tone for everything that followed.
She later moved to NBC News, where she spent several years as a foreign correspondent and Islamabad Bureau Chief, reporting from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, and Turkey. Her reporting from that region was bold and often dangerous. In one of the most remarkable moments of her early career, she became the first foreign journalist ever granted access to North Waziristan — then considered the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban — and she did it while pregnant with her first daughter. That story alone captures the kind of journalist she is.
In 2014, she founded NBC’s Asian America platform, built specifically to elevate stories from America’s fastest-growing and most diverse population. She served as its first managing editor, combining editorial leadership with her reporting work.
Move to ABC News and Growing Profile
From 2015 to 2018, Nawaz served as anchor and correspondent at ABC News. There she anchored breaking news coverage and led the network’s livestream coverage of the 2016 United States presidential election — one of the most-watched political events in recent memory.
During her ABC years, she also hosted the documentary Roberts County: A Year in the Most Pro-Trump Town, which followed four families through President Trump’s first year in office. She hosted the ABC News Radio podcast series Uncomfortable, featuring long-form one-on-one conversations with thought leaders on the issues dividing America. These projects showed that she was not just a breaking news anchor — she was a storyteller with depth.
PBS NewsHour — From Correspondent to Co-Anchor
Nawaz joined PBS NewsHour in April 2018 as a correspondent. She quickly rose through the ranks. By 2019, she was serving as Senior National Correspondent and Primary Substitute Anchor. Then in December 2019, she made history — becoming the first Asian American and the first Muslim American ever to moderate a United States presidential debate, co-moderating the PBS NewsHour and Politico Democratic Primary Debate. It was a defining moment not just for her career, but for American journalism.
In June 2021, she was named Chief Correspondent, also taking on the role of White House Correspondent on Fridays. Then in January 2023, she became Co-Anchor and Co-Managing Editor of PBS NewsHour alongside Geoff Bennett, succeeding the legendary Judy Woodruff. At present, she remains one of the most prominent anchors in American public broadcasting.
She has also hosted three seasons of the primetime PBS series Beyond the Canvas, featuring profiles and interviews with world-renowned artists, musicians, and creators — showing a range that goes well beyond hard news.
Amna Nawaz Salary and Net Worth
When people search for Amna Nawaz salary, the honest answer is this — her exact earnings have never been officially disclosed. PBS NewsHour, as a public broadcasting organization, does not publicly release individual anchor salaries. What is available comes from third-party estimation websites, which place her estimated annual salary between $100,000 and $200,000.
Based on multiple third-party sources, Amna Nawaz’s estimated net worth falls between $1 million and $3 million. This has been built over more than two decades of work across three major networks — NBC News, ABC News, and PBS NewsHour — combined with keynote speaking, documentary hosting, podcast work, and media contributions.
To put that in context, public broadcasting salaries are generally more modest than those at commercial networks like CNN, NBC, or ABC. Anchors at major commercial networks can earn millions annually. PBS operates differently — it is publicly funded and mission-driven. That said, Nawaz also serves as a contributor at NBC News and MSNBC, and regularly speaks at high-profile events including panels for the Atlantic Council, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Aspen Security Forum. These additional professional engagements likely contribute meaningfully to her overall income.
All salary figures available online are estimates only and should be read as such.
Awards and Professional Value
Understanding Amna Nawaz’s professional standing also means looking beyond salary figures. She is a four-time Peabody Award recipient — among the highest honors in broadcasting — recognized for her coverage of the October 7th Hamas attack in Israel, the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, January 6th Capitol coverage, and the global plastic pollution crisis. She also holds an Emmy Award for her contribution to the NBC News Special Inside the Obama White House, and a Society for Features Journalism Award.
In recognition of her broader impact, she was named an A100 honoree by Gold House, received the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies’ Vision Award, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award. These are not just certificates on a wall — they represent the kind of sustained, high-quality journalism that commands serious professional respect and, by extension, serious professional compensation.
Personal Life and Family
Behind every remarkable career, there is often a remarkable story of support — and for Amna Nawaz, that story belongs to her husband, Paul Werdel. The two met as journalists, sharing the same professional world before sharing a life together. They married in 2007, with their wedding officiated by a mutual friend and fellow journalist, Roee Ruttenberg.
Paul Werdel built his own accomplished career in media. He was working as a product director at The New York Times — a senior and demanding role — when Amna received the offer to join PBS NewsHour in 2018. What happened next was not a small decision. Paul chose to step back from his career entirely, going full-time as the primary caregiver for their daughters so that Amna could throw herself completely into her work at PBS.
Amna has spoken about this openly and with deep gratitude. She has called it “the greatest gift” she has ever received. In a media landscape where women still face enormous pressure to balance career and motherhood, Paul’s decision gave her the freedom to rise — and she did. Their partnership is built on mutual respect, shared values, and a clear understanding of what each person brings to the family.
Daughters Karam and Lina
Amna and Paul are parents to two daughters — Karam and Lina. The family lives in the Washington, D.C. area, close to the PBS NewsHour studios. While Amna is careful to protect her daughters’ privacy — as any responsible public figure should be — she has occasionally shared glimpses of family life, particularly in interviews where she reflects on how motherhood has shaped her journalism.
She has spoken about how having daughters changed the lens through which she reports. Covering the family separation crisis under the Trump administration, she tracked the story of a young girl separated from her mother at the U.S. border for seven weeks — obtaining recordings of the child’s phone calls, following her journey, and pushing for answers. Amna has said that being a mother made that story hit differently. It made her more determined, more empathetic, and more precise.
At present, Paul handles school pickups, packed lunches, and ballet lessons — the daily rhythms of family life — while Amna reports from the White House, interviews world leaders, and anchors one of America’s most trusted nightly news programs. It is a modern arrangement, and one that both clearly embrace.
Faith, Identity, and Values
Amna Nawaz is a Muslim American woman of Pakistani descent — and she has never shied away from that identity. In a field where “the first” is often a lonely title, she has consistently used her platform to hold the door open for those coming behind her.
Her father came from Pakistan with a journalist’s instincts and a scholar’s discipline. Her mother is a published author and policy professional. That upbringing gave Amna a worldview that is both deeply American and deeply global — and it shows in every story she chooses to tell.
She has spoken about growing up as “the only” in many rooms — the only woman, the only person of color, the only Muslim — and how that experience shaped her editorial instincts. She thinks constantly about who is not in the room, whose voice is missing, and whose story is not being told. That philosophy guided her founding of NBC’s Asian America platform, her willingness to report from North Waziristan while pregnant, and her steady presence as co-anchor of PBS NewsHour.
She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Asian American Journalists Association, the South Asian Journalists Association, and the Inter-American Dialogue. These are not honorary memberships — they reflect an active commitment to the broader conversations shaping journalism, foreign policy, and representation in American public life.
FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About Amna Nawaz
Key questions answered about the PBS NewsHour co-anchor and her public life
Born on September 18, 1979, in Virginia, to Pakistani immigrant parents, she is a first-generation American who built her career across three major networks — NBC News, ABC News, and PBS NewsHour. In December 2019, she made history by becoming the first Asian American and the first Muslim American ever to moderate a United States presidential debate. She is a four-time Peabody Award recipient and Emmy Award winner.
Based on third-party industry estimates, her annual salary is believed to range between $100,000 and $200,000. Public broadcasting salaries are generally more modest than those at commercial networks. She also contributes to NBC News and MSNBC and speaks at high-profile events, which likely add to her overall income. All figures are estimates only and should not be treated as confirmed facts.
This estimate is based on her two-decade career spanning NBC News, ABC News, and PBS NewsHour, combined with keynote speaking engagements, documentary hosting, podcast work, and media contributions. This figure has not been officially confirmed by Amna Nawaz or any official source.
The couple met as journalists and married in 2007, with their wedding officiated by mutual friend and fellow journalist Roee Ruttenberg. When Amna joined PBS NewsHour in 2018, Paul made the decision to step back from his career entirely to become the primary caregiver for their two daughters — a choice Amna has publicly described as the greatest gift she has ever received.
The family lives in the Washington, D.C. area. Amna has spoken openly about how motherhood has deeply informed her journalism — particularly her coverage of stories involving children and families. She is careful to keep her daughters largely out of the public spotlight while occasionally referencing them in interviews about her personal and professional balance.
She joined PBS NewsHour in April 2018 as a correspondent and rose through the ranks — serving as Senior National Correspondent, Primary Substitute Anchor, and Chief Correspondent before being named Co-Anchor in January 2023. She also serves as a contributor to NBC News and MSNBC, and has hosted three seasons of the primetime PBS series Beyond the Canvas.
She went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 2001, where she also co-captained the women's varsity field hockey team and studied abroad at the University of Zimbabwe. She later earned her Master's degree in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics.
She co-moderated the PBS NewsHour and Politico Democratic Primary Debate — a landmark moment not just for her career, but for American journalism and representation in media. She has since continued to break barriers as one of the first Muslim Americans to co-anchor a major nightly U.S. news program.
Her Peabody Awards recognize PBS NewsHour team coverage of the October 7th Hamas attack in Israel, the Uvalde school shooting in Texas, the January 6th Capitol attack, and the global plastic pollution crisis. She has also received the Society for Features Journalism Award, the Gold House A100 honor, the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies' Vision Award, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council Media Award.
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