Amna NawazAmna Nawaz

Amna Nawaz Biography and Wiki

Amna Nawaz is an American journalist, television anchor, and correspondent best known as the co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour. She joined PBS NewsHour in 2018 and made history in 2023 when she became the program’s first female co-anchor. Before PBS, Nawaz worked for NBC News and ABC News, covering national politics, immigration, foreign affairs, and major breaking news stories.

Quick Facts

  • Full Name: Amna Nawaz
  • Profession: Journalist, News Anchor, Correspondent
  • Nationality: American
  • Ethnicity: Pakistani-American
  • Religion: Muslim
  • Known For: Co-Anchor of PBS NewsHour
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Children: Two Daughters

Amna Nawaz Age and Birthday

Amna Nawaz was born on September 18, 1979, in Virginia, United States. As of 2026, she is 46 years old. Her birth sign is Virgo.

Height and Weight

Amna stands at an estimated height of 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m). She maintains a healthy physique, although her exact weight has not been publicly disclosed.

Education

Nawaz attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Virginia. She later enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE). While at Penn, she was also the co-captain of the university’s women’s varsity field hockey team.

Nawaz subsequently earned a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from the London School of Economics, further strengthening her expertise in politics, government, and international affairs.

Amna Nawaz Parents

The anchor was born on September 18, 1979, in Virginia, United States, to Pakistani parents. Her father, Shuja Nawaz, is a journalist, author, and political analyst known for his work on South Asian politics and military affairs. He is the brother of the late General Asif Nawaz Janjua, who served as Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff from 1991 to 1993.

Amna Nawaz Family
Amna Nawaz Family photo

Her mother, Seema Sirohi, is a journalist, author, and senior columnist based in the Washington, D.C., area. She has written extensively on foreign policy, diplomacy, and international relations. Amna’s parents Shuja Nawaz and Seema Sirohi reside in Alexandria, Virginia.

Amna Nawaz Husband

Amna Nawaz is married to her longtime husband, Paul Werdel, an accomplished journalist and media executive. Nawaz and her husband, Paul Werdel, are proud parents of two daughters. In a December 2022 interview, Nawaz shared that their daughters were 9 and 7 years old at the time. Together, they reside in the Washington, D.C. area. Nawaz occasionally references family life in interviews, They are also pictured together often on holidays or vacations.

Amna Nawaz Husband
Amna Nawaz Husband Paul Werdel.

Career

Amna Nawaz is one of the most respected journalists in American broadcast news, with a career spanning more than two decades across major television networks. Although she originally planned to pursue a career in law, her professional path changed after participating in a fellowship program at ABC News. The experience sparked her passion for journalism and led her to begin her media career working with the network’s acclaimed late-night news program, nightline

In 2003, Nawaz joined NBC News, where she held a variety of reporting and production roles. She later became part of Dateline NBC contributing to in-depth documentaries and investigative reports. During her time with NBC’s investigative unit, she helped produce coverage of the U.S. housing and mortgage crisis, work that earned industry recognition and contributed to an Emmy-nominated investigative project. In 2010, she shared a News & Documentary Emmy Award for her contributions to Inside the Obama White House, a special that provided viewers with a rare look at the administration.

As her career advanced, Nawaz expanded into international reporting. She served as a correspondent and later bureau chief for NBC News in Islamabad, Pakistan, where she covered major political, security, and foreign policy developments across South Asia. Her global reporting experience further established her reputation as a versatile and insightful journalist.
In 2015, Nawaz joined ABC News as a correspondent and anchor. She played a key role in the network’s political coverage during the 2016 and 2017 election cycles and also hosted the ABC News podcast Uncomfortable, which explored complex social and political issues through candid conversations.

 

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Nawaz joined PBS NewsHour in April 2018 as a national correspondent. She quickly became one of the program’s leading journalists, reporting on politics, immigration, healthcare, race relations, education, and foreign affairs. Her work on PBS NewsHour’s acclaimed series The Plastic Problemcontributed to the program receiving a prestigious Peabody Award in 2019. in December 2019, Nawaz made history as the first Asian American journalist to moderate a U.S. presidential debate when she co-moderated a Democratic primary debate. The milestone further cemented her status as a leading figure in political journalism.

PBS promoted Nawaz to Chief Correspondent in 2021, recognizing her exceptional reporting and leadership within the newsroom. In January 2023, she and Geoff Bennett became co-anchors of PBS NewsHour, succeeding longtime anchor Judy Woodruff. The appointment made Nawaz the first woman to serve as co-anchor of the flagship news program. In addition to her journalism work, she is a member of the Inter-American Dialogue, a prominent Washington, D.C.-based policy organization focused on issues across the Americas.

Amna Nawaz  Salary

As a co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour, Amna Nawaz earns an estimated annual salary ranging between $150,000 and $300,000. The exact figure has not been publicly disclosed.

Amna Nawaz Net Worth

Amna Nawaz has an estimated net worth of $1 million to $3 million. Her wealth primarily comes from her successful career in broadcast journalism, television anchoring, reporting, and public speaking engagements.

Awards and Achievements

Nawaz received a News & Documentary Emmy Award in 2010 for her work on NBC News’ Inside the Obama White House. She later contributed to PBS NewsHour’s The Plastic Problem, which earned a Peabody Award in 2019 for its impactful environmental reporting. These honors reflect her long-standing commitment to high-quality journalism and in-depth storytelling.

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By Vic

Creative storyteller by day, passionate writer always. When not crafting compelling narratives, you’ll find me hiking hidden trails. Blending imagination with experience, one page at a time.

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