MSNBC named Senior Vice President of Specials Rashida Jones as the network’s incoming president on Monday.

According to The Wrap, Jones will succeed Phil Griffin as the network’s top executive, and her tenure will begin in February. She will also be the first Black person to head a cable news outlet. 

NBCUniversal’s Chairman of News Operations, Cesar Conde shared the news of the 39-year-old’s monumental promotion via a memo to the staff, The Wrap reported.

“Rashida knows and understands MSNBC, in part because it’s where she started when she first joined NBCU seven years ago,” he wrote. “She knows that it is the people who work here that make it great, and she understands its culture. She also appreciates the impact and potential of the brand.”

Conde’s glowing review of Jones’ work at the network continued. 

"As you know, Rashida currently leads coverage of breaking news and major events across NBC News and MSNBC, in addition to overseeing dayside and weekend's news programming on MSNBC,” he continued. “In the last year alone, that has meant, of course, that she has masterfully guided our coverage of the global pandemic, the social justice protests and unrest, Decision 2020, and the two most-viewed Democratic presidential debates in television history. She helped lead the preparation for Kristen Welker’s role as general election debate moderator.” 

“If you’ve worked with Rashida on any of those endeavors, you know that she has an outstanding track record, and she leads with a laser-like focus and grace under pressure. I know she will be an excellent leader for MSNBC,” Conde concluded. 

Jones currently manages NBC News and MSNBC. Her standout projects for the network were COVID-19 pandemic coverage, the 2020 presidential election and preparing NBC News’ Kristen Welker to moderate a presidential debate in October.

As a part of NBC News’ “Know Your Value” vertical, Jones gave a candid interview about her role in the company in October with founder Mika Brzezinski.

Jones also led NBC’s daytime programming. She launched 50 remote studios for reporters and news anchors across the nation at the onset of the coronavirus. 

When asked about her most significant accomplishments, Jones took pride in how the network continued to deliver news and programming without missing a beat. 

"Just everything that we covered in 2020. The fact that we have incredible coverage, incredible storytelling covering the pandemic itself in the middle of impossible conditions – It’s something that, frankly, I won’t forget,” the executive responded.

She shared her thoughts about the transition to remote work during the pandemic.

“COVID-19 has not in any way compromised our work. If anything, I feel like we’ve never looked better than ever. And you know, our teams have become so intrepid and working in real-time, developing these workflows,” she told Brzezinski. “If you would’ve told me in January that we were moving the entire organization to their bedrooms and living rooms, I would have laughed.”

“But now it has become so seamless. It’s unbelievable what we’ve been able to do,” Jones added. 

The Hampton University alumna has nearly 20 years of industry experience and has been with the network for seven years.