Joia Jefferson Nuri

Joia Jefferson Nuri is an executive leadership and public speaking coach, podcast host, and founder of In the Public Eye Communications, a leadership consulting firm. Nuri was one of the first five women technicians hired by NBC News and the first Black woman to serve as technical director of the CBS Evening News and Face the Nation.

In 1979, Nuri joined CBS News Washington, where she became the first Black woman Technical Director for CBS Evening News and Face the Nation.

Executive Leadership and Public Speaking Coach In 2013, Nuri shifted her focus to public speaking coaching, an interest she developed during her communications work. She has since coached and co-written 14 TEDx Talks, including delivering her own in 2017 titled A Reimagined Fourth Estate. Her coaching emphasizes message clarity, audience engagement, and authenticity.

In 2018, she expanded her focus to executive leadership coaching by starting In The Public Eye Coaching. In 2021, she received a leadership coaching certificate from Mentor Coach, accredited by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Her practice primarily serves women of color in senior leadership roles across corporations, government, and foundations.

Other professional activities Nuri has contributed as a guest lecturer on public speaking at Georgetown University’s Beck Center for Social Impact & Innovation and Democracy Summer, a political education initiative by Congressman Jamie Raskin. for college students

She has delivered keynote speeches at events, including the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meeting in Vienna in 2012. Her writing portfolio includes drafting Congressional testimony on food security and foreign aid and blogging about women in leadership. In May 2023, she launched the podcast Unshackled Leadership: A Lantern for Black Women, focusing on leadership insights for Black women professionals. In March 2024, she became a contributor to an online radio show entitled The Price of Business and has been writing commentaries for The Daily Telegraph USA since 2024.

Personal life Nuri married K. Rashid Nuri in 1998 and was later divorced. Since infancy, she has served as a legal guardian for her niece, India Tisdale, and maintains a close bond with her older sister, Jacquetta Burrows. Her role now includes being grandmother to their children.

Awards and honors

Emmy Award, WRC-TV, 1976 PBS Programming Excellence Award, 1992 PBS Spirit Award, Pacifica Radio Network, 2012