Sara James is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and author. James has reported from across the United States and around the world as a correspondent for NBC News. During her years based at NBC Headquarters in New York City, Sara also was a frequent newsreader on the US Today Show, and guest-anchored on Weekend Today and MSNBC. James is a featured commentator on Australia’s ABC News Breakfast. Her American in Oz segment provides detailed analysis of the US political landscape. Sara also undertakes assignments in the Australasian region for NBC News.
James is the Chair of the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, the flagship foreign exchange scholarship program of the United States. From 2022 to 2026, she served as National Director External Engagement for the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia where she focused on international trade missions for the organization.
She advocates for people living with KCNQ2 encephalopathy and other genetic epilepsies. James is the Vice President of KCNQ2 Cure Alliance, a co-founder of Genetic Epilepsy Team Australia, and co-creator with husband Andrew Butcher of the annual KCNQ2 New Horizons in Science Dinner in Melbourne dedicated to funding research to find a cure for this deadly neurological disorder.
Prior to moving to Australia in 2008, James was based in New York City for NBC News for more than a decade. Her reporting duties took her to all fifty of the United States and worldwide, including Somalia, Sudan, Bosnia, Israel, China, Japan and the Khyber Pass. She also travelled to the wreck of the Titanic in the submarine Nautile. James served as a substitute newsreader on the NBC Today Show and guest anchored on many NBC news programs.
James' distinguished reporting career has earned her many prestigious Honors, including a Headliner Award for her report on a victim of the September 11 attacks, the National Press Club award for her investigation of modern-day slavery in Sudan and a New York Festival award for a profile of the first woman considered for the US space program. Sara received an Emmy Award for coverage of the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado and a Gracie for her report about methamphetamine addiction in women. Sara’s chronicling of Australia’s Stolen Generation won the Overseas Press Club of America Citation for Excellence.
Sara James is the author of An American in Oz (Allen & Unwin), co-author of The Best of Friends (HarperCollins) and editor of An Extraordinary School (ACER Press).
Talking Points
Pivot to Power
In her years as a network correspondent, Emmy award-winning journalist Sara James has interviewed plenty of game changers - women who've not only made a mark, but changed the course of history. Women like legendary Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour, former Mattel CEO Jill Barad, and US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, among others. Pivot to Power
James says game-changers are smart, nimble, and resourceful. Despite facing serious odds, they pivot around pitfalls and navigate a path to the top. James shares lessons learned from leaders in a range of fields, whose success offers guidance to harness our inner talent and make the most of our lives.
Sara was an absolute stand out. She was the most professional MC I have ever worked with. Very engaging, knew her topics and speakers, bent over backwards to ensure she delivered 200% for th ... keep reading Event Planet
Sara James, author and Emmy award-winning foreign correspondent for NBC News, spoke at our recent Hummingbirds June Fundraising Luncheon. Sara delighted guests with her inspiring story, 'An American in Oz', which showed her tenacity, passion, warmth and gentle wit. Many guests spoke with Sara, purchased her book and were genuinely touched by her story.
Tata Consultancy Services couldn't have had a better moderator for its Asia Pacific Summit than Sara James. Sara's presence added a further layer of gravitas and style to the proceedings. Moreover, her international outlook and experience, coupled with her thorough preparation, served to bring out the best in executives and delegates alike. She is a true professional. I would have no hesitation in recommending Sara.
