Sara James is an Emmy Award-winning broadcast journalist and author. James has covered significant news events in Australasia for NBC, CNN and PBS. James is a featured commentator on Australia’s ABC News Breakfast. Her “American in Oz” segment provides detailed analysis of the US political landscape.
Current Work
Sara is on the Australian Board of Directors of the American Australia Association Limited and the Australian-American Fulbright Commission. She is on also on the board of KCNQ2 Cure Alliance.
She advocates for people living with KCNQ2 encephalopathy and other genetic epilepsies. James produces the annual New Horizons in Science Dinner in Melbourne to raise money for scientific research to find better treatments for KCNQ2, a rare disease that causes seizures, an intellectual disability and autism. She is a founding member of GETA, Genetic Epilepsy Team Australia.
Previous Experience
Journalism: 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 around the world, 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 has been honoured with a Headliner Award for her report on a victim of the September 11 attacks, a Gracie for her story about methamphetamine addiction in women, an Emmy for coverage of the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado, a National Press Club Award for her story on Sudanese slavery, and the Overseas Press Club of America Citation of Excellence for her report on Australia’s Stolen Generation.
Author: 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 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 ... keep reading O'Brien Foundation
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 the event. I would strongly recommend her for a MC role and on top of this, she was an absolute delight to work with.
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.
