Photo Credit © JAVIER MORGADO
b. November 11, 1977
“As Americans we should all share one dream … that we should all enjoy the same rights as everybody else.”
Javier Morgado is a journalist and the executive producer of the CNN morning show “New Day.”
Morgado was born to Cuban parents in Miami, Florida. Cable news captivated him early on, and over time, he grew “completely obsessed” with the format and writing of news programs.
He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and holds two master’s degrees: one in business administration from Fordham University and one in human resource management from New York University. He also completed executive education programs at Harvard Business School and Northwestern University. He began his journalism career in 1995 at the ABC affiliate in Miami.
In 2001 Morgado joined NBC’s WTVJ as assignment manager, where he served as the main reporter covering the search for the September 11 terrorists. He helped trace Florida’s ties to the attackers, which caught the attention of the NBC News network desk in New York, who offered him a position as the assignment editor.
During his 11 years with NBC News, Morgado held several leadership positions. He played a pivotal role in the network’s coverage of breaking stories, including the Columbia Space Shuttle explosion, and in orchestrating its award-winning coverage of the Iraq war. He served as senior political editor during the 2004 presidential election and the 2006 midterms and as supervising producer of “TODAY” (2006-2010), during which time, the show won two Daytime Emmys.
Morgado served for a time as the vice president of business development & communications for Latina magazine, where he successfully helped extend its brand into several new platforms. He joined CNN in 2011 as senior broadcast producer of “Starting Point with Soledad O’Brien” and went on to become the executive producer of “New Day.”
Among other affiliations, Morgado is a lifetime member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA), where he served on the board. He is a board member of the National LGBT Museum and a McCormick Fellow at Northwestern University.
When asked about being openly gay in the workplace, Morgado maintains he never faced any discrimination. “If you walk in saying who you are and continue about your daily business,” he insists, “It’s not an issue.”
In 1994, Rodney Wilson, a Missouri high school teacher, believed a month should be dedicated to the celebration and teaching of gay and lesbian history, and gathered other teachers and community leaders. They selected October because public schools are in session and existing traditions, such as Coming Out Day (October 11), occur that month.
Gay and Lesbian History Month was endorsed by GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Education Association and other national organizations. In 2006 Equality Forum assumed responsibility for providing content, promotion and resources for LGBT History Month.
