Born in Melbourne, Australia and raised in Tucson Arizona, Savannah Guthrie got her start in television at NBC affiliates in Missouri, Arizona and Washington, D.C., right out of college. Guthrie earned a law degree at Georgetown University and became a legal correspondent, first for Court TV, then NBC. In 2011, she began working at the Today show, and was named a co-host of the show in July 2012, replacing Ann Curry.
Education
After high school, Guthrie attended the University of Arizona. She was initially unsure of what to study, and her mother suggested taking classes in journalism. While in school, Guthrie landed a job at a local public television station. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism in 1993. While working as a freelance reporter, she was also earning a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. She graduated, magna cum laude, in 2002, and received the highest score on the Arizona bar exam.
Career
Savannah Guthrie started her media career in 1993 as weekend anchor at KMIZ, the ABC affiliate in the Columbia-Jefferson City, Missouri DMA. It didn't take her long to climb the ladder of local television.
After two years in Missouri, Guthrie jumped to NBC affiliate KVOA in Tucson, Arizona, then to NBC O&O WRC in Washington, DC. In just seven years in TV, she made it to the nation's capital, where she covered the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the Pentagon.
With that quick rise, it wouldn't be long before Savannah Guthrie appeared before a national audience. In 2002, she used her law degree in two ways -- working for Court TV and for a law firm. The Michael Jackson child molestation trial was a high-profile case that she covered.
Guthrie jumped to NBC News in 2007. As White House correspondent, she gained a lot of exposure on the top-rated NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Her notable reporting assignments included covering Sarah Palin during the 2008 presidential campaign and the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Guthrie gained network anchoring experience on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown and on the third hour of Today. That put her in a prime spot when NBC executives decided to replace Curry in 2012.