O’Brien joined CNN’s “American Morning” in 2003, and since then has been a part of the team that broadcast award-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath and the tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia in December 2004.
Before joining CNN, O’Brien anchored NBC’s “Weekend Today” show. She covered the Columbia Shuttle disaster, the Columbine school shootings, the recovery of Elian Gonzales, Yasser Arafat’s burial, the funeral of Pope John Paul II and several other major new stories over the past decade. O’Brien was the only broadcast journalist to travel with first lady Laura Bush to Paris and Moscow. She has also reported from London on terror attacks in that country and anchored live coverage on the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
O’Brien graduated from Harvard University with a degree in English and American literature. She has been awarded honorary doctorates by Sienna College and Mercy College. She is active in the community by engaging in endeavors that focus on young people.