Libby Nelson Promoted to Editorial Director at Vox

Nelson to lead policy, politics, and health and science.

Today, Vox announced Libby Nelson has been promoted to editorial director for policy, politics, and health and science.

In her new role, Nelson will be the senior newsroom leader overseeing the policy and politics teams and our coverage of the 2024 elections; and Vox’s health and science coverage.

“Libby has been a part of building Vox since day one, and at each stop of her career here, she has embodied our mission to tackle complicated issues and to put our audience first,” said Swati Sharma, editor-in-chief and publisher. “She’s also been an indispensable leader in recent years. She understands where Vox can best make an impact, and has a track record of developing writers and coverage that deliver that impact.”

Nelson joined Vox as an education reporter when the site launched in 2014, and became an editor in 2017, when she started Vox’s first iteration of its general assignments news team. In 2018, Nelson was named deputy policy editor; in that role, she led Vox’s day-to-day coverage of policy in the 2020 primary and general elections. She was an editorial adviser to The Weeds from 2020 to 2022 and an occasional guest host throughout its run. Since 2021, Nelson has been Vox’s policy editor. She has contributed to Vox’s coverage of every election in the past decade and led her team’s coverage of a wide range of policy issues, including housing, education, abortion, health care, race and inequality, the Supreme Court, the federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and more.

Prior to her role at Vox, Nelson reported for Politico Pro, Inside Higher Ed, and the Scranton Times-Tribune. She has also been an adjunct professor at American University, where she taught a recurring weekend seminar to graduate students on policy writing.