A veteran journalist and producer, Yolanda López was appointed Acting VOA Director on January 21, 2021. Prior to the appointment, Yolanda served as Director of the VOA News Center, overseeing all editorial and content production. She led the implementation of the transition of the News Center to a digital-first strategy, including content priorities, adoption of new techniques, invigoration of social media content, and in-depth coverage of issues of interest to VOA audiences. In addition, Yolanda oversaw the Office of Special Events, responsible for the coordination of VOA’s coverage of significant events. She joined VOA in 2015 as Latin America Division Director, where she achieved significant audience growth by expanding media partnerships and affiliations.
A native of Barcelona, Spain, she started her career in broadcasting at a Telemundo affiliate in Irving, Texas, before joining the Spanish language television network Univision affiliates KMEX-TV in Los Angeles, California and WGBO-TV in Chicago, Illinois. Throughout her professional career, she has worked as on-air talent, writer, producer, executive producer, and news director in highly competitive news markets. Her main area of expertise has been Latin America and the Latino community in the U.S.
Before joining VOA, Yolanda also worked as a communications and digital media professional in Barcelona. By coming to Washington, D.C., she returned to a field for which she is passionate: the news.
Yolanda is the recipient of three Emmy awards – two from the Midwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), and one from the Los Angeles Chapter of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (ATAS).
She attended the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, where she earned a Bachelor´s Degree in Journalism.