Gail Evans
Gail Hirschorn Evans, born December 17, 1941, in New York City, is an American author, lecturer, and business executive. She became the highest-ranking woman at CNN, serving as executive vice president of the CNN Newsgroup until she retired in 2001. At CNN, she oversaw program and talent development and guest bookings, helping to schedule about 25,000 guests a year and helping create shows like Crossfire, Burden of Proof, Talkback Live, Capital Gang, and Crier & Co. She also helped discover and guide the careers of Katie Couric and Greta Van Susteren.
Evans earned a bachelor's degree from Bennington College and began her career working for public officials, including The Honorable William Fitts Ryan and Senator Harrison Williams. She worked in the Johnson administration on the Office of the Special Counsel and contributed to the Presidents Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and the Civil Rights Act of 1965. She later worked at the Export-Import Bank before joining CNN at its launch in 1980.
She wrote two books for women in the workplace: Play Like a Man, Win Like a Woman (2001) and She Wins, You Win (2003). The first book became a New York Times bestseller and was translated into 21 languages; it peaked at #3 on Amazon after an appearance on Larry King Live. Evans is a corporate speaker and consultant on women in the workplace and teaches organizational behavior related to gender and ethnicity at Georgia Tech.
She was married to CBS correspondent Bob Evans for more than 30 years; they divorced in 2000. They have three children and seven grandchildren.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 16:46 (CET).