Frank Sesno is an Emmy Award-winning journalist with more than thirty years of experience reporting from around the world. Widely known as an anchor, White House Correspondent, and talk show host on CNN, he has interviewed numerous leaders in government, the military, business, and the media—including five U.S. Presidents (George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter), Prime Ministers Benyamin Netanyahu and Margaret Thatcher, Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Walter Cronkite, and, when she was Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. He currently serves as Director of George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs, where he leads nearly two dozen world-class faculty and teaches classes on journalism ethics, sustainability reporting, documentary, and interviewing.
“For nearly four decades it’s been my job to ask questions,” Sesno declares. “From an inner-city school to a technology revolution, from the Brandenburg Gate where a president said, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!’ to the inauguration of the first African-American president, I have had the privilege of being there—watching, listening, and asking.” In his new book, ASK MORE: The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change(AMACOM; January 10, 2017), Sesno makes a compelling case for cultivating and championing the art and skill of asking thoughtful questions, with insight and intention, and listening, actively and deeply, to the answers.
Sesno joined CNN in 1984 and served as White House Correspondent for seven years before becoming an anchorman. From 1996 through 2001, he served as the network’s Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief. As a CNN special correspondent, he created broadcast specials, including “Iran: Fact or Fiction,” aired as part of the acclaimed documentary series CNN Presents. For seven years, he hosted Late Night with Frank Sesno, CNN’s flagship weekend interview program. His work at the network has earned prestigious awards including several CableAce awards, a Clarion Award, and an Emmy.
Sesno is the creator and host of PlanetForward.org, a user-driven web and television project that brings students and experts together to examine innovations in sustainability and global food security. He has produced PlanetForward shows and video segments for Bloomberg Television, National Geographic, and HuffingtonPost. Sesno also launched FacetheFactsUSA.org, a nonpartisan content hub dedicated to highlighting factual information during election cycles.
Before joining CNN, Sesno served with the Associated Press Radio Network as Overseas Correspondent, based in London, and White House Correspondent. He has also created documentaries for The History Channel and National Public Radio, and worked in academia as Professor of Public Policy and Communication at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Sesno graduated cum laude with a B.A. in American History from Middlebury College, from which he later received an Honorary Doctorate. He lives in Washington, D.C.