Tegna Names Lauren Fisher Chief Legal Officer

Tegna today appointed Lauren Fisher as senior vice president and chief legal officer, effective Nov. 27. She will serve as a member of the company’s leadership team, reporting directly to President-CEO Dave Lougee.

As chief legal officer, Fisher will lead the company’s legal department and oversee all legal functions across a broad range of disciplines including corporate, content creation and distribution, regulatory, ethics and compliance, and litigation and support Tegna’s long-term direction and growth.

Fisher joins Tegna from Vox Media where she was chief legal officer and corporate secretary reporting to Vox Media’s chairman and CEO for more than 15 years. She advised the company as it expanded to nearly 20 distinct media brands across all digital platforms, launched new digital advertising products, entered the realm of television and entertainment programming, and acquired new consumer businesses.

“Lauren is a strong, values-based leader with extensive knowledge of the evolving media landscape,” Lougee said. “She will champion our commitment to serving the greater good of our communities by supporting our content creation and growth initiatives while ensuring strong governance at all levels of the organization.”

Fisher said, “I am impressed by Tegna’s trusted local news brands and position within the broadcast industry. I am looking forward to supporting Tegna’s award-winning journalism while helping to foster continued growth across its businesses. My goal is to work with the top-notch Tegna team to enhance value for all stakeholders.”

Previously, Fisher was vice president, business and legal affairs at Hulu where she provided legal support during the service’s commercial launch. Prior to Hulu, she worked at AOL for seven years where she led the team that managed wide-ranging intellectual property matters, technology deals, rights and licensing, and various aspects of law relating to AOL’s business.

Earlier in her career, Fisher was associate counsel at The Vanguard Group and worked at the law firms of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld and Hoyle, Morris & Kerr.

Fisher graduated with honors from the University of Chicago Law School where she was a published member of the law review. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania where she majored in political history and concentrated on marketing and economics at The Wharton School.

She is co-chair of the copyright and trademark committee of the Media Law Resource Center and is a member of the Board of Directors at the News Media Alliance.