Mary Alice O’Rourke has been the special events producer of NBC News Today show since 1992. She is responsible for planning and overseeing all the trips the program makes to cities around the world, such as Today’s recent excursions to Ireland, Rome and the south of France.

O’Rourke also coordinates special news events. She conceptualized the widely viewed farewell show for Bryant Gumbel. Other events that she supervised include the 53rd Presidential Inauguration in January 1997, the 50th anniversary of D-Day and coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial. From 1990 to 1992, O’Rourke was the domestic producer for NBC Nightly News, coordinating daily scripts and stories in the United States for each evening’s broadcast. During that time, she oversaw the program’s visit to Pearl Harbor for the 50th anniversary of the bombing and covered the Gulf War in Saudi Arabia and also the reunification of Germany. She also served as a producer for the network’s Specials and Documentary unit.

O’Rourke began working on the Today show in 1980 as a researcher and then segment producer, working on daily news segments such as the Beirut barracks bombing, election coverage and political conventions. She produced stories for show trips to Brazil, London, Indonesia, and major cities in the U.S. In 1986, she was appointed European producer for Today based in London. From there she covered news stories in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania and China.

A native of the Bronx, O’Rourke began her career at NBC News in 1978 as a researcher in the videotape library. She is a graduate of St. John’s University and received a masters degree from Hunter College in New York. Her father was born in Co. Leitrim, and her-mother’s parents are also from Ireland.