It is with sorrow that we announce the passing of Gwen Ifill of Washington D.C. on November 14th, 2016, at the age of 61. Gwen earned a B.A. in Communications from Simmons College and began her career in journalism at the Baltimore Evening Sun. She worked for The Washington Post before moving to New York, where she became a contributing political analyst for NBC's "Today" show. Later, she worked for NBC News, PBS's NewsHour and as the moderator and managing editor of Washington Week in Review. Gwen was also the author of "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" and "The Covenant in Politics: Breaking the Boundaries Between Black Politics and Mainstream Politics." Gwen was well-respected and admired in her industry and for her advocacy of diverse perspectives. She was an inspiration to generations of women in broadcast journalism and taught journalism at Princeton University. Gwen is survived by her mother and her stepfather, her sister and brother-in-law, and her two nieces. She will be dearly missed.