NBC News named Jennifer Suozzo as executive producer of "NBC Nightly News" on Thursday.

Suozzo had been interim executive producer and replaced Sam Singal in July, when he stepped down.

Suozzo is the second woman to become the top executive on a flagship NBC news show. Earlier this year, Libby Leist was named the executive producer of the 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET hours of "Today," the NBC morning show.

Suozzo had been a long-time producer on "Nightly News" and got her start at the NBC station in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1999 before joining MSNBC.

NBC News president Noah Oppenheim shared the news in a staff memo. Suozzo's credits include becoming the first executive producer of "Andrea Mitchell Reports."

He also noted that Suozzo had worked with "Nightly" anchor Lester Holt since before he had taken over on the show. Holt took over as anchor in June 2015.

"Her passion for news and her editorial vision are evident in everything she does, and she’s forged a formidable partnership with Lester dating back to their time together at MSNBC," Oppenheim wrote.

Singal's departure came as "Nightly News" continued to lag behind ABC's "World News Tonight" in total viewers, though "Nightly" attracts more people in the advertiser-prized demographic of 25- to 54-year-olds, according to data from measurement firm Nielsen. More recent ratings tell a similar story.