Who

As president of ABC News, Westin oversees all of the news that emanates from the house of Mickey Mouse.

Backstory

Westin was raised in a devout Christian family in Ann Arbor, Michigan and attended law school before a clerking for a couple of judges and joining the firm Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in 1979. He made partner in 1985, but didn't stick around for long: In 1991, he joined ABC as general counsel and soon moved into management, becoming president in 1994, replacing Bob Iger, who had moved up the ladder to chief operating officer.

In March 1997, Iger named Westin president of ABC News, which by most accounts was a step down on the corporate ladder, even though Iger described it to the press as a promotion. That's the position Westin has since occupied—and he now has oversight over all of the network's news-related programming. He also gets to keep the many egos that roam the hallways in check.

Of note

It's been a tumultuous couple of years for Westin. In 2005, following the death of Peter Jennings, he tapped Bob Woodruff and Elizabeth Vargas to take over the evening newscast, World News Tonight, a plan that went off the rails when Woodruff was seriously injured by a roadside bomb while reporting from Iraq, and Vargas announced she was pregnant. Westin recruited Charles Gibson to serve as a temporary anchor, even though Gibson had declined the first time around. When his ratings proved encouraging, Westin arranged to have Gibson to stay on as the permanent anchor. (Both Vargas and Diane Sawyer—who'd reportedly wanted the job herself—weren't terribly happy about that.) These days, Gibson is running neck-and-neck with NBC's Brian Williams for the No. 1 spot. But it's hard to forget (and surely not far from Westin's mind) that nowadays the networks are competing for a bigger share of a much smaller pie with fewer people tuning in.

Drama

Like any network news boss, Westin has had his share of controversies to deal with. In 2000, he let noted journalist Leonardo DiCaprio "interview" Bill Clinton on environmental issues for an ABC News special; the segment generated a good deal of criticism in media circles and Westin admitted in an interview that it "was a mistake, there's just no two ways about it." He's also had to handle plenty of personality conflicts. Barbara Walters reportedly bitched out Westin in front of a large group of ABC News employees shortly after Sept. 11th, incensed that he was giving the choicest reporting assignments to her rival Diane Sawyer. A displeased Westin had a long talk with Walters, and she was subsequently assigned to interview Rudy Giuliani.

Board game

Westin sits on the boards of the Associated Press, the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Yonkers Partners in Education.

Personal

The news exec is married to his second wife, Sherrie Rollins Westin. Their relationship initially generated a minor scandal since both were married when they got involved—Sherrie to a leading political consultant, Ed Rollins, who occasionally appeared on ABC News. Westin has three children (Victoria, Elizabeth, and Matthew) from previous marriages and Sherrie has a daughter (Lily) with her former husband. The couple also has a child together. The Westins live in Bronxville.