'Today' show hires Jenna Bush Hager

NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, has been hired as a contributing correspondent for the "Today" show, NBC said.

Hager -- a teacher, author and young leadership ambassador and chairwoman for UNICEF's Next Generation committee -- will be based in Washington and will cover a variety of human interest and feature stories for the popular morning news program, the network said.

The announcement was made Monday by "Today" executive producer, Jim Bell, and is effective Sept. 14.

"Jenna is a terrific addition to the 'Today' team," Bell said in a statement. "In previous appearances, she displayed a natural ability to communicate and connect. She has great passion about important subjects, especially education and literacy, and we look forward to having her bring her unique perspective to 'Today.'"