'The View' gets its first female director -- Sarah de la O

NEW YORK, July 24 (UPI) -- Seven-time Emmy Award-winner Sarah de la O has been hired as the first female director of The View, ABC News announced.

She will take over the position when the daytime talk show resumes for Season 19 in September after its summer hiatus.

Returning as panelists for the chat program will be longtime moderator Whoopi Goldberg, and late Season 18 additions Raven-Symone and Michelle Collins. Rosie Perez recently announced she would not be back in the fall and her fellow freshman co-host Nicolle Wallace's future with the series has not been publicly disclosed yet.

"We are very excited to have Sarah join the show," Bill Wolff, View executive producer, said in a statement. "She has an excellent eye and a keen understanding of both visual presentation and editorial content."

Among her recent credits are VH1's Make a Band Famous, E3 All Access Live for Spike, Crowd Goes Wild with Regis Philbin, Bravo's Watch What Happens Live, Big Morning Buzz on VH1 and red-carpet coverage for the TV Guide Network. She has also served as director for ABC's Bachelor Pad, After the Final Rose and Bachelorette Men Tell All.