@ WDAF Fox 4 News evening news anchor, since Jan. 2017
College: University of Missouri – Columbia
Years in the industry: 16
Where were you working before you joined WDAF? I was the 4 p.m. weekday Anchor in Cleveland, OH at WEWS-TV
What’s the easiest part of your job? I prefer to look at my job as “enjoyable” as opposed to “hard” or “easy.” In TV news we are faced with a lot of decisions all the time, decisions that are critical to the integrity of our station. For example, if there is a homicide involving an innocent child, we have to decide how to tell that story in a way that does not victimize the child or family. We are constantly making tough decisions, and that is why we have a team of professionals working both behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-the-camera to make sure everything we present to the public is factually sound.
One of the “hard” elements is going up to someone who has lost a loved one and asking them to share memories of their deceased family member on camera. The news is not exclusively crime-based, however. We do lots of feature segments too!
Another thing I am grateful for is my acquired franchise at Fox 4 News. It is called ‘Reaching for Excellence.’ Former Anchor Phil Witt carried the franchise for years and passed it on to me. Each Wednesday at 9 p.m., I highlight a young person, 18-years-old or younger who is doing exceptional things in his/her community, athletically, academically, etc.
I love being out in the community, and I spend lots of weekends emceeing local events.
What do you like most about the Kansas City market? The people! Wow, Kansas City has the greatest people; that is the first thing that made me fall in love with this city. I love all the culture KC has to offer too. Kansas City is a very unique gem; it has a big city feel with small town charm and very little traffic! It is also a terrific place to raise kids – Woohoo! The food scene is awesome, our sports teams are incredible, and there are so many great places to shop!
What’s something interesting and fun about yourself that people may not know? I am pregnant and my husband and I are expecting our first child, a boy, in early March!! I am an Emmy award-winning journalist, I physically am unable to wink, I am a former Miss Southwest Virginia USA title holder, I was an international competitive figure skater for the majority of my life growing up, I am from Minnesota, I am an avid organic juicer and press fresh organic vegetable juice every single day.
Who is your favorite music artist? and what is your favorite genre of music to listen to?
To be completely honest, I don’t have one! These days I spend a lot of time listening to lullabies and baby songs. Ha! I do, however, enjoy listening to smooth jazz music (anything with a saxophone) and Christmas music.