A respected journalist, Soledad O’Brien has co-anchored American Morning, CNN’s flagship morning program since July 2003. She has covered numerous major news stories including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the July 2005 terrorism attacks in London. In 2004, she was sent to Thailand to cover the tsunami disaster. She was the only broadcast journalist to accompany First Lady Laura Bush on her trip to Moscow.
Ms. O'Brien brought extensive experience and enthusiastic professionalism to CNN. She began her career as a college intern at WBZ-TV in Boston, later accepting a full-time job as a news writer and associate producer. For three years, she was an on-air reporter and bureau chief for NBC affiliate, KRON, in San Francisco. She joined KBC News in 1991, producing science and health stories. She was the host of MSNBC's The Site, a series on technology and the Internet. From 1999·2003, she was co-anchor of Weekend Today, and contributed reports to the Today Show and the weekend edition of NBC Nightly News.
Ms. O'Brien's career has been recognized with many honors. Most recently, she was part of a team which won the prestigious Columbia DuPont Award for CKN's coverage of the Asian tsunami. Previously, she received an Emmy Award for her work as co-host of Discovery Channel's The Know Zone. In 2005, she received the Hispanic Heritage Vision Award from the Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and was selected for inclusion in "Latinas of Excellence" by Hispanic magazine. Black Enterprise named her to "The Hot List: America's Most Powerful Players Under 40." Twice, she has been named to Irish America Magazine's "Top 100 Irish Americans." In 2004, she was included in Crain's Business Reports' "40 Under 40," and Essence magazine's "40 Under 40."
Soledad O'Brien is a sought after speaker at colleges and universities. Her subjects include diversity in the media, mentoring, women in leadership positions, and the credibility of the media. During Fall Semester 2005, she held the Mary Louise Smith Chair at the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.
Ms. O'Brien is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. She serves on the Board of Directors of Hearts of Gold. a foundation that assists homeless women and children. Previously, she was a member of the Board of Directors of The Harlem School of the Arts. She also contributes columns to several magazines, including Working Mother. Ms. O'Brien is a graduate of Harvard University, with a degree in English and American Literature.
In recognition of her journalistic achievements, Siena College awards Soledad O'Brien the honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.