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Carole Simpson

2011 Speaker

Carole Simpson

After 24 years, three-time Emmy-award winning anchor and senior correspondent, Carole Simpson, retired from ABC News in 2006 to become leader-in-residence at Emerson College’s School of Communication in Boston. Simpson recently published her memoir, “NewsLady,” which recounts her 40-year career as a pioneering African American woman in the field of broadcast journalism. Simpson was also a commentator for National Public Radio and a frequent political analyst on “Larry King Live,” during the 2008 presidential campaign. At ABC News Simpson was the anchor of the weekend editions of “World News Tonight” from 1988-2003 and a senior national correspondent. She was the first African American woman anchor of a major network evening news broadcast, and her reports appeared on “World News Tonight with Peter Jennings”, “Good Morning America,” “20/20”, “Nightline” and numerous ABC special events programs. In addition to 3 Emmys, 2 Dupont-Columbia awards and a Peabody award, Simpson has received countless other awards and accolades for her work involving children and families, and for her efforts to improve opportunities for women and minorities in the broadcasting industry. She has also received 13 honorary degrees from universities around the country. Simpson has served on numerous boards and is a proud supporter and provider of several college scholarships for women and minorities. In 1998 she created the Carole Simpson Leadership Institute to train African women journalists to assume leadership roles in the media. Simpson is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. She did graduate work in journalism at the University of Iowa.