Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. has once again made its mark among some of the most powerful women in the country, with soror Kimberly Godwin recently becoming the first Black woman to be named president of ABC News. This new position also makes Godwin the first Black executive to lead a broadcast network news operation, as well as one of the most powerful professionals in broadcast media.
In her new position, Godwin will reportedly “oversee editorial and business operations for broadcast, digital, streaming and audio news across the organization which includes trusted and iconic franchises Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, Nightline, FiveThirtyEight, The View and This Week, according to a statement from ABC News.”
Godwin is a 1984 journalism graduate of Florida A&M University, the first HBCU to have an accredited journalism program. Her long career includes a role as acting news director and assistant news director at WCBS-TV in New York City. She also served as vice president and news director at both KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, and KXAS-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth. Throughout her 14-year career with CBS News, Godwin served as CBS News executive director for Development and Diversity, senior broadcast producer of the CBS Evening News and executive vice president for CBS News.
The National Association of Black Journalists recognized Godwin for her accomplishments in November 2020. She also received the Ida B. Wells Award from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Both accolades acknowledged her relentless dedication to coverage of communities of color, as well as increasing diversity within the newsroom and mentoring upcoming young journalists.
“I have immense respect and admiration for ABC News,” said Godwin. “As the most trusted brand in news, they are to be commended for the extraordinary work and dedication of the journalists, producers, executives, and their teams across the organization. I am honored to take on this stewardship and excited for what we will achieve together.”
We are incredibly proud of Kimberly’s commitment to excellence and are excited to follow along her journey. Add your congratulations in the comments below!
