- Megan Beyer
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Megan Beyer (born 1957) is an American journalist, commentator and civic leader, and is a regular panelist on To the Contrary, a weekly news-analysis program airing on more than 251 public television stations in the United States, in Canada, and internationally on Worldnet Television.
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Early life and career
Born and raised in Alexandria, Virginia, Megan Beyer graduated magna cum laude in 1979 from the University of Richmond, majoring in Journalism. Since 1984, she has worked as a reporter and anchor for various local and national television news programs. She began her career as a local reporter for News Channel 8, covering education and politics. She later worked as reporter and anchor for Nation's Business Today on ESPN; for WTVR-TV news, the CBS affiliate in Richmond; and for HealthWeek on PBS. She went on to anchor The Business Channel, a PBS satellite news service featuring best-selling authors and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.[citation needed]
Current activities
In 2003, Beyer began working as a panelist with PBS' To the Contrary, a weekly forum for women to discuss national and international issues and policies.[1] She is a frequent columnist to various publications, including the Alexandria Times [2] and Times Community Newspapers, a chain in Northern Virginia.[3] She serves on the Virginia State Board for Community Colleges;[4] on the board of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education;[5] as a trustee of Washington's public television station, WETA-TV;[6] and on the national board of Reading Is Fundamental.[7] She is active on numerous charitable organizations and political campaigns, and holds leadership positions with the Barack Obama presidential campaign, including as Mid Atlantic finance chair for Women for Obama; as a member of the leadership committee of Women for Obama in Virginia;[8] as a member of the National Finance Committee; and as co-chair of the National Women's Leadership Initiative Conference.[9]
She is a partner in several real estate ventures and holds an interest in the Beyer Automotive Group with dealerships in Alexandria, Falls Church and Dulles.[4]
Awards and past community service
Beyer received two Emmy nominations and a Virginia Associated Press award for her work at WTVR in Richmond. In May 2008, she was commencement speaker at Blue Ridge Community College.[10] Her lifelong involvement in civic affairs includes service on the boards of the Virginia-Israel Commission; the Woodlawn Plantation; the Athenaeum, an historic property in Alexandria, Virginia; Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic; the Medical Care for Children Partnership, a project in Fairfax County, Virginia; the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts; the Richmond Ballet; and Theatre IV, a stage production company in Richmond. In 1996, Beyer co-chaired, with Lynda Johnson Robb, Every Child by Two, a project to immunize children in Virginia. She has been active in NARAL at the state and national levels, and in 2006 was honorary co-chair of NARAL's national fundraiser.[11]
Personal and family
Beyer resides in Bern, Switzerland, with her husband, Don Beyer, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia who served from 1989–1997 and currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein. She and her husband have two children, Clara and Grace.
References
- ^ PBS To the Contrary Beyer biography
- ^ Alexandria Times, April 24, 2007
- ^ Times Community Newspapers website
- ^ a b Virginia's Community Colleges website
- ^ Virginia Foundation for Community College Education, Board of Directors, 2008-09
- ^ WETA website, officers and trustees
- ^ Reading Is Fundamental, Board of Directors, website
- ^ Washington Post, February 6, 2008
- ^ Chicago Sun Times, September 9, 2008
- ^ Blue Ridge Community College newsletter, Summer 2008
- ^ NARAL Pro Choice America website, 2006 dinner
External links
Categories:- Living people
- 1957 births
- American journalists
- American expatriates in Switzerland
- People from Alexandria, Virginia
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