Jennifer Valoppi

Jennifer Valoppi is a multi-Emmy Award winning journalist who has been recognized four times on the floor of the United States Congress and is a 2006 recipient of Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s Points of Light Award, the highest honor in the state.

Her reputation as an influential community leader has made her not only an expert in media relations but a sought after public speaker and consultant, with a personal network that runs the gamut from the Dalai Lama to the late Frank Sinatra. She has recently completed a novel.

Television journalist

As a veteran news anchor in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, Jennifer has covered almost every major news event of the past 25 years and has hosted numerous network, nationally syndicated and cable programs as well as consulting on and appearing in films.

From 1994 to 2005, Jennifer was a lead anchor at NBC 6 WTVJ in Miami, managing coverage of multiple hurricanes, the infamous United States presidential election, 2000, the Elián González Controversy, the Versace Murder, Olympics and California's Northridge earthquake (Jennifer's first day on the air at WTVJ), reporting live from the devastated areas. Concerned about declining standards of ethics, she also took a leading role in driving the station's commitment to fair, accurate and balanced journalism. She has consulted on film projects, including Up Close & Personal (1996), with Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert Redford, in which she also had a small part and her strong, working knowledge of the legal system as made covering court cases one of her specialties.

As a news anchor at New York’s superstation WWOR-TV for 7 years, she led the station’s coverage of the Gulf War and the Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion, along with numerous news programs and specials.

Jennifer created, hosted and produced two of WWOR’s most successful entertainment specials – “Money, Power and Influence, I and II," nominated for "Best New Syndicated Program," and won two New York Emmy Awards for "Best On-Air Talent" and "Best Entertainment Special."

She conducted hundreds of celebrity interviews for the NBC network show "One on One" with John Tesh, hosted NBC Sports Specials, ABC's (American Broadcasting Company) "New York Street Stories," numerous shows for CNBC, including "Real Personal," and the nationally syndicated "The Kennedy Assassinations," along with Robert Conrad. Her shows, the "Flavors of Italy" and the "Wines of Italy," remain in international syndication and were some of the longest running and most successful shows on the Travel Channel.

In addition, she hosted WWOR-TV's "News Nine In-Depth," guest-hosted "Nine Broadcast Plaza" with Matt Lauer, made appearances on "Everyday with Joan Lunden" and "The Dr. Ruth Show" and was a celebrity panelist on the remake of "To Tell the Truth."

From 1981 to 1984, Jennifer was an anchor and investigative reporter for NBC affiliate WPTV in West Palm Beach, where she won the United Press International's Award for "Best Investigative Work," for the series "A Shot In The Dark," in which she helped free a man facing the electric chair. Her work led to new training and procedural changes in the Palm Beach County, Florida Sheriff Department's SWAT Team.

Jennifer began her career as a weathercaster and science editor for WEYI, the CBS affiliate in Flint, Michigan, in 1981 and was immediately named "Best Weathercaster".

Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program

As founder and president of the Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program, from 1997 to present, Jennifer directs the mentoring of thousands of at-risk young women in South Florida public high schools and has helped provide them with over one and half million dollars worth of college scholarships, in the only program of its kind in the country. Through Jennifer's leadership, the program has received national recognition and has been the focus of study by the Harvard Business School Community Partners Program. Jennifer was recently named as a South Florida Business Journal’s Heavy Hitter in Non-Profit.

Awards and recognitions

2007

* Silent Storm Award, In Focus Magazine's Women's Power Caucus
* Social Affairs Magazine Starfish Award, Jackson Memorial Hospital Foundation Cancer Care
* Miracle Maker, Big Brothers Big Sisters
* Women of Style & Substance, The Miami Project

2006

* Governor Jeb Bush's Points of Light Award

2005

* May 10, 2005 Recognized by the 108th United States Congress, First Session
* Heavy Hitter in Non-Profit, South Florida Business Journal
* Giraffe Award, Women’s Advocacy Group

2004

* Honorary Doctoral Degree, St. Thomas University (Florida)
* Honoree, Miami Commission on the Status of Women
* Mentoring Service Award, Coconut Grove Playhouse and Mercy Hospital (Miami)

2003

* Woman of Valor, National Council of Jewish Women
* Women Who Make a Difference, Junior League

2002

* April 11, 2002 Recognized by the 107th United States Congress, Second Session
* South Florida Business Women Awards, City of Hope

2001

* March 27, 2001 Recognized by the 107th United States Congress, First Session
* Weizmann Institute of Science's "Women of Vision"
* American Red Cross's "2001 Spectrum Award"
* Jewish Federation's "Women of Community Service"

2000

* City of Miami Beach's "Distinguished Citizen Award"

1999

* February 2, 1999 Recognized by the 106th United States Congress, First Session
* March of Dimes "Leading Ladies"
* City of Miami Beach, Florida's Jennifer Valoppi Day "A Woman Worth Knowing"

1998

* Macy's The Miami Herald-El Nuevo Herald's "Follow a Leader Award"
* National Italian American Foundation's "Woman of the Year"

1981-1997

* New Time's "Best TV News Anchor" (1995 and 1996)
* South Florida Magazine's "Best of South Florida" (1995)
* American Cancer Society's "10 Best Dressed" (1995)
* New York Emmy, "Best On-Air Talent; Money, Power & Influence" (1991)
* New York Emmy, "Producer Best Entertainment Program; Money, Power & Influence" (1991)
* American Committee on Italian Migration "Woman of the Year" (1990)
* Auburn, New York "Key to the City" (1990)
* Hudson County Columbus Association's "Christopher Columbus Award" (1990)
* New Jersey General Assembly, "Honored" (1987)
* United Press International's "Best Investigative Work; A Shot in the Dark" (1984)
* GCEDC's "Best Weathercaster" (1981)

Education and background

In addition to an honorary Ph.D., Jennifer, a Detroit native, studied in a Doctoral Program for Media Ecology at New York University and was to attend Law School at Wayne State University when she got into television. Jennifer graduated with a B.A. in psychology from Oakland University in Michigan. Jennifer is a native of Allen Park, MI, a Downriver community in Metro Detroit.