The McIntosh Charter Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) welcomes renowned Atlanta television personality Monica Pearson as guest speaker at the group’s monthly meeting Tuesday, May 13. Pearson will be sharing “Lessons Learned” from 37 years as a news anchor with WSB-TV Atlanta.
Retiring in 2012, Pearson now hosts a weekly radio show on KISS 104.1 FM and is a graduate student at the University of Georgia.
She joined WSB-TV in 1975 as Atlanta’s first woman and first minority to anchor the daily 6 p.m. news. She also has anchored the 4, 5 and 11 p.m. news during her career, debuting the 4 and 5.
Pearson began her professional career at The Louisville Times, followed by a position in the public relations department of Brown-Forman Distillers before joining WHAS-TV in Louisville for three years as a reporter and later anchor.
She has received numerous accolades and honors for her distinguished bodies of work, including 33 local and regional Emmys, including an Emmy for an exclusive interview with Georgia Congressman John Lewis in 2008. The interview garnered national recognition, as Lewis changed his U.S. presidential support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. An advocate of many social issues, Pearson received the Champion for a Cause Award for her fight against diabetes and The American Academy of Pediatrics (Georgia Chapter) honored her with the “Friends of Children Award.”
Pearson is a member of numerous civic, community and professional organizations, including the NAACP (Life Member), The National and The Atlanta Associations of Black Journalists, The Atlanta Press Club, and the Screen Actors Guild, to name a few. She was the first African American and the second woman to serve as Chairman of the Metropolitan United Way in 1988. She also serves on the boards of directors for Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company and Meals on Wheels Atlanta. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
She is a native of Louisville, Ky. and grew up in what is known as Smoketown. In addition to her degree from the University of Louisville, she holds an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University), Oglethorpe University and Doctor of Public Service from Young Harris College.
Pearson is married to John E. Pearson Sr., the mother of Claire Patrice, and step-mother of John E. Pearson, II.
ABWA meets at Due South restaurant in Peachtree City. If you are interested in attending this meeting, contact Maria Cannon at 770-251-6865 or email cannontrvl@mindspring.com.
