Emmy-nominated TV news anchor Valentina Wilson loves story-telling, but she is most passionate about giving back to the community.
Valentina is an award-winning journalist who has worked as a TV news reporter and anchor in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Greenville/New Bern, NC. Many of those roles also involved management, supervision and mentoring of reporters and producers.
Valentina’s work has been recognized by the Associated Press, Radio and Television News Directors Foundation, Nashville/MidSouth Emmy Chapter and other prestigious journalism groups. She was also part of an Edward R. Murrow award-winning news team.
In addition, Valentina has several years of experience in freelance newspaper/magazine writing and editing, public relations and media relations. She also previously owned a marketing and PR company, where she wrote news releases and articles, created branding strategies and crafted and recorded radio and TV commercials.
In the 1990s, her journalistic talents took her all the way to Germany, where she interviewed politicians and religious leaders, stood before the remnants of the Berlin Wall, and attended a NATO briefing in Brussels, Belgium. She was one of only a handful of fellows nationwide selected by the RTNDF/RIAS Berlin Commission for the two-week long journalism exchange program.
Valentina’s nearly 30-year career has taken her on a trek from the swamp to the desert. While in Vegas she co-anchored a live, three-hour New Year’s Eve broadcast from the rooftop of Caesar’s Palace. She also met the great Muhammad Ali while interviewing his daughter Laila for the opening of her boxing gym.
A native of Pride, Louisiana, Valentina is a summa cum laude graduate of LSU, with a BA in Broadcast Journalism. While working at WAFB, she was named an LSU Woman of Distinction, and she was named one of Baton Rouge’s Best Dressed in 2010.
Valentina started writing creatively at a young age and currently has a 230-page novel under her belt. She enjoys helping out with a number of civic and philanthropic causes through her church and various community groups and nonprofits. In 2013, she founded the Teen Fashion Academy which mentors pre-teen and teenage girls on topics including self-esteem and etiquette. She has also spearheaded fundraising and awareness events (including live telethons) for sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, the American Heart Association and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
Valentina’s greatest joy comes from her family. She’s a wife and mother of a young daughter. Her hobbies include gardening, photography, modeling, crafting, cooking, antiquing and anything related to fashion.