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Please join us on Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023, at 12 p.m. EST, for "
Courageous Conversations: Black in the C-Suite." President Helene Gayle will have a compelling dialogue with ABC News President Kim Godwin.
This event will be in-person and livestreamed via Zoom, for guests outside of Spelman’s campus who wish to attend.
ABOUT KIM GODWIN
Kim Godwin is president of ABC News, America’s No. 1 news network. In this role, Godwin oversees the 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.” She is the first Black woman to serve as a network news president.
Since joining ABC News in 2021, Godwin has driven and overseen bold, innovative, straightforward journalism and storytelling. She has further pushed into streaming with ABC News Studios, which delivers a diverse slate of programming, including feature documentaries, series and specials, across ABC, Hulu, Disney+ and National Geographic. Major projects created under Kim’s leadership across all platforms include “IMPACT X Nightline,” “Power Trip,” “Uvalde: 365,” “Guns in America” and the creation of ABC News’ Climate Unit.
Kim has built a more diverse talent and senior executive team that better reflects and represents the communities ABC News serves. She has greatly diversified content on all platforms, including broadening the award-winning “Soul of a Nation” franchise.
In 2022 under Godwin’s leadership, ABC News earned a record 41 Emmy® nominations in 28 categories ― the most of any news division and the most for ABC News in 53 years, as well as the esteemed Edward R. Murrow and Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards.
For the 2022 52-week television season, ABC News was once again No. 1 across the board. “Good Morning America” was the No. 1 morning newscast in Total Viewers for the 10th year in a row; “World News Tonight with David Muir” was the No. 1 program on all of television for 31 weeks, more than any other program, and the No. 1 newscast for the sixth consecutive year; “This Week” was the No. 1 Sunday public affairs program among Adults 25-54 for the first time in seven years; “20/20” was the No. 1 Friday newsmagazine for the second year in a row; “GMA3: What You Need to Know” was No. 1 in Total Viewers vs. the competition; and “The View” was No. 1 in Households and Total Viewers among all network and syndicated daytime talk shows. Additionally, ABC News’ 2022 election night coverage took the top spot among broadcast networks in primetime as the No. 1 broadcast network in Total Viewers during midterms for the first time in 12 years.
In 2022, Godwin was named one of the “Most Powerful People in New York Media” by The Hollywood Reporter, featured on EBONY’s Power 100 list as a “Media Maven,” and included on Variety500 and Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business list. She was also honored with the Gracie’s Leadership Award by the Alliance for Women in Media and the 2022 Radio Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF) First Amendment Service Award. Over the course of her career, Godwin has been privileged to receive six National News and Documentary Emmy Awards, two Edward R. Murrow Awards, an Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award, and a Sigma Delta Chi Award. She is also a well-regarded member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
As an experienced and strategic executive, she has overseen newsgathering and managed full editorial oversight across a global portfolio of news properties. At the network level, Godwin has executive produced news programming, managed a nightly news broadcast, created cross-digital content, and earned recognition for award-winning programming and reporting. She began her career running local newsrooms in markets across the U.S., including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Philadelphia and Cleveland. Her accomplished 35-year career has been dedicated to championing excellence and the vital role of journalism.
Before joining Disney in 2021, Godwin served as executive vice president of News at CBS. During her tenure, she directed newsgathering across the global portfolio with full editorial oversight and launched “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell” as executive producer. A multitalented trailblazer with exceptional journalistic instinct and skills, she also previously served as vice president of News, CBS News executive director for Development and Diversity, and senior broadcast producer of the “CBS Evening News.” At CBS, she oversaw Network News Services and 400 domestic and foreign affiliates; CBS Audio Services, including over 600 affiliates and podcasts; the National Desk and domestic bureaus; News Standards and Ethics; and Race and Culture. She joined the network in 2007.
Godwin is a fierce champion for inclusion and telling representative stories. In 2020, she helped develop and oversaw the CBS News Race and Culture Unit and CBS Village, a multiplatform franchise to highlight content about diverse groups. She was recognized in November 2020 by the National Association of Black Journalists and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with the Ida B. Wells Award for her work in advocating for coverage of communities of color, building a diverse newsroom and championing young journalists throughout their careers.
Before joining CBS News, Godwin honed her journalistic and leadership skills for 20 years at top local stations in the United States. She was the acting news director and assistant news director at WCBS-TV, New York City; vice president and news director at KNBC-TV, Los Angeles; vice president of News Operations, NBC Television Stations; vice president and news director at KXAS-TV, Dallas/Fort Worth; and news director at the duopoly WOIO/WUAB in Cleveland.
Godwin is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in broadcast journalism. FAMU was the first historically Black university to have an accredited journalism program. She is currently the chair of the board of visitors at her alma mater’s journalism school.
Godwin is married to the accomplished assistant superintendent of Clayton County Schools and has a wonderful, blended family of two daughters and two stepchildren.
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