Rehema Ellis

Rehema Ellis ’74, ‘00HD (born 1954) is a broadcast and television journalist who studied Sociology at Simmons and Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She began her career at KDKA Radio and TV in Pittsburgh and later became a reporter and weekend news anchor for WHDH-TV in Boston. In 1994, Ellis rose to prominence as a correspondent for NBC News where she covered major events, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the election of President Barack Obama, and the death of Michael Jackson. In 2010, she became the chief education correspondent for NBC News.

Ellis has received numerous awards for her outstanding reportage, including two New & Documentary Emmy Awards for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Current News Story-Long Form (for 2008 and 2013), the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association, and a National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Award for Television Network-General Assignment News: Short Form. In 1996, Simmons recognized Ellis’ remarkable career by bestowing upon her the Lifetime Achievement Award. Ellis received an honorary doctorate from Simmons in 2000.