Renee Chenault-Fattah

Last updated
Renee Chenault-Fattah
Renee Chenault-Fattah.jpg
Renee Chenault-Fattah in March 2007
Born
Renée Yvette Chenault [1]

(1957-10-12) October 12, 1957 (age 67)
Littleton, Colorado, U.S.
Other namesRenee Y. Chenault [2]
Education University of Missouri
University of Pennsylvania Law School
Johns Hopkins University
Occupation(s)NBC 10 (Philadelphia, PA) News Anchor
Title NBC 10 News Anchor
Spouse Chaka Fattah
ChildrenCameron Chenault
Chandler Fattah

[1] Renee Chenault-Fattah (born October 12, 1957) is an American journalist and former co-anchor of the WCAU NBC 10 News at 4 and 6 p.m. on weeknights in Philadelphia. [3] She worked as a lawyer in New York City in the 1980s. [4] She is married to former U.S. Representative Chaka Fattah of the 2nd Congressional District of Pennsylvania. [1]

Contents

Biography

Early life and education

Chenault-Fattah majored in political science at Johns Hopkins University, and went on to earn her J.D. at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She worked at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, a law firm in New York, and then clerked for Judge Damon Keith of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She then began her media career, earning a master's degree in journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

Career

Chenault-Fattah joined WCAU, then the Philadelphia CBS TV affiliate, in September 1991, and served as an anchor and a reporter. After a few years anchoring the noon broadcast with Tim Lake, she was promoted to the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. news in March 1995. By then, WCAU had become the NBC affiliate in Philadelphia. In 2003, Lake joined Chenault as co-anchor at 4 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m., after she had spent 8 years co-anchoring newscasts at 6 and 11, first with Ken Matz and then with Larry Mendte.

The criminal case involving her husband, Congressman Chaka Fattah, made it increasingly difficult for Chenault-Fattah to continue as an anchor, and she went on leave for seven months following his indictment. Ultimately, she left the station on February 24, 2016. [5] Although she was mentioned in a business dealing of her husband's, Chenault-Fattah was never charged with anything in connection with the activities that ultimately led to his conviction.

Chenault-Fattah serves on the board of trustees of Johns Hopkins University. [6]

After serving for several years on its board of directors, Chenault-Fattah was named Executive Director of Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity, a non-profit dedicated to assisting low-income Philadelphians in overcoming hurdles caused by past criminal records. [7]

Honors and awards

Chenault-Fattah was named to the PoliticsPA list of "Sy Snyder's Power 50" list of influential individuals in Pennsylvania politics in 2002. [8] She was also named to the PoliticsPA list of "Pennsylvania's Most Politically Powerful Women" [9]

The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia inducted Chenault-Fattah into their Hall of Fame in 2009. [10]

Personal life

Chenault-Fattah is the third wife of Pennsylvania politician Chaka Fattah, and they have a daughter together named Chandler Fattah. Two and a half years prior to marrying Fattah, Chenault-Fattah had a daughter named Cameron Chenault through artificial insemination. She is stepmother to Frances ("Fran") Fattah, and Chaka Fattah Jr., known as "Chip" (31 years old in March 2015). [11] [12]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "WEDDINGS - Renée Chenault, Chaka Fattah". The New York Times . 2001-04-08. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  2. ↑ Renee Y. Chenault. "Renee Y. Chenault Lawyer Profile on". Martindale.com. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  3. ↑ "Renee Chenault-Fattah out at NBC10". 23 February 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia". www.broadcastpioneers.com. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  5. ↑ "NBC10 anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah departs station months after husband's indictment". bizjournals.com. 2016-02-24. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  6. ↑ "Trustees".
  7. ↑ "Staff & Board – Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity".
  8. ↑ "Sy Snyder's Power 50". PoliticsPA . The Publius Group. 2002. Archived from the original on April 21, 2002.
  9. ↑ "Pennsylvania's Most Politically Powerful Women". Pennsylvania Report. Capital Growth, Inc. 2001. Archived from the original on February 9, 2004.
  10. ↑ "Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame". www.broadcastpioneers.com. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  11. ↑ Maryclaire Dale (March 22, 2015). "US Rep's son says he's 'collateral damage' in bid to get dad". Associated Press . Retrieved March 23, 2015. Chip Fattah – reed-thin and always smiling – can talk a blue streak. But he paused, atypically, when asked how long he had lived with his father, a 10-term Philadelphia Democrat, before his parents divorced. His sister, Fran, is a lawyer running for city judge. Fattah Sr., 58, also has two young daughters with his third wife, local TV anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah.
  12. ↑ "Party politics: Fattah, Chenault exchange vows With help from their children, the congressman and the news anchor held a big church wedding". philly-archives. 2001-04-08. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-21. "Fattah's daughter, Frances, a second-year law student, was maid of honor; his son, Chaka "Chip" Jr., a college freshman, was best man. The bride's daughter, 2+1⁄2-year-old Cameron Chenault, balked at walking down the aisle with the other five flower girls, so she had to be carried by her grandfather, Arthur Chenault."
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