American television news anchor, attorney and social justice activist
[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]
Biography
[
edit
]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"WEDDINGS - Renee Chenault, Chaka Fattah"
.
The New York Times
. 2001-04-08
. Retrieved
2016-06-21
.
- ^
Renee Y. Chenault.
"Renee Y. Chenault Lawyer Profile on"
. Martindale.com
. Retrieved
2016-06-21
.
- ^
"Renee Chenault-Fattah out at NBC10"
. 23 February 2016.
- ^
"The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia"
.
www.broadcastpioneers.com
. Retrieved
2024-03-11
.
- ^
"NBC10 anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah departs station months after husband's indictment"
.
bizjournals.com
. 2016-02-24
. Retrieved
2016-06-21
.
- ^
"Trustees"
.
- ^
"Staff & Board ? Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity"
.
- ^
"Sy Snyder's Power 50"
.
PoliticsPA
. The Publius Group. 2002. Archived from
the original
on April 21, 2002.
- ^
"Pennsylvania's Most Politically Powerful Women"
.
Pennsylvania Report
. Capital Growth, Inc. 2001. Archived from
the original
on February 9, 2004.
- ^
"Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame"
.
www.broadcastpioneers.com
. Retrieved
2024-03-09
.
- ^
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.
- ^
"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
. 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."