University to Honor Emmy Award-Winning Journalist Keisha Grant

She interviewed Vice President Joe Biden on the issue of gun control, led her television station’s coverage of 2011’s Hurricane Irene, and has received two Emmy Awards.

Now NBC Connecticut anchor and alumna Keisha Grant ’96 will be honored by the University of La Verne as the 2016 Distinguished Alumna of the Year during the university’s Alumni Awards Dinner and Dance on Oct. 14. She is one of five alumni and faculty to be awarded during the ceremony at the Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center in Pomona.

“This fine institution took a dream that I had at the age of 14 to be a journalist and taught me how to bring it into fruition,” Grant said. “I credit the university, its mission, and dedication to students as well as the fine professors, instructors, faculty, and staff for what I’ve been able to accomplish.”

Grant, who majored in television broadcasting, has been with NBC Connecticut since 2003. She previously worked as an anchor and reporter in Columbus, Ohio. She won an Emmy in 2011 for her coverage of tropical storm Irene, and another in 2002 for the story “Black Man in Amish Land.” The NAACP in 2011 named her one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut.

Others who will be honored by the university are:

• Art Acevedo ’06, chief of the police department in Austin, Texas. He is the first Latino to lead the department, which includes 2,547 sworn law enforcement and support personnel.
• Soheila Azizi ’93, a Rancho Cucamonga attorney whose firm’s primary focus is on medical injury and family law. She has also served as a judge pro tem in small claims and family law courts in San Bernardino County.
• Linda De Long ’10, director of the academic success center. She is a senior adjunct professor for the College of Business and Public Management with a broad history in teaching and human resources management.
• Lynn Valdez ’69, alumna who is a member of the university’s Green & Orange Society, a group of university donors. She served four terms on the Alumni Advisory Board. She received a bachelor’s degree from the university in 1969 and a teaching credential the following year.

The awards dinner is one of numerous events taking place during the University of La Verne’s homecoming weekend Oct. 14-16. Events on Saturday include the 5K Fun Run/Walk at 8 a.m., a student float parade beginning at the corner of Third and B streets at 1:40 p.m., Preview Day with 300 prospective students and their families, a pre-game party at 3 p.m., and a football game vs. Occidental College at 5 p.m.

Sunday events include an 11:30 a.m. farewell brunch at the Church of the Brethren, 2425 E St., La Verne, the Model United Nations Reunion & General Assembly at Morgan Auditorium at 2 p.m. and a Sundays at the Morgan performance at 6 p.m.