Jennifer Sanders is an Edward R. Murrow winner and Emmy-nominated global journalist, news anchor, college professor and documentary filmmaker, who is passionate about helping and empowering people through visual storytelling.
She is an anchor and reporter at KXAN News, the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas. She joined KXAN in 2020 after spending nearly a decade at NewsChannel 9 WSYR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Syracuse, New York. While in Syracuse, Jennifer started as a weekend reporter and worked her way up to becoming the station’s morning news anchor. Before moving to Central New York, she was a multi-media journalist at KXII-TV in Sherman, Texas, where she was responsible for shooting, writing and editing her news and sports stories. She also hosted a weekly talk show called “Forum”, in which she did in-depth coverage of key issues impacting people across Texas and Oklahoma.
Prior to that, she was a writer/web producer at KDAF-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth. She wrote stories for the evening newscasts and the station’s website, worked in the control room as well as co-produced special projects in the Dallas/Ft. Worth television market. She started her journalism career in newspaper and radio in Seguin, Texas.
Through her work as a documentary filmmaker, she has produced award-winning content that has changed policies, community narratives and sparked nationwide conversation. Her most recent documentary won several awards, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award. “Hidden History: The End of Syracuse’s 15th Ward” was focused on a small neighborhood during Syracuse’s 1950s that was decimated by the construction of Interstate 81 under the Federal Highway Act, urban renewal and redlining. The documentary explores the emotional stories of the families affected in the 1950s and the threat of history repeating itself during planned reconstruction in 2025. The 15th Ward documentary has been the focus of several forums, town halls and school lessons enlightening viewers on a critical piece of Central New York history. Another groundbreaking documentary produced by Jennifer was titled “Hidden History: Syracuse 8”. This piece focused on a group of African-American football players at Syracuse University during the late 1960s who protested inequality through a boycott that made national headlines. The documentary was nominated for an Emmy and won a New York State Excellence in Broadcasting award and a Syracuse Press Club award.In 2017, Jennifer served as chief documentarian for the “Cameroon Dental Project”, a global service initiative providing free dental services to children in remote villages, orphanages and prisons in Central Africa. She took an in-depth look on how the lack of dental care in Cameroon affected young children.Jennifer also launched a new series at WSYR-TV called “Victory Over Violence”, shifting the focus from mugshots and arrests to impact and solutions. In this weekly series, Jennifer highlights people and programs making a difference in the Central New York region in the fight against poverty and crime.
Jennifer has had the opportunity to interview Oprah Winfrey and cover President Barack Obama’s visit to Cooperstown, New York. One of her most memorable experiences include extensive coverage of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. Prior to traveling to Flint, Jennifer launched a donation drive at her station to collect clean drinking water for those affected by the water crisis. In just two days, thousands of bottles of water were collected along with thousands of dollars in donations that she delivered to the residents of Flint during her coverage.
Outside of news, Jennifer is the co-host of “The Ladies Room” podcast. Jennifer and her co-host, Iris St. Meran, interview internationally-known women about their journey to success, in an effort to inspire others to go after their dreams. Jennifer has also served as the executive producer for an hour-long special on The Word Network, incorporating faith and current events into a show that was seen across the nation. Jennifer has a passion for teaching and cultivating young journalists. She served as adjunct faculty at Syracuse University, one of the top broadcast journalism schools in the nation. She taught an introductory course to graduate level students at Newhouse.Jennifer is equally as passionate about improving her community as she is about storytelling. In her free time, Jennifer is emceeing conferences, moderating panels, giving a keynote speech or hosting workshops on a variety of topics. In 2019, she got the opportunity to do a sit-down hour-long interview with comedian Trevor Noah at Syracuse University at the largest-ever MLK Commemoration event.
She is the founder of NexJeneration, Inc., a platform that provides students hands-on education, exposure and financial assistance to become well-trained journalists in the evolving world of television and digital news. Throughout the school year, she travels to various schools and universities, hosting workshops and lecturing about the importance of journalism and how to have a successful career in news. Jennifer is a big believer in giving back to her community. She actively works with children and teens in school districts across the nation. She also sat on the board of directors for The Gifford Foundation and Vera House, Inc., a non-profit working to end domestic and sexual violence in Central New York. She’s also involved in several community groups dedicated to empowering, educating and engaging families around the world. Jennifer is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. as well as The Links, Inc. – two organizations committed to sisterhood and community service. As the daughter of retired military parents (Army), she has lived throughout Europe and the United States, but considers herself a true Texan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/Spanish from Texas Lutheran University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. Jennifer is passionate about service and community and will continue dedicating her life to making the world a better and more progressive place.
