Rehema Ellis

Rehema Ellis joined NBC News as a general-assignment correspondent, based in New York, in December 1993. Ellis had been a news anchor at WHDH-TV in Boston, working on weekend newscasts and “Urban Update,” WHDH-TV’s weekly half hour news broadcast, since 1990.

While in Boston, Ellis provided live coverage of the Pope’s visit to Denver and anchored a half-hour special for WHDH on the Pope’s visit. She also reported on Coretta Scott King’s 1993 fight to bring the Martin Luther King papers from Boston University to the Martin Luther King Center in Atlanta, GA. In 1991, she followed Nelson Mandela from New York to Boston on his historic visit to the United States.

Ellis is the recipient of numerous awards for her reporting, including a 1989 Emmy for her report on life in the inner city for WHDH. Her work has also garnered several AFTRA and Matrix Awards, as well as multiple awards from the National Association of Black Journalists.

While at WHDH, Ellis also served as political reporter, covering the 1988 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the 1988 presidential and gubernatorial elections and the 1988 and 1990 congressional elections. Prior to that, Ellis was a general assignment reporter at WHDH from 1985 to 1988.

Ellis also worked as a morning anchor and reporter for KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh from 1980 to 1985. Before that she worked as a an anchor and reporter for KDKA Radio, Pittsburgh. Ellis has also at WINS News Radio in New York City from 1977 to 1978.

Ellis began her broadcasting career at WJIB-FM, Boston, where she was a producer, writer and host of a weekly, hour-long talk show from 1973 to 1974.

Ellis received a B.A. from Simmons College, Boston and an M.A. from the Columbia School of Journalism. Ellis also served as a volunteer high school teacher in Tanzania, East Africa, through the Harvard University Africa Volunteer Project.

Ellis is a native of Boston.

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