Valerie Coleman Morris

Emmy award-winning journalist, Valerie Coleman Morris is a former Business Anchor for CNN domestic and CNN international. In her latter years at CNN, Morris reported primarily on Personal Finance issues with a daily segment called 'Smart Assets'. In 2007, she decided to follow her passion and focus exclusively on financial literacy as an aspect of business and social economics. Her core interest is financial literacy for women and people of color, two of the most disenfranchised segments of the population concerning money issues.

A sought-after lecturer on financial literacy and money management, Morris also works as a facilitator, keynote speaker and Mistress of Ceremonies for senior executive conferences and corporate staff and employee special events. Recently, she has expanded her message from financial literacy to financial self-reliance, motivating women to understand the path to financial independence.

Morris continues to write and narrate the nationally syndicated radio column which she created in 1986 called "With the Family in Mind" - that focuses on family and sandwich generation issues and their money implications. These segments air on CBS Network Radio three times a week.

Morris' broadcast career spans more than 35 years and both coasts. She came to CNN in 1996 from WPIX-TV in New York where she was both a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor. Morris began her career as a broadcast journalist in San Francisco where she worked for KRON-TV and KGO-TV as a researcher, general assignment reporter, and ultimately an anchor. She was also the morning drive anchor at KCBS Radio in San Francisco and midday anchor at KCBS-TV in Los Angeles.

Morris has received a roster of awards including three California Emmy Awards for both breaking news events and special reports. She was a major contributor to KCBS-Radio's Peabody Award team coverage as co-anchor following the 1989 California earthquake in which a portion of the San Francisco Bay Bridge collapsed.

Valerie Coleman Morris has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from San Jose State University in California and a Masters in Broadcast Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York, where she was the recipient of a New York Times fellowship.