We were very pleased to welcome Kimberly Bookman as our speaker. Kimberly Bookman has worked for WCVB-TV’s NewsCenter 5 since 2009, reporting stories from locations all over New England.
Kimberly knew from an early age that she wanted to "share stories" on TV after discovering Natalie Jacobson and Chet Curtis anchoring the news (ironically on channel 5) in the 1980's.
Kimberly went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from American University. A Needham native, Kimberly made her first appearance on WCVB with her fifth grade weather class. Kimberly also interned at the station during a summer in college
Kimberly knew she would have to work in smaller markets to enter the business. She committed to working anywhere in the country. She worked as a freelance TV reporter and fill-in anchor at WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH. While there, she covered the 2008 Presidential primary debates and numerous election related stories. Kimberly has held similar positions at WFXT-TV and NECN in Boston, WMAR-TV in Baltimore, WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, SC and WETM-TV in Elmira, NY.
She received her dream job back in her home town of Needham at Channel 5 in 2009. In 2010, she was part of the Emmy-winning teams reporting on the "Mattapan Massacre" and the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority water main break. Among many other memorable stories in 2011, Kimberly has covered the Bruins Stanley Cup championship win, the Western Massachusetts tornado and the capture of Boston's most notorious gangster, Whitey Bulger.
Kimberly was happy to declare that local news is alive and well. She pointed to coverage of the recent local terrorist events as proof. Whether you believe that or not, it's hard to dispute the enthusiasm Kimberly brings to it!