Ithaca College

Sandra Pinckney '70 will be the keynote speaker at this year's Professionals Symposium Awards Dinner. The Professionals Symposium celebrates students and alumni of color and their academic and professional achievement, and brings them together for meaningful mentoring opportunities

The dinner will be held on October 2 at 6:00 pm in Emerson Suites. .

Sandra Pinckney, host of the popular show Food Finds on Food Network, cultivated her passion for food and travel at an early age. The daughter of a diplomat, she spent her childhood on the move, living across the U.S. and in such far-flung locales as Cambodia, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. On Food Finds, Sandra searches out the regional fare and the fascinating people who produce it. From taro chips in Hawaii to turtle chowder in the Florida Keys, Sandra has sampled the best of America's cultural cuisine.

In addition to Food Finds, Sandra has worked in front of the camera and behind the scenes on many local and national programs. She began her television career at Baltimore's WJZ-TV, where she learned the producing skills that landed her on the daily live talk show People Are Talking and the weekly Evening Magazine. Sandra soon began working in front of the camera as a reporter for Evening Magazine and eventually moved to WJZ's news division. She worked her way up from weekend reporter to noon anchor before leaving in 1995.

In the main anchor position at Baltimore's WMAR-TV, Sandra also helped develop a franchise called Up Close and Personal, interviewing newsmakers and local celebrities. Very active in the community, she lent her support to causes ranging from the American Cancer Society and Special Olympics to the Boys and Girls Clubs and even the Maryland State Fair where she emceed the Farm Queen pageant for six years.

Since leaving Baltimore, Sandra has hosted several syndicated programs, including NBC's weekly news magazine SOS in America and Fox Network's The Hidden Truth. Throughout her career, she has interviewed celebrities, political figures and sports stars, but says her first love will always be ordinary folks with extraordinary stories.

Sandra received her B.A. in sociology and anthropology from Ithaca College and continued her graduate work there in educational communications. She served as a graduate fellow on the Code and Rating Board for the Motion Picture Association of America, where she had the opportunity to help rate the first Star Wars film. Sandra also studied French civilization at the Sorbome in Paris, but admits she spent more time exploring the city than in class.

Today, Sandra lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she is cultivating a love of gardening and southern fried chicken. She still travels widely in her continued search for exotic places, people and the perfect crème brulee.

Contributed by Graham Stewart