Amanda is a 10-time award-winning journalist who has been in the field for more than a decade. A graduate of Valdosta State University, where she was a features editor for the campus newspaper, Amanda has since moved on to embark on a career that has led her to winning top state awards through the Georgia Press Association.
She has been a lifestyles editor for The Valdosta Daily Times and a magazine editor for The Daily Times' monthly publication, Valdosta Scene, overseeing a small staff and being third-in-command in the newsroom. While at the Daily Times, she revamped the company's magazine, acted as a link between the community and readers and took on hard-hitting assignments that garnered her multiple accolades while remaining committed to community journalism.
Her leadership then took her to The Griffin Daily News, where she was a managing editor and department head who worked closely with the publisher and marketing manager. While there, she brought new light to the newspaper and its bimonthly magazine, Southern Crescent Living. She established new weekly departments for the newspaper while correlating opportunities for advertising and editorial to come together and share space on the pages.
Her awards include: two for Investigating Reporting (first and third place), Feature Photo (second place), three for Lifestyle Coverage (first and second places), Best Magazine Overall Design (first place), Magazine Cover Design (third place), Magazine Product (second place) and Religion Writing (third place).
The Associated Press has run 13 of her stories through its weekend wire, and she has had multiple stories to circulate both nationally and internationally in several print and digital publications. National Public Radio Atlanta (WABE) has interviewed Amanda about her work.
She has interviewed Adrian Peterson, Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, Super Bowl Champ Malcolm Mitchell, Elizabeth Smart, two Harlem Globetrotters, Pam Tebow, Misty Copeland and the late Burt Reynolds. She has also photographed Shaquille O'Neal, Flo Rida and other public figures.
Amanda has a passion for storytelling and enjoys being a voice for the local community. While her work ranges from crime to business to education news, her heart lies in features journalism as it offers the chance to meet diverse people and share their stories in a way that matters. The readers and those she interviews will always come first for Amanda.
A man pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing a 77-year-old grandmother at least a dozen times at her Buckhead home, a media report says.
Police accused a man of shooting to death his mother and stepfather in a domestic incident at a Cobb County home.
Police say a man fatally shot two people, tried to shoot a third person and stabbed a fourth person in a Gwinnett County spree.
A Georgia lawmaker accused of fraudulently collecting $17,811 in pandemic unemployment benefits was arrested Monday.
The number of new norovirus cases recently showed a notable increase, including in Florida.
The number of new norovirus cases recently showed a notable increase, but data in Georgia paints a contrasting picture.
Temperatures may plunge into the teens due to a polar vortex that could force an Arctic blast across the East Coast, including in Georgia.
A father defending his daughter is dead; a man was rescued in a fire; the Georgia Bulldogs are headed to playoffs; and a pastor's criticism.
Heavy flames tore through the roof of an eight-unit building, causing at least one person to be displaced in Atlanta.
A shift manager at a Bojangles is facing murder charges in connection with the shooting death of an employee's father in Georgia.
The National Park Service will allow free entry to its sites on President Donald Trump's birthday but not on Juneteenth or MLK Jr. Day.
The Southeastern Conference championship trophy stays in Atlanta, and the Bulldogs have a playoff quarterfinal bout in the works.
Secret Service Probes GA Woman's Death | Inmate Escape | Deadly Police Shooting | Woman Killed On Birthday | Prisoner's Execution Set
The man who was accused of assaulting a woman who was walking her dog near a MARTA bus stop was shot and killed in a police shooting.
Gov. Brian Kemp and U.S. Rep. Austin Scott asked for prayers after two Georgia officers were injured while executing a search warrant.
Georgia deputies were chasing a driver who traveled on the wrong side of I-75 and hit two vehicles, killing three people, officials say.
More than $41 million was claimed in a single week through scratch-off prizes, according to the Georgia Lottery Corporation.
Three firefighters were en route to a call when their fire truck crashed, injuring all on board.
The expansion of the chicken finger franchise will bring the Raising Cane's total to 12 restaurants in Georgia.
A parade, a dog adoption event, free food and a holiday market will ring in the holiday season in Georgia.
