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.
An immigration detainer has been placed on a tractor-trailer driver accused of making an illegal U-turn and killing three people in FL.
A Florida woman claims contaminated raw milk led to her toddler being hospitalized and to the death of her unborn child, reports say.
Stormy weather and winds forced a ground stop Tuesday in Georgia.
A DeKalb County blaze damaged 32 units in an apartment complex, sending three children and two adults to the hospital with injuries.
Nearly 24,000 public high schools were evaluated, and nearly 18,000 were ranked nationally, including in Georgia.
Georgia beachgoers are cautioned against life-threatening conditions this week, with 6-foot waves and deadly rip currents in the forecast.
Gwinnett County fire crews are on scene as they battle a blaze in a Lawrenceville community.
The Stratus variant is a contributor to rising COVID-19 cases in the U.S. See what to know in Florida.
The Stratus variant is a contributor to rising COVID-19 cases in the U.S. See what to know in Georgia.
Brookhaven Police say the murder suspect should be "considered armed and dangerous."
Police have named the suspect in a deadly stabbing at a Smyrna apartment.
Hurricane Erin, a Category 4 storm, is expected to bring "life-threatening" conditions to the East Coast. See possible Georgia impacts.
The fatal crash happened on Interstate 75 north at South Marietta Parkway.
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Following a crash, police say a driver shot at a car with two juveniles inside before fleeing the scene in Fulton County.
A man said he shot a Georgia deputy because he was "spooked" after the deputy requested sexual favors; a verdict has been reached.
Cobb County Police told Patch a driver was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device.
This sweet treat is "synonymous" with Florida and is the most iconic dessert in the state.
Which Florida colleges and universities are among the nation's elite? See here.
More than 100 people died in 2023 nationwide in school bus-related accidents. See how many of those deaths were in Florida.
