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.
Criminal charges filed against a woman who had a miscarriage come amid renewed attention to women's rights regarding abortions in Georgia.
Atlanta officers responded about a man threatening people with a gun, a call that ultimately led to police shooting and injuring the man.
The federal budget cuts will reportedly impact a Florida food bank benefitting from a $65 million federal food assistance program.
Education officials reportedly stated a $7.1 million deal between GA and the USDA will end after June, impacting schools statewide.
"We want everyone to know, we will not stop until our soldiers are found," the Army said in an update Thursday on the missing GA soldiers.
AccuWeather forecasters are predicting “a dynamic and potentially volatile” 2025 Atlantic hurricane season in the U.S. What to know in VA.
AccuWeather forecasters are predicting “a dynamic and potentially volatile” 2025 Atlantic hurricane season in the U.S. What to know in MD.
Atlanta Police released video footage appearing to show two males beating another male during what police say was an armed robbery.
A woman allegedly told a store's pharmacy that someone was trying to shoot her before then claiming a bomb was in the store's bathroom.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told media four soldiers, reportedly from Georgia, were killed after disappearing during a training.
The FBI Atlanta says a labor trafficking probe at a Georgia plant shows there could be dozens of foreign workers who have been exploited.
AccuWeather forecasters are predicting “a dynamic and potentially volatile” 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. Here's what to know in Georgia.
A key GA official supports President Trump's overhaul of U.S. elections, requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
Dry and windy conditions have triggered a red flag warning for an increased fire risk in parts of Georgia ahead of potential weekend storms.
The 20-year-old construction worker was not wearing a harness or helmet at the time of the deadly fall, Atlanta Police said.
DeKalb County Police said a 17-year-old and a 23-year-old surrendered Tuesday after seeing their surveillance photos in media reports.
After a tip from New York Police, Gwinnett County Police say they arrested a man accused in a deadly stabbing nearly three years ago.
U.S. News & World Report analyzed at least 350 bed-and-breakfasts, inns and hotels across 17 cities and small towns, including in Florida.
U.S. News & World Report analyzed at least 350 bed-and-breakfasts, inns and hotels across 17 cities and small towns, including in Georgia.
At least eight people were accused of trafficking four women and a girl in efforts to further criminal behavior in several GA counties.
