Page 9 - NYC Imagine Awards Journal

Meet the Emcee Meet the Judges

Sonia Rincón Lesleigh Irish-Underwood
General Assignment Reporter Chief External Affairs Officer
WABC-TV’s Eyewitness News Vibrant Emotional Health

Sonia Rincón is a general assignment reporter for As the inaugural Chief External Affairs Officer
WABC-TV. Raised in four out of five boroughs (CXO) & Head of Brand for Vibrant Emotional
of the city (all but Queens!), Sonia is thrilled to Health, Lesleigh “LIU” Irish-Underwood leads
tell New York’s day-to day stories, documenting the advancement of the nonprofit’s external-
its changes, challenges, cultural richness and facing strategy and a best-in-class business
resiliency. unit that encompasses integrated marketing
& communications, stakeholder engagement,
If her name sounds familiar, you may have heard national and state policy, fundraising & business
her voice on New York’s all-news radio station development, strategic partnerships, and social
1010 WINS, where she spent 15 years as an impact.
anchor and reporter while freelance reporting for
New York-area television stations, before joining the Eyewitness News team Irish-Underwood has built her career on serving historically-marginalized and
full-time in May 2022. underrepresented communities. Before joining Vibrant, she was the first Chief
Brand & External Relations Officer of MetroPlusHealth, as well as the first
Her broadcast journalism career began at Emerson College in Boston, where she Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at United Way of New York
served as news director for college radio station WERS-FM. Before returning City. Irish-Underwood started her career at the prestigious Random House
home to New York, Sonia reported and anchored news for radio stations in publishing imprint Alfred A. Knopf, and then went on to several other world-
Connecticut, Maine, Virginia, and Pennsylvania including KYW Newsradio in class publishing brands, including Kensington, Pearson, Golden Books, and
Philadelphia. Dorling Kindersley.

Sonia earned numerous awards in her 20+ year radio career, including an Known for being a catalyst for creativity and collaboration, Irish-Underwood
Edward R. Murrow award for storm coverage of Ida in 2021. was named both a Crain’s New York Business’ Notable Leaders in Advertising,
Marketing and PR, as well as a Notable Black Leader and Executive. She is
She also has served as an adjunct lecturer at CUNY’s Newmark Graduate a member of CHIEF, was selected to join the esteemed Black Executive CMO
School of Journalism. Alliance (BECA), as well as the Wall Street Journal CMO Network, and Salesforce
CMO Club. She is an alumna of the American Express Leadership Academy,
Sonia has Colombian and Scottish heritage and is fluent in Spanish. When a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she sat on the National
she’s not working, Sonia enjoys theater and live music, fitness classes, and Strategic Planning Committee, and currently serves on the Brooklyn Community
cooking. She lives in the Bronx, is a die-hard Yankees fan and a proud alumna Foundation and Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation Boards.
of LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts.
LIU earned her B.A. from Stony Brook University, and resides in Brooklyn, NY
with her husband (another Stony Brook University Seawolf), their daughter and son.

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