Carol Jenkins is an award-winning writer, producer and media consultant. She is a sought-after speaker and writer on issues relating to the media, specifically the participation of women and people of color; women’s participation in the political and economic structures in the US; and the health of women in developing countries, particularly on the African continent.

An Emmy-winning former television journalist, she was founding president and board member of The Women’s Media Center, the groundbreaking non-profit aimed at increasing coverage and participation of women in the media. In that WMC role she conceived the acclaimed Progressive Women’s Voices media leadership program, and acquired and expanded the largest portfolio of women experts in the country, SheSource.

The WMC served as consultant to the award-winning documentary on sexism in the media, Miss Representation, and Ms Jenkins is interviewed in the film. The WMC bestows The Carol Jenkins Young Journalist Award to an accomplished media professional each year.

Carol Jenkins is immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of AMREF USA, and now chairs its Leadership Council. The African Medical & Research Foundation, a 55 year old organization based in Nairobi and founded as The Flying Doctors, is the largest African health NGO on the continent. AMREF operates in more than 30 countries in the delivery of services, training of a local health workforce, and providing safe water and sanitation. AMREF is winner of both The Bill and Melinda Gates Award for Global Health and The Hilton Humanitarian Prize.

As part of her international work, Ms Jenkins is a member of The Council on Foreign Relations.

In addition to continuing to serve on The Women’s Media Center board, she is Chair of the Black Maternal Health Advisory Board of Women’s eNews, the online international women’s newspaper; member of the President’s Council of Advisers at The National Council for Research on Women; a member of the Advisory Board of The Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and an Advisory board member of the Caring Economics Campaign, a project of The Center for Partnership Studies.

Ms Jenkins formerly served on the boards of The Ms Foundation for Women and The Feminist Press. She pursues her interest in the Arts as a board member of the Northern Manhattan Arts Alliance. Born into a farming family in Alabama, she is honored to serve as a member of the board of  Humane Farm Animal Care, the national certifying entity for farms and retail establishments for humane treatment of animals.

Carol Jenkins is the co-author, with her daughter Elizabeth Gardner Hines, of Black Titan: A.G. Gaston and the Making of a Black American Millionaire. A biography of her uncle, it was winner of Best Non-Fiction award from the Black Caucus of The American Library Association. She was an Executive Producer of Eve Ensler’s Sundance award-winning documentary, What I Want My Words to Do to You and is a contributor to the recently published book, Secrets of Powerful Women, Leading Change for a New Generation.

A recipient of both the Lifetime Achievement and International Reporting awards from the National Association of Black Journalists/NY, she holds honorary degrees from Marymount Manhattan College and The College of New Rochelle. During her reporting career she anchored WNBC-TV’s evening newscast, covered presidential and mayoral politics, the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in South Africa, and hosted, on WNYW, her own daily talk show, Carol Jenkins Live.

Recent honors include the 2012 Ida B. Wells Bravery in Journalism Award from Women’s eNews; inclusion in the 2012 Class of TheGrio 100 Leading African Americans; a 2012 United Nations Foundation press fellowship in global health issues; the 2009 North Star News Prize; and the 2008 Women’s Equality Award from The National Council of Women’s Organizations.