The Resilient Voice: A Biography of Kristen Powers, WTAE Co-Anchor

1. Introduction: The Resilient Voice of Pittsburgh’s Action News 4

Kristen Powers serves as the weekday Co-Anchor for the critical 11:00 PM newscast on WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.

In this demanding role, she sits alongside Mike Clark, forming part of the key late-night team that includes Chief Meteorologist Mike Harvey and Sports Director Andrew Stockey.

The 11 PM anchor chair requires a high degree of Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, as it delivers the final summation of the day’s most consequential events to the Pittsburgh community.

Powers brings to this position not only professional rigor but also a unique narrative of intense personal resilience that profoundly shapes her journalistic approach.

Unlike many journalists whose career paths are purely professional, Powers’ mandate for transparent, impactful communication is fundamentally shaped by a life-altering genetic challenge: facing the 50% risk of inheriting Huntington’s Disease (HD) after her mother’s premature death.

Her decision to undergo genetic testing and publicly document the process in the film Twitch established her character early on, providing verifiable evidence of courage, transparency, and deep empathy.

By tackling her greatest personal fear publicly, she established a level of integrity and authenticity that immediately resonates with and builds trust among viewers, transforming her personal history from a challenge into a source of immense professional credibility.

The WTAE anchor’s background is rooted in broadcast journalism, health advocacy, and Midwestern roots, offering a clear and distinct profile defined by her dedication to local and global community service.

2. The Weight of Uncertainty: Navigating Huntington’s Disease

Powers’ commitment to high-stakes storytelling is deeply rooted in her family experience with Huntington’s Disease. Her mother, Nicola Powers, was diagnosed with HD in 2003 when Kristen was nine years old.

HD is a devastating, incurable neurodegenerative brain disorder that progressively destroys an individual’s ability to walk, talk, think, or reason, ultimately leading to death. Nicola Powers passed away in January 2011.

The disease placed an immense emotional burden on the family, particularly Kristen, who later expressed feeling “cheated” by the fact that she never knew her mother before HD took hold, hearing only stories about how “great she was and how fun she was”.

As the child of a person with the disease, Powers and her brothers faced a profound challenge: a 50% chance of inheriting the same devastating mutation.

Because HD symptoms often do not manifest until a person is in their 30s or 40s, this probability created a complex set of “traumatic choices” regarding genetic testing, forcing individuals to potentially confront their future fate decades in advance.

Despite this “uncertain timeline” hanging over her life, Powers determined that it would not prevent her from achieving her goals.

Testing Huntington’s Disease

At the age of 18—the legal age requirement for genetic testing—she made the courageous decision to be tested.

In a moment of immense relief for her and her family, her results came back negative. This personal trial served as a formative experience that defined her character.

The history of managing such an acute crisis, making a critical life decision under extreme duress, and navigating the emotional toll of a complex illness demonstrates a profound emotional resilience, a prerequisite for handling the sensitive and high-stakes narratives that define modern journalism.

Furthermore, the choice to undergo testing and achieve a negative result provides a sense of closure while validating the intense struggle, which is why she remains a committed advocate. The complexity of the HD legacy continues, as her at-risk brother and half-brother have not yet chosen to be tested.

3. Global Advocacy: The Genesis and Impact of Twitch

Powers leveraged her personal adversity into a platform for global education and social change, producing the documentary Twitch, a monumental achievement that precedes and reinforces her later journalistic career. Twitch: The Documentary (2014/2015, 42 minutes) meticulously chronicles her own genetic testing process.

The film’s ambition was to move beyond the medical details, exploring the emotional, political, economic, social, and medical aspects surrounding genetic testing for HD, incorporating interviews with leading HD experts and activists to provide comprehensive insight.

The scale of the project was significant, requiring substantial funding, with a target of approximately $100,000 to cover travel to interview experts, production crews, animation, and editing.

Community enthusiasm was evident immediately, as the fundraising campaign raised $10,000 in the first nine days.

Following its release, Powers dedicated herself to outreach, traveling extensively throughout the United States and to six continents to screen the film and work toward de-stigmatizing the disease. Twitch was successfully screened in 30 cities worldwide.

This immense, self-driven outreach campaign demonstrates a powerful philosophy of action: using communication to “spark a national conversation about a disease that has often flown under the radar”.

This proactive approach to public service confirms that her journalism career is a continuation of an already established mission to address ignored social problems.

This advocacy trajectory began even earlier. During high school, Powers founded the Chapel Hill High School Green Tiger Campaign, a successful sustainability program that included an organic garden whose produce was donated to food kitchens and gardeners.

This foundational work earned her the White House “Champion of Change” recognition, an honor she noted brought significant “legitimacy” to the students’ efforts.

Powers’ history as a proven, successful activist and internationally recognized documentarian, long before she entered the high-pressure world of major-market journalism, confirms that her expertise is rooted in authentic, high-impact public engagement.

The fact that she took a hyperlocal, deeply personal trauma and successfully elevated it to global advocacy grants her immediate, high-level Authoritativeness in sensitive storytelling.

Table of Key Milestones in Advocacy and Personal Resilience

4. Foundational Expertise: Academic Rigor and Professional Incubation

Kristen Powers established a solid academic foundation essential for demonstrating journalistic expertise. She is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she attended Marquette University’s Diederich College of Communication, earning her Bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2014.

Seeking to refine her professional skills, Powers pursued advanced specialization, obtaining a Master’s degree (M.S.) in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, graduating in 2015 or 2016.

The decision to pursue a graduate degree from a top-tier institution demonstrates a commitment to deep journalistic expertise and professional refinement beyond the entry level.

While at Syracuse, she utilized key academic and professional opportunities, including an internship with the local ABC-affiliate news station and dedicated reporting on the complex 2016 presidential election. Powers credits this advanced education, stating that Newhouse “prepared me to land a job after graduation”.

Following her Master’s program, Powers launched her career in Bakersfield, California, where she “broke into the business”.

She worked for two years as a multimedia journalist and then a fill-in anchor at the Sinclair-owned CBS/Fox duopoly stations (KBAK/KBFX). This initial experience cemented her capability to handle the full scope of local news production.

5. Professional Ascendancy: High-Stakes Reporting and Accolades

Powers quickly established a pattern of excellence recognized by her peers. While reporting in Bakersfield, she received the highly regarded RTNA (Radio and Television News Association) Golden Mike Award.

This award recognized her journalistic integrity in her coverage of the devastating Las Vegas shooting.¹ Winning such a significant, objective accolade for handling a major national tragedy provides irrefutable evidence of her professional competence and trustworthiness under pressure.

Following her success in California, Powers transitioned to the highly competitive Washington, D.C. market (Market #7).

She spent three years working as a weekday morning reporter for WJLA-TV, the local ABC affiliate, primarily contributing to Good Morning Washington.

This shift marked an evolution in her skill set, moving from turning daily packages to primarily going live, often starting her day before 3:30 AM.

Working in a top-10 market environment tested and honed her real-time broadcasting and high-pressure reporting skills, validating her readiness for a major anchor role.

Her professional progression—from an entry market (Bakersfield) to a top-10 market (D.C.) and then securing a high-visibility anchor position (Pittsburgh)—demonstrates a standard, successful, and measured growth trajectory that proves her Experience.

Additionally, her background includes working as a Nexstar Broadcast Group D.C. Bureau Reporter and covering the 2016 Pennsylvania Presidential primaries, providing her with valuable regional political exposure relevant to her current role.

Table of Kristen Powers Professional Trajectory and Milestones

6. The Commitment to the Steel City: Anchoring WTAE and Local Dedication

Powers’ arrival at WTAE in June 2022 was unique in that it was driven by a deep personal commitment to the city of Pittsburgh.

Her move from Washington, D.C. (Market #7) to Pittsburgh (Market #26) was fundamentally motivated by her husband, Dr. Fady Sourial, who began a four-year residency in radiation oncology at Allegheny Health Network (AHN).

Powers openly acknowledged the market size difference but stated she was able to secure a “full-time, good position” that allowed her to expand her career while supporting her family’s local move.

This decision to prioritize family and long-term stability over the prestige of the nation’s seventh-largest news market is a powerful non-monetary indicator of trustworthiness and commitment to the Western Pennsylvania region.

The shift in schedule also suited her lifestyle, as she transitioned from the rigorous early-morning schedule in D.C. to the late-night 11 PM newscast, noting, “I’m naturally a night owl, so this is good for me”.

Her focus immediately turned toward community integration. She demonstrated an awareness of the unique challenges of regional reporting, recognizing the need to master “local pronunciations (think: North Versailles),” and stated that her role would include actively engaging outside the studio.

Community involvement

Powers embraces community involvement, stating she is “passionate about getting involved with charitable organizations” and looks forward to exploring Pittsburgh with Dr. Sourial and their Siberian husky.¹

The connection established through her husband’s residency at Allegheny Health Network (AHN) provides a strong local nexus. AHN is a major integrated health care system serving the region and is committed to advancing medical treatments.

This family link subtly yet significantly enhances Powers’ Authoritativeness in covering the Pittsburgh area’s critical healthcare industry.

Given her deep personal history as an advocate for HD awareness and genetic testing, her professional role is intrinsically connected to the region’s medical community, positioning her as a particularly well-informed voice for health-related narratives.

7. Personal Life: A New Chapter in Pittsburgh

Kristen’s move to Pittsburgh was a professional opportunity interwoven with a deeply personal one: her marriage.

• Husband: Kristen Powers is married to Dr. Fady Sourial, a physician who specializes in Radiation Oncology at the Allegheny Health Network (AHN).

• The Move: Dr. Sourial’s residency at AHN was a key factor in the couple moving from the competitive D.C. market to Pittsburgh. For Kristen, taking the 11 p.m. co-anchor chair at WTAE was an ideal fit, allowing her to transition from the demanding early morning schedule she had in D.C.

• Family: The couple share their home with their beloved Siberian husky.

While the specifics of her age remain private, based on her 2014 college graduation (from her bachelor’s degree) and career arc, Kristen Powers is likely in her early 30s (estimated 33–36 years old as of 2025).

8. Conclusions

Kristen Powers is more than a familiar face reading the teleprompter; she is a journalist whose career is built on a foundation of hard-won resilience. Her willingness to share her family’s struggle with Huntington’s disease, and her positive outcome, empowers her to cover sensitive community issues with rare empathy and authority. She is not just reporting the news—she is a living example of a compelling, human story.

As she articulated in her TEDx talk, the essence of a meaningful life is to “Forge ahead anyway to leave a heartfelt Legacy on this planet regardless of whether we have a day or a century ahead of us”.

This guiding philosophy ensures that Powers approaches her role at WTAE not merely as a job, but as a proactive vehicle for community service, building upon the foundations laid by her White House-recognized activism and her globally screened documentary, Twitch.

The blending of rigorous training (Syracuse M.S., Golden Mike Award) with verifiable personal integrity (HD advocacy, local commitment via AHN) distinguishes her in the market.

By choosing to settle in Pittsburgh and embrace local community challenges, Powers has demonstrated a profound commitment that transcends the temporary career moves typical of journalism, securing her place as an authoritative and deeply humanizing voice for Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.

WTAE Colleagues

Kristen Powers co-anchors with Mike Clark and works alongside evening and morning anchors, including Shannon Perrine, Janelle Hall, Ryan Recker, Kelly Sasso, and Michelle Wright.

Sources

• CBK Media Management. (2022). Client Kristen Powers Joins WTAE as 11 PM News Co-Anchor.

• TribLIVE. (2022). TV Talk: New faces to appear on Pittsburgh newscasts in July.

• Huntington’s Disease Society of America (HDSA) / TMC News. (2016). When Huntington’s Disease Runs in Your Family.

• Kanopy / Kristen Powers. (2014). Twitch – A Personal Journey About Huntington’s Disease.

• Allegheny Health Network. (Reference for Dr. Fady Sourial’s residency).