Brandi Powell
“I’m fortunate to be living in my remarkable hometown – the Twin Cities – full of people and places I love. I’m also lucky to be part of the KSTP 5 Eyewitness News team, where I have the opportunity to cover the vibrant lives and important issues of people across Minnesota.”
EXPERIENCE
Brandi Powell is an Emmy award winning journalist who anchors the weekday morning newscasts on KSTP 5 Eyewitness News 4:30-5:30am and KSTC 45TV 7-9am. She has been part of the news team since January 2014.
She is also an on-air contributor on KSTP’s Minnesota Live and a contributing writer for Minnesota Monthly magazine.
During her time at 5 Eyewitness News, she’s filled-in as a co-host on Minnesota Live, Twin Cities Live and At Issue. Brandi was chosen to be in the Prince and Mary Tyler Moore REELZ specials, giving on-air perspectives as a journalist and Minnesotan. In 2014, Brandi was selected to do a Voice-Over for part of a Shark Week episode.
In the summer of 2022, Brandi anchored a 5 INVESTIGATES special: Race. Reform. Reality. The hour-long program offered a thoughtful approach to the complex issues facing our community after the murder of George Floyd. The team won a regional Emmy award for the program.
In 2020, Brandi launched and reported an in-depth series: Conversations About Racism and the Road to Equality. The 3-part series included Understanding Racism, The Talk and Youth Activists and Education. The team won a Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award for Special Project/In-depth Series in 2021.
From 2011-2013, Brandi worked as a Reporter/Multi-Media Journalist at KNSD-TV (NBC 7) in San Diego. She covered breaking news, crime and politics. She also served as a regular on-air contributor for Politically Speaking, the station’s weekly political show.
Brandi worked as a Reporter/Video Journalist/Bell County Bureau Chief, from 2008-2009, at News 8 Austin (now Spectrum News -Time Warner Cable). She covered Fort Hood and its surrounding communities.
Her first on-air TV news position was as the Political Reporter at KFYR-TV (NBC Affiliate) in Bismarck, North Dakota. From 2006-2008, she covered statewide elections and legislative sessions. While at KFYR Brandi went on assignment in Guatemala for nearly two weeks covering elections, agriculture and education while following a group of North Dakota teachers doing an intercultural exchange.
Brandi began her career, behind-the-scenes, as a Production Assistant at MSNBC, from 2005-2006. Prior, she was an Intern with The Washington Center, for the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York City. She was also an Intern with Dateline NBC in 2004. Brandi’s first broadcasting experience was announcing the community calendars for a Las Vegas jazz radio station.
EDUCATION
In 2011, Brandi earned her Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from George Washington University in Washington, DC. Her concentration was International Development. She has training in sociocultural anthropology, biological anthropology, linguistic anthropology and archaeology. From 2009-2011, Brandi was a full-time graduate school student. During this time she served as a graduate school intern at National Geographic Channel.
Brandi is a proud McNair Scholar. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She minored in Spanish. Brandi was in the UNLV Honors College. She won 1st place in UNLV’s Honors College Public Speaking Contest.
As an undergraduate student, she also studied abroad for a semester in Salamanca, Spain and during a summer in Barcelona, Spain.
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS & VOLUNTEERING
Brandi is a member of the Board of Directors for Urban Ventures.
She is also a member of National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) and Twin Cities Black Journalists (TCBJ).
Brandi regularly emcees events for a variety of community organizations. She also moderates panel discussions.
Brandi has volunteered at local schools and universities to mentor young people and give presentations. She has also volunteered with children in Urban Ventures’ dynamic youth programs.
AWARDS AND HONORS
Brandi has also earned individuals regional Emmy nominations, including for Anchoring in 2022 and 2020.
Brandi has been a part of multiple team regional Emmy award wins, including in 2022 for Investigative – Multiple Reports, in which she anchored the hour-long special: Race. Reform. Reality.
She won a Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists Page One Award for Special Project/In-depth Series in 2021, for Conversations on Racism and the Road to Equality.
In 2017, Brandi was selected as the Keynote Speaker for the Patricia Adams Lecture Series (PALS) at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, OH. Brandi has also won two North Dakota Associated Press awards.
PERSONAL INTERESTS
Brandi was born in Minnesota. She graduated from Minnetonka High School where she was captain of her track & field and dances teams and was selected to give a speech at her graduation. Brandi was a long-time gymnast at TAGS. While she was born in Minnesota and loves living here, Brandi also enjoys traveling around the world with loved ones and experiencing different cultures. She’s conversational in Spanish. She enjoys living in Minneapolis with her husband and their two young daughters, son and rescue dog.