Mary Jo Perino
{{Short description|American sports journalist}}
Mary Jo Perino-Ford is a former television sports journalist. She was named Kentucky Sportscaster of the Year in 2009 and 2010{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|last3=|date=January 29, 2010|title=Perino named sportscaster of the year|url=https://www.echopress.com/sports/1614851-perino-named-sportscaster-year|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Echo Press|language=en}} and in 2011 was the first woman elected to the board of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.{{Cite news|last=Sloan|first=Scott|date=March 6, 2013|title=WLEX's Mary Jo Perino leaving station|work=Lexington Herald-Leader|url=https://www.kentucky.com/news/business/article44408289.html}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|last2=|last3=|date=May 25, 2011|title=Perino becomes first female elected to NSSA national board|url=https://www.echopress.com/sports/1627899-perino-becomes-first-female-elected-nssa-national-board|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Echo Press|language=en}}
Early life and education
Perino was raised in Alexandria, Minnesota.{{cite news |last1=Rauch |first1=Michelle |title=Meet The Media: Mary Jo Perino: True Blue (And Bluegrass) Fan |url=https://issuu.com/top_marketing_group/docs/tops_march12 |access-date=30 June 2021 |work=TOPS Magazine |date=March 1, 2012 |pages=34–38}} Her grandfather started a television station, and her father worked there, and her interest in becoming an anchor began while she was a child and visiting her father at work.
In 1999, Perino completed her Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri.{{cite news |last1=Hailey |first1=Lorie |title=Top Women in Business Spotlight: Mary Jo (Perino) Ford |url=https://www.lanereport.com/139628/2021/03/top-women-in-business-spotlight-mary-jo-perino-ford/ |access-date=30 June 2021 |work=Lane Report |date=March 19, 2021}}
Career
After graduating college, Perino first worked in television as a reporter in Terra Haute, Indiana, eventually also becoming a sports anchor on weekends for a year. She was then hired by the LEX18 sports department in 2002 and was a weekend anchor for four years. In July 2006, Perino joined the CNN Headline News network as a sports anchor.{{Cite web|title=Former CNN Correspondent Heads to Anchor Desk in Lexington|url=https://adweek.it/3fCeVNs|access-date=2021-06-24|website=adweek.it|language=en-US}} In 2007, she left CNN Headline News and returned to LEX18 as the main sports anchor. Perino was the Sports Director at WLEX in Lexington, Kentucky before leaving in December 2020 for Sema4, a laboratory specializing in women’s health and genetics.{{Cite web|title=Mary Jo Perino Leaving WLEX for Son|url=https://www.adweek.com/tvspy/mary-jo-perino-leaving-wlex-for-son/84427/|access-date=2021-06-24|website=www.adweek.com|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2021-02-22|title=LEX 18 names Anna Tarullo as new BBN Tonight co-host|url=https://www.lex18.com/sports/bbn-tonight/lex-18-names-anna-tarullo-as-new-bbn-tonight-co-host|access-date=2021-06-24|website=WLEX|language=en}}
Personal life
Her favorite football team is the Minnesota Vikings. She and her son are also fans of the Kentucky Wildcats.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20060920222004/http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/mitchell.maryjo.html Mary Jo Mitchell biography] at CNN.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perino, Mary Jo}}
Category:American sports journalists
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)