Stephanie Elam is retiring from CNN, where she has worked twice as a correspondent for more than 20 years.
In recent years, Elam has worked as a correspondent based in Los Angeles. In a statement released via social media, she did not reveal her future actions. “For more than 20 years, I’ve been in CNN’s orbit developing and distributing news stories on everything from the environment and entertainment to business and breaking news of all kinds,” she said. “I’m so proud of my CNN career. Live and taped, writing packages, doing show-and-tell, I’ve done it all, and it’s been a gift to have a front-row seat to record history.”
Before working for several years at KNBC, Elam was a business news correspondent for CNN based in New York and also worked as a reporter for HLN and CNN International. From 2003 to 2011, she covered everything from market downturns to Michael Jackson’s death. She returned to CNN in 2013.
In his second appearance on CNN, Elam has covered everything from the eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano to the death of legendary Minnesota musician Prince.
“Stephanie brought clarity, authenticity and heart to every story she touched during her 20 years at CNN. Her versatility and natural ability to connect with viewers made her a trusted voice and a valued colleague,” CNN said in a statement. “We are grateful for her many contributions and wish her continued success in her next chapter.”
In an unrelated move, CNN’s early morning anchor Rahel Solomon announced in March that she plans to leave the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed network.
Elam’s journalism career began in New York, where she worked as a copy editor for the Dow Jones News Agency before joining Bridge News. While working at Bridge News, she covered corporate earnings on PBS’s “Nightly Business Report” and WebFN, and anchored “Market on the Close,” a one-hour show that tracks the stock market during its final hour of trading. She also anchored the weekly business program “First Business” and co-hosted “Black Enterprise Report,” a nationally broadcast program focused on business, career and financial education.
Elam earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Howard University.
