Amanda Mason is an award-winning journalist and Communications & Public Affairs Manager at Benton-Franklin Health District (BFHD), also serving as the Chief Brand Strategist and Public Information Officer (PIO). Amanda has a Master in Mass Communications degree from Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications, graduated magna cum laude.
During her year in Arizona, she received the Rocky Mountain Emmy Student Production Award for her in-depth coverage documenting Puerto Rico's recovery after Hurricane Maria. She has also been recognized for serving her community with the Community Advocate Award from the United Way of Midland in 2020, along with the Key to Kenner, Louisiana for her recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2006.
Before her television career, she worked in NYC as a professional opera and musical theater singer.
She also holds a Master in Music degree from the renowned conservatory Manhattan School of Music for classical vocal performance. She's performed at Carnegie Hall, in Verona and Montepulciano, Italy, at the UN Headquarters, and in Off-Broadway shows around NYC and Las Vegas.
She has 20 years of experience as a professional public speaker and featured keynote speaker at national podiums, including the National Foundation for Women Legislatures Annual Conferences, as the National Spokesperson for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence for youth prevention. She has also been a speaker for the Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education for the national conference in Washington, D.C., Florida House of Representatives, and the state kickoff for the NY State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, to name a few. As Miss New York 2013, she served as a National Ambassador for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. She has also appeared on National Television on NBC's The Today Show, PBS, Fox and Friends, and dozens of radio and television stations across the country.
Amanda has an extensive journalism background and has held various leadership roles in the newsroom, including lead morning anchor, reporter, weather forecaster, and producer for ABC, PBS, CBS, and FOX affiliates across four states.
Amanda is no stranger to hard news and has inside knowledge on how the media covers crisis situations. She has covered a variety of breaking news and investigative stories, including the Odessa Mass Shooting in 2019 as a lead anchor, producer and reporter. She served as a solo anchor and producer at the height of the pandemic leading a seven-member morning team through some of the most challenging months our world has faced.
Amanda has seamlessly found a way to blend her journalism and public relations expertise, developing a new internal and external communications department at BFHD focusing on risk communications management, strategic media coaching for public health leaders and marketing opportunities for more than 60 public health programs.
She is a proud member of the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce, where she found life-long friends and is planting roots in the Tri-Cities. Her mission is to continue strengthening her community and use her knowledge to help leaders gain the skills to work with media to confidently and strategically get their message out to the public.
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