Amanda is a 10-time award-winning journalist who has been in the field for more than a decade. A graduate of Valdosta State University, where she was a features editor for the campus newspaper, Amanda has since moved on to embark on a career that has led her to winning top state awards through the Georgia Press Association.
She has been a lifestyles editor for The Valdosta Daily Times and a magazine editor for The Daily Times' monthly publication, Valdosta Scene, overseeing a small staff and being third-in-command in the newsroom. While at the Daily Times, she revamped the company's magazine, acted as a link between the community and readers and took on hard-hitting assignments that garnered her multiple accolades while remaining committed to community journalism.
Her leadership then took her to The Griffin Daily News, where she was a managing editor and department head who worked closely with the publisher and marketing manager. While there, she brought new light to the newspaper and its bimonthly magazine, Southern Crescent Living. She established new weekly departments for the newspaper while correlating opportunities for advertising and editorial to come together and share space on the pages.
Her awards include: two for Investigating Reporting (first and third place), Feature Photo (second place), three for Lifestyle Coverage (first and second places), Best Magazine Overall Design (first place), Magazine Cover Design (third place), Magazine Product (second place) and Religion Writing (third place).
The Associated Press has run 13 of her stories through its weekend wire, and she has had multiple stories to circulate both nationally and internationally in several print and digital publications. National Public Radio Atlanta (WABE) has interviewed Amanda about her work.
She has interviewed Adrian Peterson, Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia First Lady Marty Kemp, Super Bowl Champ Malcolm Mitchell, Elizabeth Smart, two Harlem Globetrotters, Pam Tebow, Misty Copeland and the late Burt Reynolds. She has also photographed Shaquille O'Neal, Flo Rida and other public figures.
Amanda has a passion for storytelling and enjoys being a voice for the local community. While her work ranges from crime to business to education news, her heart lies in features journalism as it offers the chance to meet diverse people and share their stories in a way that matters. The readers and those she interviews will always come first for Amanda.
Voters will decide who will represent them in the race to fill some of Georgia's key leadership roles at the state and federal levels.
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Police are asking for the public's help after they say a suspect fled the scene of an intrusion at a Powder Springs home.
A man was convicted of attacking a woman after she rejected his sexual advances at a Cherokee County hotel, prosecutors say.
A Level 2 slight risk for severe storms was issued in a portion of Georgia while scorching heat could blaze through other areas. See where.
Soccer fans can check out one of these restaurants or hotels while they attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Parking options are also offered.
Patch has compiled details of new restaurants that have opened in Georgia.
After weeks of surveillance, officers say they've arrested a man accused of drug trafficking & have seized more than 25 pounds of fentanyl.
Expert meteorologists say the developing El Niño is unusual because it is expected to begin early and strengthen quickly.
Expert meteorologists say the developing El Niño is unusual because it is expected to begin early and strengthen quickly.
Police say a 13-year-old girl was driving a car that crashed into her mother at an elementary school in Marietta.
Florida's best town to live in is also the 20th-best place to live in the U.S., according to a recent study.
A man is facing federal charges in connection with a shooting that injured a teenage boy aboard a MARTA train in metro Atlanta.
This week, customers will be able to shop at a new Trader Joe's in Georgia. See where the grocery chain is opening its 11th location.
Gwinnett County Police says a Glock handgun with a modified switch was located at the suspect's home.
NASA is hopeful the test flight will be of assistance in sending the first humans to Mars.
NASA is hopeful the test flight will be of assistance in sending the first humans to Mars.
A man accused of attacking a DeKalb County Police officer, stabbing them in the head and arm, was critically injured in a police shooting.
Police have released new details into the death of WWE legend Hulk Hogan, a Georgia native, at his Florida home.
Police have released new details into the death of WWE legend Hulk Hogan at his Clearwater home.