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| Margaret Bernstein |
“She’s an award-winning journalist, a high school mentor, a national Big Sister of the Year, and a passionate crusader for the people and communities of Northeast Ohio,” said VP and Station Manager Micki Byrnes. “Starting in September, she will also be the new Director of Advocacy and Community Initiatives for Channel 3 and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome her.”
“This is simply the perfect opportunity for me. I deeply respect WKYC’s trailblazing work in community advocacy and want to help the station continue moving our community forward,” Margaret said. ”I firmly believe that people want more than just the news headlines – they want to know what they can do to make a positive difference. It’s up to us in the news media to shed light on the best ways for the public to get involved.”
For over 20 years, Margaret wrote for Ohio’s largest daily newspaper and as a Metro columnist she identified ways that readers could take action to improve Cleveland’s quality of life.
She is known for her solution-oriented writing, which has been honored nationally. In 2008, she received the National Association of Black Journalists' prestigious Community Service Award, and she was part of a team that was honored by Columbia University for its coverage of the Mount Pleasant section of Cleveland in a series titled "Can We Save Our Neighborhoods?" Her “Power of One” series also won two public service prizes.
In 2005, the famed “Three Doctors,” authors of The New York Times bestseller, "The Pact," chose Margaret to co-write their critically-acclaimed follow-up memoir, "The Bond: Three Young Men Learn to Forgive and Reconnect with their Fathers." Margaret is also well known as a major proponent of mentoring, having served as a Big Sister for many years and also as a key volunteer for the Urban Journalism Workshop for high school students. Most recently, her respected name has been associated with literacy efforts in Cleveland. She spent the past year creating a network of communities and parents that are embracing the grassroots Little Free Library movement.
Margaret lives in Cleveland Heights with her husband, Shaker Heights Chief Prosecutor C. Randolph Keller. They have two children, Randy and Alexandria.
