Alisha Davis ’88 Making Her Mark at Good Morning America

Alisha Davis ’88 reported on Madonna and Guy Ritchie’s wedding for Newsweek magazine more than 20 years ago. At the time, Ms. Davis was invited by CNN to talk about the celebrity wedding as a guest commentator. She was accidentally four hours early for the interview and ended up chatting with everyone on the set. She clearly left an impression.

“The next day, I got a call from a CNN executive. They were re-launching their sister network called CNN Headline News at the time and asked if I would consider being the entertainment anchor,” she said in an interview.

On Oct. 20, Ms. Davis returned to GCDS to receive the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award, which is voted upon annually by the Alumni Advisory Council, and to talk about her extensive background in print and broadcast television. A five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist, Ms. Davis’ reporting has spanned the globe. Instead of a “live” speech, Ms. Davis pre-recorded a Good Morning America style interview with Head of School Adam Rohdie, during which the tables were turned, and Ms. Davis was the subject of the interview. The interview was shown throughout the Middle and Upper Schools.

Already a successful entertainment magazine reporter, her new gig with CNN launched her career to the next level as a broadcaster and TV host.

For several years, Ms. Davis was the prime-time entertainment anchor for CNN Headline News. She also had co-hosting and editorial stints at MTV, E! News Live, Court TV, and Caribbean Times News.

As the entertainment industry became dominated by reality television, Ms. Davis shifted her attention to national and international news and for the past 17 years, she has worked for ABC News. Currently, she is a producer and writer for Good Morning America with George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, and Michael Strahan.

Her ABC News career highlights include interviewing Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Barbara Walters—“a legend”—and traveling to Haiti in 2015, five years after the earthquake to report on recovery efforts. More recently, she produced a segment on USA gymnast Leanne Wong, talking about her history-making win at the world championship and has been producing segments about the Israel-Gaza war among others.

She appreciates being behind the camera at this time in her life while she focuses on her family. “I’ve gone from being an anchor to writing for an anchor now. And those are two very similar things. I don’t travel as much now, though,” she said.

“You are an inspiration to all Tigers,” said Mr. Rohdie. “You pursued a passion and have had a significant impact in the world and our community by creating a more informed and engaged society.”

Ms. Davis didn’t always think she was going to be a journalist. After Country Day, Ms. Davis attended Hotchkiss School and Harvard University, where she majored in African American Studies. During college, Ms. Davis thought she was going to pursue academia because of her interest in culture and society. However, it was an internship at VIBE, a groundbreaking hip hop magazine founded by record producer Quincy Jones, that made her rethink her path.

“I’ve always thought across disciplines. I want to understand culture, history, and sociology in terms of what was happening now, in the present. So I shifted to journalism,” she says. After VIBE, she moved to Newsweek.

Ms. Davis considers herself fortunate to have survived the consolidation of traditional media. Many of her colleagues have left the profession. Nonetheless, she does believe there remains a vital role for trusted news sources like ABC News. “Amid the flood of information and misinformation in the digital age, people are asking themselves: What sources do we trust?” she said.

Ms. Davis credits her GCDS education for building the mindset that has led to her success as a journalist. “There was such a focus on learning how to learn. Curiosity and critical thinking were encouraged, and we always had to analyze. We were never fed an answer.”

She was exposed to so many incredible teachers, adults who are leaders in every field. “As you meet them you realize, I can do this. I developed confidence here because everything seemed possible for me.”

In addition to pursuing academics seriously, Ms. Davis was a three-season athlete—soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. She went on to play Varsity Ice Hockey at Hotchkiss.

During her GCDS visit, Ms. Davis was able to sit in on several Upper School classes, including International Relations. “I was so impressed by the depth of the discussions in the class which focused on complex issues like Israel and Gaza. As someone who is working on that issue now, the discussions rivaled discussions that I’ve heard. I’m blown away by what I’ve seen this morning,” she said.

Ms. Davis also met with the Students of Color affinity group. “Back when I graduated, I was just about the only Black student in my class. It was so gratifying to know that there are now more students of color. I can see evolution and growth at the school in terms of inclusivity.” At the end of the interview, Mr. Rohdie asked her what other career she wished she could have pursued. “Honestly, I can’t imagine a career aside from being a journalist. Every day I get to learn,” she said with satisfaction.