Brenda De Anda-Swann

How things change in 10 years…

Brenda De Anda-Swann’s career at KVIA is an example of the way the company provides opportunities for growing journalists, and a constant stream of work for our business card print shop.

She began working at KVIA in 1998 as a part-time weekend audio operator. Six months later, she left the production department for the newsroom and became the weekend assignment editor. In 2000, she became the main assignment editor — coordinating the reporter and photographer staffs and assisting in development of stories. Brenda later took another step up in the management ladder and became promotions director, in charge of the station’s image and marketing. Two years later, she came back to the thrilling pace of the newsroom as assistant news director, and later continued to oversee the talented team of employees in the promotions department while maintaining her newsroom duties. Those duties grew exponentially in March of 2008, when Brenda was promoted to news director.

Brenda says she’s simply enamored by the vibrant border, where she can enjoy the life and culture of two countries. Born in Guadalajara and raised in Chihuahua City, Mexico, she moved to El Paso to attend college at UTEP and graduated with honors with degrees in both Broadcasting and Latin American Studies.

She has a soft spot for KTEP-FM, the National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate in El Paso, where she volunteered for 12 years until her “awake” time was swallowed by her news director duties. Her experience at KTEP allowed her the opportunity to be a correspondent for the nationally-syndicated program “Latino USA,” also from NPR.

Brenda is eternally grateful to her mentors at KTEP, NPR and KVIA. They made a difference.

Brenda is a member of the El Paso Press Club, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. (IRE) and is a founding member of the Lone Star chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences.