Rebecca Blacksmith
Host

(from left to right: Rebecca on air in the studio; Rebecca backstage at an awards show; with Bill McDermott, CEO of SAP Americas)

Rebecca received both her M.G.A. at the Fels Institute of Government and her Masters in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently working on her dissertation for her Ph.D. at Penn as well. She has held the titles of Bradley Fellow, Earhart Fellow, Fox Distinguished Graduate Fellow, Mumford Fellow, and PRRUCS Fellow. She served as a Head Teaching Assistant and Instructor for one of Penn’s most famous faculty, the former White House Senior Advisor John DiIulio. This included teaching and managing for him over 40 instructors, lecturers, and staff for a groundbreaking Ivy League leadership class which offered national leaders as guests.

In 2006, she traveled to The White House at the request of the Director of a White House Office to present her research to him on non-profits and national public policy.

For over a decade, she has conducted over 2000 “elite interviews” (celebrities, sports stars, authors, politicians, CEOs) for major markets (New York and Philadelphia) or national broadcast (satellite television). In addition to 200 speaking appearances, she promoted and broadcast for radio the one year anniversary of September 11th concert at Madison Square Garden featuring NY Governor George Pataki, NBA stars Allan Houston and Charlie Ward, Fred Hammond, and Third Day. Another career highlight included interviewing Stevie Wonder while covering the AIDS and debt relief concert Live 8, which was the largest concert in the United States (July 2005, Philadelphia, 1 million people).

Her greatest joy is in "fostering" and mentoring three inner-city siblings for 12 years.