Gerri Willis is famous for being a television personality and journalist. She was most known for hosting her own show called The Willis Report which featured news on personal and consumer finance. The show aired on the Fox Business Network.
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Background
Gerri Willi was born in 1959. She grew up in the state of North Carolina. She completed her primary schooling in North Carolina. She moved to Ohio to pursue her college studies. She was among the people who received the Knight-Bagehot fellowship. She attended Columbia Business School while at the university.
When she was working hard in college, she was more interested in becoming a political correspondent than she was in the world of journalism. She was influenced by her social circle and the spirit of activism that was spread around the campus. There were many student groups that protested events happening in the country. Gerri got caught up in the excitement and felt that she could make change by pursing a job in the field of political reporting. As she took her classes, she started to pivot into another direction. Her teachers convinced her that her skills and talent were more appropriate for the field of journalism. They felt that she had the gift of gab and could become an excellent journalist. After she finished school, she decided that she would commit and enter the world of journalism.
Newspaper Reporter
At the beginning of her career, she was working as a reporter for multiple newspapers. She worked for a local newspaper in Ohio which gave her a lot of lessons and learning experiences. She then joined Crain Publications and the Dow Jones. She once worked for Smart Money Magazine as a top level financial reporter. Although she was not able to find a permanent spot early in her career, she was still able to benefit.
She worked with many people and was able to add many friends and contacts to her social network. The relationships she forged would later pay off as she moved up the ladder in her industry. She made sure that she treated everyone with respects because she wanted to build a large base of allies. It was important to her as a newcomer in the industry to make as many positive relationships as she could. She stepped into every interaction with intention to be positive, it was an approach that she would apply to the rest of her career.
Gerri Willis is also the author of a few books. One of her most notable published works is “Home Rich with The Smart Money Guide to Real Estate Investing”. She got many awards because of her work and this includes the title of Excellence in Retirement Saving Reporting from the American University of School of Communication.
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Broadcasting Career
After a few years of reporting for newspapers, she made a career move and started to make television appearances. She worked as a finance editor at CNN and she was the host of Your Bottom line and Open House. While hosting these programs, she gave out information related to the finance industry and national economy. She helped many people within the sector of economy.
While working for the Fox Network, she hosted The Willis Report where she would report news on financial and political topics. Because of the experience she has, she is reported to be paid a very good salary but she never disclosed her salary to the public because she doesn’t think that it is a public concern.
Battle with Breast Cancer
When asked by Westchester Magazine about why there is a fear around talking about breast cancer, Gerri said, “You know, it’s interesting. You would think we’d be long past that, right? But the reality is we aren’t and I think it has a lot to do with fear. Women in particular worry that the disease might hit them — one in eight women will have breast cancer in their lifetime, so you know the numbers are high; a lot of people are affected — and it’s one of those things that’s just easier to ignore or turn away from. What I try to encourage people to do is not do that, but pay attention, to get the tests, and to take care of themselves and their family and to recognize what this is. For me, it’s something I’ve survived. You can overcome this. The message is ultimately positive.”
After her recovery from cancer, Gerri became an advocate for breast cancer awareness and explained her role in the fight, “I do this by talking about it all the time — on social media, in every venue possible, to organizations — about the disease and trying to raise awareness. What you find once you start talking to people is that everybody knows somebody with it. It’s not something that people have never heard of, they’re just afraid of it, I think. It’s about talking about it. It’s about making it public, about seeing more stories and really lifting awareness and normalizing it to some extent. As long as it’s secret it’s much more difficult to accept and understand. That was my problem with having breast cancer. It took me a long time to actually embrace the diagnosis. Once I did, everything was much, much better.”
Personal Life
Gerri is dedicated and passionate about the work she does and this is why many people like her and she has many fans and followers. When it comes to her age and how hot she looks, some people have speculated that she may have gotten plastic surgery. However, her beauty looks are natural and they may be just trying to hurt her feelings. When she is making TV appearances, she is often seen with short and tight dresses or skirts that show her beautiful legs.
Gerri Willis’s husband is David Evans. David works as a researcher for the Gerson Lehrman Group. There have been rumors that their marriage has had some difficulties but the rumors were never proven. Gerri Willis likes to keep everything to herself and she does not disclose her private life to the public.
Last Modified: Apr 8, 2020
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