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About Phyllis Fletcher:
Phyllis Fletcher's public radio career began in the swimming pool. It occurred to her there that if she were not submerged in water, she'd be listening to KUOW—as she was the other 23 hours of her day.
Her previous career in software had become a casualty of the Seattle dot–com bust. Her days of complimentary high–end sodas and yoga classes at the office were long gone. As she crossed Queen Anne Pool doing the crawl stroke, it came to her: why not try to work at KUOW, where she probably wouldn't need free pop to be happy?
A few months later, she volunteered to help at KUOW's 2002 Fall pledge drive. She came in every day to answer phones. A KUOW News reporter noticed Phyllis, and did what reporters do. "You've been here every day," she said. "What's your deal?" Phyllis confessed her interest, and the reporter gamely took her on as an intern. From there, Phyllis became a freelance reporter, fill–in host, and, ultimately, a staff reporter for KUOW News.
Phyllis has reported on pedestrian rage, dog licensing laws, and the end of Wonder Bread in Washington State. She has interviewed great–grandchildren of Confederate soldiers, and parents who've lost their children in the war in Iraq. Her coverage has helped KUOW win first–place awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Radio and Television News Directors Association, Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, and the National Association of Black Journalists. For those opportunities, Phyllis thanks the members of KUOW.
Phyllis is a general assignment reporter, so she does a little of everything. She has coordinated coverage of Seattle's African American community, and she's responsible for KUOW's news reports on education issues. You can usually find her at a Seattle School Board meeting, listening through her headphones and typing away on her Mac. Feel free to say hello to her if you have a story you'd like to share with KUOW's listeners. If you do, she promises not to refer to herself in the third person.
Phyllis grew up in Fremont and is a proud graduate of James A. Garfield High School.
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