THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

Date:
March 23, 2023

Location:
The Poynter Institute
801 Third St. S.
St. Petersburg, FL 33701

Time:
5:30 p.m. Eastern – VIP Experience reception and dinner
7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m. Eastern – Conversation with Kerry Sanders moderated by Kelly Ring with audience Q&A

Tickets:
$50 General Admission
The General Admission ticket gives guests access to an intimate, 90-minute conversation with Kerry Sanders moderated by longtime local news anchor Kelly Ring. Guests will also have a chance to ask Sanders questions during an audience Q&A. Doors for General Admission guests open at 7 p.m. The program will start at 7:30 p.m.

$150 VIP
VIP Experience guests will mix and mingle during an international wine reception with Kerry Sanders and enjoy a gourmet three-course dinner prepared by Chef Alex Rodriguez and Lolita’s Wine Market before the featured conversation at 7:30 p.m.

Doors for VIP guests open at 5:30 p.m.

The evening with Kerry Sanders is sold out.

The conversation with Kerry Sanders will be moderated by longtime local anchor, Kelly Ring.

Imagine jumping out of planes, swimming with sharks, living in war zones and exploring all seven continents to seemingly cover every major news event over the last three decades.

Kerry Sanders has been there. He’s done all of that and more as a national correspondent for NBC News while informing and delighting millions of people along the way with his heartfelt tenacity, incessant curiosity and spontaneous spirit.

Known for taking on NBC’s most daring assignments since the early 90s, Sanders has spent nearly 200 days a year traveling to all 50 states and 65 different countries to break news from global conflict to climate. He always managed to find inspiring stories of human triumph whether he was diving in uncharted waters, embedding with Marines in Iraq or providing on-the-ground reports during Hurricanes Andrew, Ivan and Katrina. 

In January, Sanders announced his next big adventure: Retirement. 

You’re invited to join the Poynter Institute on March 23 to celebrate Sanders’ storied career as one of the most courageous, versatile and trusted broadcast journalists in America for a conversation moderated by local broadcast news anchor Kelly Ring.

The evening will begin at 5:30 p.m. with an international wine reception and three-course dinner for VIP guests. The featured presentation will follow at 7:30 p.m. During this enlightening conversation, Sanders will:

• Give us the scoop behind his most memorable stories that regularly appeared on “NBC Nightly News,” “The Today Show,” MSNBC and “Dateline NBC” 
• Share his take as a certified scuba diver on climate change and its effect on local waters and marine life
• Reveal what’s in store for his next chapter as a retired broadcast journalist

And, as a proud Florida resident who graduated from the University of South Florida and worked for a number of local television stations in Jacksonville, Ft. Myers, Tampa and Miami, Sanders will reflect on his coverage of the state’s most impactful stories over the years including presidential elections, hurricanes and other events that have shaped our lives.

Guests will also have a chance to ask Sanders questions during an audience Q&A. Please submit your questions in advance to marketing@poynter.org.

About our special guest

Kerry Sanders spent his 32-year career covering breaking news and major world events for NBC News as a Florida-based national correspondent. He worked as a general news reporter for a number of stations across the state including WTLV in Jacksonville, WINK in Ft. Myers, WTVT in Tampa and WTJV in Miami.

In 1996, he became a correspondent for NBC News, based in the network’s Miami bureau, and covered the ValuJet crash in the Everglades just days after starting his new role. He is known for his coverage of historic news events around the world including Desert Storm, the Iraq War and Hurricanes Andrew, Ivan and Katrina.

Sanders is a Peabody, Emmy, Columbia DuPont and National Headliner awards winner. He received his bachelor’s degree and later a Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of South Florida. Sanders announced his retirement from NBC News on Jan. 17. 

About our moderator

Kelly Ring began her career at FOX 13 in 1985 and served the Tampa Bay area on-air for 37 years. She graduated from the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism and held positions in Columbia and Winston-Salem, North Carolina before arriving in Tampa. She quickly gained a reputation in Tampa as a caring yet tenacious street reporter. She was promoted to weekend anchor and then to the main anchor role in 1990. Throughout her career, Kelly has broken barriers, celebrated milestones, received three Emmy Awards and numerous other awards, but she says her greatest pride has always been telling stories that are important to people.

Questions?

We’d love to hear from you. Please send your inquiries to marketing@poynter.org.

The Poynter Institute is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to improve journalism in service to democracy. Proceeds from this fundraising event will support Poynter’s efforts to stoke civil connection and thoughtful expression between journalists and the communities they serve.

Interested in sponsoring this event? Please contact sponsorships@poynter.org for more information or learn how your support can help make an impact at poynter.org/support. Unable to join us but want to support journalism? Please make a donation in lieu of attendance today at poynter.org/give.