Melanie Lawson HOUSTON – Melanie Lawson, co-anchor of Channel 13’s Live at 5, Eyewitness News at 11a.m. and host of the community affairs program, “Crossroads,” was elected to the Houston Museum of African American Culture (HMAAC) Board of Trustees and to the office of Board Chair on Thursday, March 5, 2009.  Lawson officially assumed the duties of the office on April 4, she succeeds Chairman, Harry E. Johnson, Sr., who will remain a member of the HMAAC Board of Trustees.
 “I’m so thrilled and honored to be a part of an institution which will help preserve the history, culture, and art of the city I love and which I’ve called home my entire life,” says Lawson. “Houston’s African-American community has such a rich background, and it deserves to be spotlighted by a world-class museum.  I intend to do my very best to make that vision a meaningful reality.”
 Lawson’s involvement in the Houston community is far reaching. She serves on the board of numerous community organizations including the Houston Ballet, SHAPE Community Center, the Children’s Defense Fund, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Volunteer Houston, and the Houston Association of Black Journalists. She also belongs to the Houston Chapter of the Links, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and the American Leadership Forum.
Lawson holds an undergraduate degree in Politics from Princeton University and a joint degree in Law and Journalism from Columbia University.  She has been with KTRK-TV for more than 25 years as an anchor and reporter, and has received numerous awards for her reporting, including two Emmys. Lawson has interviewed a wide range of luminary national and international figures, including three U.S. Presidents, Henry Kissinger, the Dalai Lama, directors Spike Lee and Tyler Perry, and poet Maya Angelou.
 Although Lawson loves her career as a journalist, her real passion is for the arts.  Along with her partner, John Guess, Jr., she is an avid collector of African-American art and contemporary glass art.  Their collection has been highlighted in numerous museum and gallery exhibitions.
 “Melanie Lawson has served the greater Houston community admirably in a variety of capacities,” stated Larry Earl, Jr., Executive Director of the HMAAC.



Harry E. Johnson, Sr.