Finding Her Voice: GWU Alumna Kim Ballard’92 on Journalism, Leadership & the Power of Local News

Some stories are too big for the page. Welcome to Beyond the Pages, the official audio companion to the Gardner-Webb Magazine. Because the best stories are best told by the people who lived them.In this episode of Beyond the Pages, Gardner-Webb alumna Kim Ballard ('92) reflects on a career spanning more than three decades in broadcast journalism, from discovering her passion for storytelling at Gardner-Webb to leading one of North Carolina's most respected local newsrooms.A two-time Regional Emmy Award recipient and Regional Edward R. Murrow Award winner, Ballard shares why local journalism remains the backbone of informed communities, the importance of earning trust, and how mentors, curiosity, and a commitment to truth shaped her career. This conversation explores leadership, resilience, and the responsibility of telling stories that truly matter.Beyond the Pages is the official audio companion to Gardner-Webb Magazine, taking listeners beyond the printed story through conversations with alumni, students, faculty and friends whose journeys continue to inspire.Thanks for Noel T. Manning II for supplying the voiceover for this story. #BeyondThePages #GardnerWebb #GardnerWebbAlumni #KimBallard #Journalism #LocalNews #BroadcastJournalism #Storytelling #Leadership #WomenInMedia #CommunityJournalism #EmmyAward #MurrowAward #MediaCareers #TruthMatters #HigherEducation #BulldogPride