Lisa Desjardins

Desjardins was born in Hawaii but grew up in Annandale, Virginia.[5] Her father was a Naval officer who retired at the rank of Captain and later worked as a college instructor. She has three siblings and seven half-siblings on her father's side.[6][7] She became interested in politics during her childhood.[5]

Desjardins studied at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, between 1990 and 1994, earning a bachelor's degree in economics.[8] Subsequently, she went to Russia for two years to study at Herzen University in Saint Petersburg, where she studied Russian studies and learned to speak Russian.[8] Starting in 1996, she attended Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. She received a Master of Science degree in journalism from that university the following year.[9]

Desjardins' first job in journalism was at the local television station WBTW in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, between 1998 and 1999, when she was fired.[5][9] Next, she worked as a freelance reporter for The Sun News, a Myrtle Beach newspaper, and, at the same time, as a freelance reporter for the news agency Reuters. After a few months, in October 1999, she left The Sun News and joined the Columbia NBC-affiliate WIS as a political reporter, while she remained a reporter for Reuters.[10] At WIS, she covered the South Carolina Legislature, the debate on the display of the Confederate Flag at the South Carolina State House, and the 2000 Republican presidential primaries.[8] In 2003, Desjardins became a reporter in the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Associated Press, where she reported on, among other things, the 2004 presidential election; Medicaid; hurricanes; and the Iraq War.[8]

Next, Desjardins moved to CNN, where she worked for nine years from 2005 to 2014.[8] She was CNN Radio's Congressional correspondent, but also occasionally reported for CNN.com and CNN's news channel.[9] Desjardins reported on the 2010 Haiti earthquake for CNN Radio, whose coverage was awarded a Sigma Delta Chi Award.[11] When CNN Radio was shut down in June 2013, she was transferred to CNN's Washington Bureau, where she worked as a Capitol Hill reporter.[12] She was part of the team that covered the 2008 presidential primaries. CNN received a Peabody Award in 2008 for the team's coverage.[4][13] During her time at CNN, she and Rick Emerson wrote a book on personal finance, entitled Zombie Economics: A Guide to Personal Finance. It was published in May 2011 by Avery Publishing.[9][14] Desjardins chaired the June 2014 annual dinner of the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association.[15] She left CNN after being laid off in August 2014.[16][17]

Desjardins joined PBS NewsHour in October 2014 as a political reporter, and in July 2015 was elevated to Political Director, appearing on camera from the studio and from the U.S. Capitol. She also writes articles for the NewsHour website.[4]

Desjardins has been married to Jason Desjardins since 2007. They have a son, who was born in 2016, and they live in Alexandria, Virginia.[9][18]

In her Twitter bio, she describes herself as a "faithful Chester Arthur fan."[19]

• Media related to Lisa Desjardins at Wikimedia Commons