Melissa Harrison

Melissa Tamplin Harrison is a broadcast journalist with more than 25 years of experience in television and radio news. She has worked as a news anchor and reporter in six markets - including at WNBC-TV in New York and WFAA-TV in Dallas. She has also worked as a morning news anchor for CBS Radio. 

In September of 2023, Melissa was named the interim executive director of The Media Project. She oversees the strategic direction, operations, and partnerships of the global network of journalists and international programs to promote excellence, ethics, and innovation in journalism. She continues to lead the organization’s Latin America Journalism Institute (LAJI) in Santiago, Chile and the Asia Pacific Journalism Institute (APJI) in Indonesia with an upcoming program in the Philippines.

In addition to her role at TMP, Melissa is also the digital executive-in-residence at Southern Methodist University where she teaches courses on digital media, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and mentors students and faculty on developing media projects and ventures with a global mindset. Melissa holds a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University and a BA in Spanish and Communications from Baylor University. She also studied with Syracuse University at the Instituto Internacional in Madrid, Spain. Melissa and her husband live in Texas with their three children.