Black Alumni Society
Philadelphia Chapter
Notable Black Alumni To
suggest fellow Alumni for acknowledgement, contact us and put "Notable Alumni" in the
subject line.
Renee Chenault-Fattah
Renee Chenault-Fattah is a rarity among her Philadelphia television colleagues; she is both an attorney and broadcast journalist. Chenault-Fattah co-anchors with Larry Mendte during First at 4, and News 10 at 6 and News 10 at 11. In March 1995, she began co-anchoring the 6 and 11pm newscasts for WCAU. In addition to reporting, Chenault-Fattah now co-anchors NEWS 10 First at 4 and NEWS 10 at 11pm. She joined the station in September 1991, after reporting and hosting a public affairs program for WXIA in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to working in Atlanta, Chenault-Fattah was noon anchor and reporter for WTEN in Albany, New York and host of New Jersey Networks "Anchor View."
For NEWS 10, Chenault-Fattah reported on the highly publicized O.J. Simpson trial. Her background as an attorney, along with her keen journalistic skills, provided viewers with a comprehensive and clear understanding of what has been called the trial of the century. She continues to speak to civic and professional organizations regarding legal issues and education.
A native of Littleton, Colorado, she graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in political science. Chenault-Fattah also earned a degree in law from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. From 1982 to 1985, she practiced law in New York City and remains a member of the New York Bar Association.
Honorable Frederica A. Messiah-Jackson, L'74
Honorable
Frederica A. Messiah-Jackson is the President Judge of the
Court of Common Please of Philadelphia. She has been appointed
by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to serve as Chair of the
Administrative Governing Board of the First Judicial District
of Philadelphia. The AGB is the coordinating board for the
three courts of the First Judicial District with a total of
125 judges in the Court of Common Pleas, Municipal Court and
Traffic Court. Judge Messiah-Jackson was elected to the Philadelphia
Court of Common Pleas in 1983. For 18 years she served in
the Civil Trial Division and in the Major Felony Criminal
Division. She presided over medical malpractice and products
liability cases, complex commercial litigation and personal
injury matters. She was the Secretary of the Board of Common
Pleas Judges for six years. A graduate of Chestnut Hill College
(A.B. 1971) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School
(J.D. 1974), she practiced corporate and civil litigation
with the law firm of Blank, Rome, Comisky & McCauley before
advancing to the bench. She also worked with the Senate of
Pennsylvania as Chief Counsel of the Senate Insurance and
Business Committee.
Judge Messiah-Jackson has been a Lecturer
at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania since
1992. Judge Messiah-Jackson sits on the Temple University
Law-Related Education Advisory Board. She is a member of the
Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges. She was appointed
to the American Association's Special Committee on Youth Education
from 1988-1991. Judge Messiah-Jackson has been a member of
the American Inns of Court, the Board of Managers of the University
of Pennsylvania Law Alumni Society, the Boards of Directors
of Chestnut Hill College, the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia
Bar Association, and the Hearing Committee of the Disciplinary
Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. She has been active
in civic, educational and professional communities and is
the recipient of numerous awards and recognition of service.
She is married and the mother of two children.
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