Power Moves: Tamika Alexander’s passion is telling stories and helping others
Tamika Alexander is best known for her role as nightly news anchor for WVUA 23 in Tuscaloosa, but she also has the job of 2-1-1 Information and Referral director for the United Way of West Alabama. (contributed)
As a born and bred Tuscaloosa native, Tamika Alexander has always had a passion for telling the stories of the people and the city.
“When I was a child, I would walk around our house in the morning reading the newspaper to my parents,” said Alexander. “Even at such a young age, I loved hearing people’s stories and knew I wanted to tell them to others.”
While most students dream of going off to college and exploring their interests, Alexander knew her passion and chose to attend the University of Alabama after graduating from Central High School five minutes down the road.
While working toward her degree in communications, Alexander had the opportunity to intern at the on-campus news station that later became WVUA 23, the news station where she is currently a nightly news anchor.
While interning at WVUA 23 and later working as an employee, Alexander served in numerous roles and gained insight into broadcasting. From working as an associate producer to a reporter to an anchor, she applied her news knowledge to each role and helped move WVUA 23 toward success.
Although her degree and career led to nightly broadcasting, Alexander’s passion for helping the people of Tuscaloosa led to her day job as the 2-1-1 Information and Referral director of the United Way of West Alabama. While many people would consider working two jobs overwhelming, it’s nothing new to Alexander.
“When I was growing up, my dad always worked two jobs. It’s what I’m used to,” Alexander said. “He taught me the importance of hard work and having a strong work ethic.”
Tamika Alexander is making Power Moves to elevate West Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Alexander is also active throughout the Tuscaloosa community, looking for new ways to make a positive impact. She is a member of many organizations, including the Elevate Tuscaloosa Advisory Committee, Tuscaloosa’s Junior League and the Chamber of Commerce Women’s Leadership Alliance, and is a graduate of Leadership Tuscaloosa.
Though her resume and accomplishments are extensive, Alexander believes the lessons she learned from her experiences boil down to listening more and talking less.
“Listening to understand rather than listening to respond is key to being successful,” Alexander said. “While my jobs do require me to speak a lot, I’ve learned listening more and hearing people’s stories allows us to understand where people are coming from.”
