Andrea Dukakis

Colorado Matters Reporter / Producer / Host

@adukakis[email protected]

Andrea Dukakis is a producer/reporter/host for Colorado Matters on CPR News. She has produced and reported for CPR for nearly two decades. Prior to joining CPR, Andrea worked at NPR and ABC News.

Education:
Bachelor's degree in English, Princeton University; Master's degree in journalism, Columbia University.

Professional background:
Andrea Dukakisreports, produces and hosts stories for Colorado Public Radio and has been at CPR for nearly two decades.Prior to coming to Colorado, she spent three years at National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. Andrea has also worked at ABC News in New York. She's reported national stories for several NPR programs, including "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered," "Justice Talking" and "Living on Earth," as well as for BBC's "The World."

Awards:
Andrea has received awards from PRNDI (Public Radio News Directors Incorporated),Colorado Broadcasters Association, Associated Press and the Colorado Community Health Network.


Q & AWhy I became a journalist:
I have always been fascinated by people and their unique experiences, and I love the news. So, it was a perfect fit. I grew up in a political family, and we always talked about issues and politics at the dinner table. But I never wanted to work in politics – I always preferred understanding issues from different perspectives. I think the most powerful stories are the ones told by those who are affected, whether it be health care reform, welfare, education, justice issues or the economy. And, I enjoy telling those stories.

Why I got into radio:
While I was in journalism school, I was offered the chance to help out at WBAI – a public radio station in New York City. I had written a story for school on Amerasian children who moved here from Vietnam after the war. The folks at WBAI let me turn it into a radio story – and I was hooked. I liked it better than print because radio adds a special texture to a story. And I preferred radio to television because I think people being interviewed are more honest when they talk into a microphone, rather than a camera.

How I ended up at CPR:
I was newly married, and my husband wanted to move to the mountains. At the time, I was at National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. We moved to Denver, and I began talking to people at Colorado Public Radio. It was really the only place I wanted to work – and the rest is history.

Colorado Matters

Dive into the summer with these great books

Every summer, we reach out to book sellers in the state to get their choices for good books by Colorado authors and/or ones with Western themes.  This year, we checked in with Deidre Appelhans, co-owner of The Read Queen Bookstore and Cafe in Lafayette and Jeanne Costello, general manager and book buyer at Maria’s Bookshop in Durango.
By Andrea Dukakis
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Colorado Matters

June 15, 2022: Marking ten years of DACA

Ten years ago today, President Obama created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. It allows young people brought to the US unlawfully as children to attend college or work legally. About 18,000 Coloradans have taken Obama up on that offer. We’ll hear some of their stories today. We’ll also talk with Marissa Molina, herself a DACA recipient, who advocates for immigration reform.
By Andrea Dukakis
Colorado Matters

Insurers required to cover some fertility treatments in Colorado

It can cost thousands of dollars for couples to get fertility treatments like IVF and that means those treatments can be out of reach for many. A new Colorado law will require more businesses to provide coverage for fertility diagnosis and treatment, though not everyone will be eligible. hristina Yannetsos is an emergency medicine physician in Aurora, who underwent fertility treatments, paid for them out of pocket and advocated for the law.
By Andrea Dukakis
Colorado Matters

New podcast traces the history, controversy and promise of nuclear power

Nuclear power has been debated since its beginnings in the 1950s. Fears of a nuclear accident have been realized at Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, Fukishima in Japan and at Three Mile Island in the U.S. More recently, nuclear energy has had a renaissance of sorts as a clean-energy alternative to fossil fuels. The latest season of the podcast Wild Thing, featuring producer and host Laura Krantz, is all about nuclear power.
By Andrea Dukakis
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Colorado Matters

May 25, 2022: Protesters reflect two years after the murder of George Floyd; has anything changed?

Two years ago today, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer. His death sparked a racial reckoning across the U.S. and protests calling for police reform and accountability. In Denver, some of those protests turned violent, and a federal jury recently found police used excessive force against demonstrators. CPR’S race, diversity and equity reporter Elaine Tassy sat down with three people who were hurt.
By Andrea Dukakis
Colorado Matters

A DACA recipient’s monologue on the trials of living undocumented – until everything changed

As the 10th anniversary of DACA approaches on June 15th, we’re airing monologues written by DACA recipients. Among them, Reydesel Salvidrez-Rodríguez, who is legally deaf. He tells the story of his life before DACA and his despair at not being able to attend college. Today, Salvidrez-Rodríguez is a college graduate and is getting his Master’s degree in higher education.
By Andrea Dukakis
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Colorado Matters

As summer approaches, how to interpret the uptick in COVID-19

Since April, the number of COVID-19 cases in Colorado have been rising. CPR’s health reporter John Daley has been studying the numbers and offers his assessment of what’s happening and where the virus might be headed. Dr. Kenneth Lyn-Kew, a pulmonary and critical care physician at National Jewish Health in Denver, describes what health care providers and hospitals are facing.
By Andrea Dukakis