Chandra Thomas Whitfield

Host/Producer, Colorado Matters

[email protected]

Chandra Thomas Whitfield joined CPR as a host and producer of its daily interview show, Colorado Matters, in 2022.

Professional background:
Whitfield has produced stories for NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Essence, Ebony and a number of other national media outlets. She also hosted and produced the award-winning podcast “In The Gap” from In These Times magazine, which explored how the gender pay gap and pay discrimination affects the lives and livelihoods of Black women who work in America.

A New Orleans native by way of Atlanta and Clark Atlanta University graduate, she is also an alumna of a diverse mix of journalism fellowship programs, including the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at the Ohio University and Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder. Most recently she completed the Medill and The Garage Media Entrepreneur Fellowship with Northwestern University’s esteemed Medill School of Journalism.

Education:
Bachelor's of Arts degree in Journalism, Clark Atlanta University.

Awards/recognition:
Whitfield is the recipient of numerous awards for her writing, including “Journalist of the Year” awards from the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Atlanta Press Club, as well as honors from the Association for Women in Communications, the Colorado Association of Black Journalists and Mental Health America. An award-winning feature story she penned for Atlanta magazine is widely attributed with helping contribute to a change in Georgia law and a young man's early release from a 10-year prison sentence.

Angela Heisten, Annika Paradise, and Julie Frieder seen in front of a lake. They co-authored "Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family Travel and Worldschooling."

Making the world a classroom for your children

Worldschooling is when when families, usually those with school-age children, leave their day-to-day lives to live abroad or in another part of the country or a community, using the world as a classroom. Julie Frieder co-authored the book, “Wonder Year: A Guide to Long-Term Family and Worldschooling” with fellow Boulder moms Angela Heisten and Annika Paradise.
Sherie Simonsen, 65, sits in a chair in her Denver home. She received free mental health counseling sessions from the Colorado Gerontological Society to help her cope with grief after her mother’s death.

Aug. 22, 2024: Aging and mental health; A healthcare victory for veterans who served at K2

As people age, physical health is often top of mind, and mental health is overlooked. For “Aging Matters on Colorado Matters,” we’ll talk about ways to cope with the Colorado Gerontological Society, a nonprofit that offers support programs for older adults including free mental health counseling. Then, what’s it like to be a Colorado delegate at the DNC? And, victory for veterans fighting for medical benefits after serving at the K2 military base in Uzbekistan. And a unique trail of dinosaur tracks!
Election 2024 DNC

Aug. 20, 2024: DNC delegates have new hope for election; Teachers union head on school year ahead

By day, Colorado’s convention delegates attend meetings to get motivated for the long election season. At night, they hear from the party’s most prominent leaders. Then, as kids return to school the head of the Colorado Education Association outlines the challenges and opportunities ahead. Also, exposure to the sun can be extra hard for people with darker skin. And, why Colorado raised the drinking age.

Aug. 13, 2024: Aging Matters on avoiding real estate scams; How sports benefit kids beyond the game

What’s next now that former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters has been convicted on seven charges connected to breaching election system security? Then, “Aging Matters” on how to avoid real estate scams. Plus, working through challenges to harvest Olathe sweet corn. Also, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on bird flu in Colorado. And how Project Play is working to make sports accessible to all kids.

Aug. 8, 2024: New election challenge for county clerks; Ballroom culture makes its mark in Colorado

Colorado’s county clerks have been fighting back against disinformation and election lies for years. But this election, there’s a twist — Artificial Intelligence — and they’re training to ensure election integrity, before and after the vote. Then, ballroom culture has been sweeping the nation — and the world — for more than 40 years. How the spirit of the LGBTQ sub-culture that originated in New York City in the 1960s is shaping pop culture globally today, and making its mark here in Colorado. Plus, finding the right tree for your yard.
A cyclist in a blue kit wearing an aerodynamic white helmet with blut-tinted visor and Team USA shorts rides from left-to-right on a wooden velodrome track while.

Aug. 6, 2024: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston on the challenges ahead; Meet Olympic cyclist Olivia Cummins

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is optimistic as he takes on the high cost of housing, reducing homelessness and rebuilding trust with the police. Then, a job fair that helps people with felony records start over. Plus, meet Colorado cyclist Olivia Cummins as she makes her Olympic debut and celebrates her birthday at the same time. And Aging Matters looks at the importance of advance medical planning.

The fight to ensure scouting is inclusive to all children, leaders

The stated mission of the Boy Scouts, now known as Scouting America, is to “prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.” But what happens when an organization founded on those principles is accused of turning its back on an entire group of people, leading to a legal battle for change?

July 18, 2024: How big a concern is the bird flu?; Opening the great outdoors to Colorado preschoolers

The headlines may sound alarming: at least six human cases of bird flu in Colorado. We’ll get some context about what that means. Then, Colorado is unique in the nation when it comes to teaching preschoolers outdoors. We’ll hear why that can improve their ability to learn. Plus, embracing wellness at a farmer’s market that works to eliminate food deserts. And we go on a stravage to benefit the body and the mind.
NEW CU CHANCELLOR JUSTIN SCHWARTZ

July 16, 2024: CU Boulder’s new chancellor on challenges, opportunities; A Winter Park jazz tradition

The University of Colorado Boulder has a new chancellor for the first time in 15 years. Justin Schwartz talks about the challenges and opportunities ahead at the state’s flagship university. Then, three players with ties to Colorado lead Team USA’s 3X3 Men’s Basketball team. And the 41st annual Winter Park Jazz Festival is back! We revisit how it’s become a multi-generational summertime tradition.
Winter Park Jazz Festival Becky Taylor

How the Winter Park Jazz Festival became a multi-generational summertime tradition

It’s become a summer ritual for many Coloradans. More than four decades of music, emanating through the crisp mountain air. The 41st Annual Winter Park Jazz Festival returns this weekend, featuring artists Anthony Hamilton, Stokely, Average White Band and Lalah Hathaway, to name a few. Becky Taylor is the longtime emcee and arguably the face of the fest. Tracy and Stephanie Williams, sisters who live in Aurora, have been faithful attendees for years.