Celebrating Excellence: Two Leaders Honored with the President’s Award at the 67th Capital Emmys

The 67th Capital Emmys Awards Gala, held in late June in Bethesda, Maryland, celebrated more than just outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. This year’s ceremony also paid tribute to two remarkable individuals who are a part of the Board of Governors for the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Chapter President Adam Longo presented the award to Jess Snyder, WETA, and Andre Hepkins, WBAL, who were surprised with the prestigious award during the award show. Unlike competitive Emmy categories, the President’s Award underscores the vital role of leadership behind the scenes in shaping journalism and media through the chapter’s work in the region. It celebrates those whose work not only elevates their own organizations but also strengthens the broader media ecosystem across the National Capital and Chesapeake Bay region.

More About the Recipients:

Jess Snyder:

Jess Snyder is the Director, Web Systems for WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation’s capital, and has over 20 years of experience in building and producing websites on a variety of informational and educational topics for both local and national audiences.  

Snyder is the Chair of the Bylaws Committee of the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter, and she is on the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. She graduated from Wellesley College with a B.A. in History and holds a Master of Information Management from the University of Maryland.

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Andre Hepkins:

Andre Hepkins co-anchors and WBAL-TV 11 News in Baltimore.

Andre's field anchoring of the deadly Capital Gazette mass shooting and his anchoring the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings contributed to the station respectively winning Emmy awards in 2019 and 2020.

Hepkins joined Baltimore's WBAL-TV in October 2016 after a very successful run at KMOV-TV in St. Louis. During Andre's time anchoring "News 4 This Morning," the newscast climbed to its highest ratings and largest share in the station's history. Hepkins earned three EMMY nominations for his reporting and writing at KMOV.

Hepkins arrived in St. Louis by way of Miami, where he was a lead reporter for the WSVN-TV night team and a substitute anchor on "Today in Florida," the No. 1 morning newscast in South Florida. From Miami, Hepkins traveled to Haiti to chronicle the aftermath of one of the deadliest earthquakes on record.

Hepkins also worked as a lead reporter at WNYW-TV in New York City, his hometown. Andre also worked at WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut. Just before he left WFSB, the Connecticut chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored Andre with a Best Spot News award for his coverage of the deadly anthrax scare that hit Connecticut in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Andre's very first job in television was as a CBS page in New York City: answering telephones at "60 Minutes," delivering scripts at "CBS Evening News" and seating guests at "The Late Show with David Letterman."

Andre graduated from Long Island's Hofstra University and Brooklyn Technical High School. He is on the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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Congratulations to this year’s honorees for inspiring us all and setting the bar for excellence in our industry! Keep up to date with the latest from the Capital Emmys by regularly visiting our website!