Elisabeth Leamy

Elisabeth Ann Leamy
Born	September 10, 1967 St. Louis, MO
Nationality	American
Other names	Eli
Occupation	American television journalist author speaker Investigative correspondent for The Dr. Oz Show
Known for	Consumer correspondent for Good Morning America and other ABC News programs
Awards	13 Emmy Awards 4 Edward R. Murrow Awards

Elisabeth Ann Leamy (born September 10, 1967) is an American television journalist, author and speaker. Currently, she is the investigative correspondent for The Dr. Oz Show.^[1] From 2005 to 2013, she was the consumer correspondent for Good Morning America and other ABC News programs.^[2] Leamy continues to write an ABC News Business column.^[3] She is host of the YouTube show "Free For All," about free products and services available to consumers.

Leamy is the author of two books, Save BIG: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands (2010)^[4] and The Savvy Consumer: How to Avoid Scams and Rip-Offs That Cost You Time and Money (2004)^[5] and is the recipient of 13 Emmy awards.^[6][7][8]

Leamy is also a professional speaker with membership in the National Speakers Association.^[9] She gives speeches about financial literacy,^[10] career success,^[11] pitching stories to the media,^[12] and saving money.^[13]

Biography

Early life

Elisabeth Ann Leamy was born September 10, 1967 in St. Louis, MO, and spent most of her childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from The Branson School in Ross, California.^[14] Leamy received her bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley^[8] and her master's degree from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.^[8]

Personal life

Leamy is married to Kris Persinger, a financial planner, and they have a daughter, Kelsea Adair Leamy Persinger, born in 2006.^[15] Her father is Patrick MacLeamy, Chairman of HOK, an architectural firm.^[16] Her mother is Jeanne MacLeamy, city council member for Novato, California.^[17][18] John Leamy, the drummer for Masters of Reality, and Elisabeth are cousins.

Early career

Leamy began her television news career in Bakersfield, California at KERO-TV 23. She then worked at WFLA-TV in Tampa from 1994-1997. Leamy was the consumer and investigative reporter at Fox 5 WTTG in Washington, DC from 1997 to 2005.^[19]

Current career

From 2005 to 2013, she was the consumer correspondent for Good Morning America and other ABC News programs.^[2] Leamy continues to write an ABC News Business column.^[20] She is host of the YouTube show "Free For All," about free products and services available to consumers. Leamy is the author of two books, Save BIG: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands (2010)^[4] and The Savvy Consumer: How to Avoid Scams and Rip-Offs That Cost You Time and Money (2004).^[5] Currently, Elisabeth Leamy is the investigative correspondent for The Dr. Oz Show.^[1]

Notable news reports

In 1999, while at WTTG, Leamy broadcast an investigative story about a Washington, D.C. rave party called "Buzz." The story alleged that D.C. police officers working off-duty security for the party ignored drug use by patrons. The Washington City Paper criticized the story.^[21] Buzz was temporarily shut down and the owners later sued WTTG.

In 2006, Leamy investigated the herbal remedy "Airborne" for Good Morning America,^[22] questioning the company's clinical trial evidence and marketing claims. Two years later, Airborne settled a class action lawsuit and FTC charges, not admitting fault, but agreeing to refund consumers up to $30 million.^[23][24]

In 2010, Leamy conducted an exclusive interview with President Barack Obama about the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.^[25]

From 2011 to 2012, Leamy did a series of reports for Good Morning America called "Show Me the Money" which reunited people with unclaimed money held by the government totaling nearly $2 million.^[26]

Leamy's story about a West Virginia Woman who was trying to collect a $10 million judgment from an abusive debt collector was ABC's most-trafficked web feature of 2012.^[27][28]

In 2013, Leamy reported for The Dr. Oz Show that epidural steroid injections for back pain are not FDA approved and have caused injuries and deaths.^[29][30]

Later that year, she reported that LASIK eye surgery had more serious side effects than first reported.^[31]

Awards

Leamy is the recipient of 13 Emmy awards^[6][7][8] and 4 Edward R. Murrow Awards.^[8] In 2001, she was a finalist for the Livingston Award for young journalists.^[32]

References

External links

• Official website