STATEWIDE – On Tuesday, May 24, Womanspace, Inc. presented NJN News anchor Kent Manahan with the 11th annual Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award at Jansen Pharmaceutica in Titusville, New Jersey. During the past decade, the award has paid tribute to many outstanding women who have contributed to changing the perception about the rights of women and children. According to Susan B. Switlick, Womanspace Development Director, Manahan has helped to improve the lives of women and their families both professionally and personally, “Womanspace is delighted to be honoring Kent Manahan for her role in bringing issues of domestic violence to the television audience in New Jersey.” Womanspace offers services to victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the Mercer County area; information about Womanspace can be found at womanspace.org.

“Kent Manahan brings clarity, thoughtful analysis and understanding to the issues and events that matter to the people of New Jersey. On weekday evenings, as anchor of NJN News, she covers the crucial issues. We congratulate Kent on this well deserved award – an honor for her and an honor for NJN,” states Elizabeth Christopherson, executive director, NJN Public Television & Radio.

Five-time Emmy award-winner Manahan joins the ranks of past recipients including Cokie Roberts, political correspondent and sister of Barbara Sigmund; Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas; Diane Sawyer, investigative reporter and television anchorwoman; Mary Alice Williams, television anchorwoman and business executive; Pat Ciarrocchi, television anchorwoman and journalist; Anna Quindlen, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author; Star Jones, attorney, journalist and host of The View; The Honorable Lindy Boggs, former congresswoman from Louisiana; and Linda Fairstein, best-selling author and former head of the Sex Crimes Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

The first of its kind, Manahan’s nationally broadcast documentary Battered Wives, Shattered Lives tells the compelling story of the damage caused by domestic abuse. Counselors fielded thousands of calls during a live national call-in that followed the program, which received an award from the International film and TV Festival of New York. After working on this special, Manahan became actively involved with the New Jersey Battered Women's Shelter. In 1985, she moderated a panel discussion with experts in the field of domestic abuse, looking at the changes in the laws, courts, shelters, medical treatment and counseling services for victims. In addition, Manahan hosted Powerful Women Powerful Voices, an NJN special on women in leadership and reported challenging new opportunities for young girls in the fields of math and science. She has also interviewed and profiled a number of leading celebrities and newsmakers including actor/model Brooke Shields, actors Ray Liotta and Olympia Dukakis, talk show host Maury Povich, former President George Bush, Vice President Dan Quayle and former United States Senator Bill Bradley.

Manahan’s commitment to her viewers extends well beyond a journalist's concerns. A dedicated wife and a mother of six, she has found time to serve on the Board of Regents of Seton Hall University and the Board of the Tri-county Scholarship Fund for Disadvantaged Youngsters. She was named spokesperson for the Literacy Volunteers of America in New Jersey. Her many activities underscore her commitment to education, and Manahan can often be found speaking to statewide community organizations and groups of students, encouraging their scholastic and vocational endeavors. She has served as the moderator for the prestigious Lincoln-Douglas High School Debate since 1992 and was host of the Easter Seal Telethon for nearly 10 years.

With more than 5,000 broadcasts to her credit, Manahan has received many awards during her tenure with NJN. She was honored with the prestigious Caldwell College Presidential Award for her achievements in broadcast journalism and telecommunications, and is also the recipient of honorary doctorate of law degrees from Kean College in 1993 and Richard Stockton College in 1988. Manahan’s other citations include the Virginia Apgar Arts and Literature Award; the Woman of Achievement Award from Kean College; the first Broadcaster of the Year Award from Montclair State College's DuMont Television Center; the Woman of the Year Award from the Ironbound (Newark) Manufacturers Association; and the Melitta Bentz Award for Women's Achievement. Her reports have also won the Deadline Club Award as well as other respected honors, such as the Scripps-Howard National Journalism Award.