Penny LeGate

Versatility and experience may be the best words to describe Penny LeGate, who has climbed mountains, traveled remote roads of Africa, and gone scuba diving with sharks to get the news. Known as a daring storyteller with a heart, she has held numerous positions at KIRO 7 including news anchor, reporter, documentarian and web producer.

Penny's broadcasting career spans 30 years and includes hosting, reporting and producing for television, radio, and new media. With a popular local television presence, her many honors include an Emmy award for writing and hosting a documentary on Springer, an orphaned orca captured in Puget Sound and returned to her pod in Canada. Penny also won an Emmy for her work as host of Evening Magazine and has received numerous other nominations for producing and writing.

An active participant in many local charities, Penny feels strongly connected to causes devoted to children, animals and the environment. Among her contributions, Penny created a fundraiser called Tuxes & Tails for the Humane Society which has raised more than 4 million dollars. She has reached the summit of Mt. Rainier twice as a participant in the Climb for Clean Air and cycled 150 miles on a bike trek to raise money for the American Lung Association. Every year since 2002, Penny has traveled to Ethiopia at the invitation of Rotary International, raising awareness of various global health issues, including the ongoing battle to eradicate polio. As a result, Rotary has awarded Penny the prestigious Paul Harris fellowship five times for her humanitarian work in Africa. She is in high demand across the USA as an inspirational speaker, sharing her experiences in far away places such as Ghana, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Vietnam, India, Nepal, Rwanda and Uganda.

A native of Nebraska, Penny earned a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Nebraska and a master's degree in Telecommunications from Indiana University. She has worked in Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Wichita and Omaha.

Penny lives in Seattle with her husband, two daughters and a bunch of rescued critters. She enjoys exotic travel, reading, skiing, hiking, biking, scuba diving and sleeping.