Founder

Katina L Rankin
katinarankin.com

Katina Rankin, a native of Magee, Mississippi, is an Emmy-nominated journalist. 

She received her bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Alcorn State University and her master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Jackson State University.

While attending ASU, Katina began her journalism career as an intern at WLBT. After six years on the air in Mississippi, Katina’s career led her to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, where she co-anchored the main newscast at Eyewitness News.

During her journalism career, Katina has covered everything from the Mississippi murder trials of Byron De La Beckwith and Sam Bowers to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in Texas. She has featured local Miss America Pageant contestants by following them to Atlantic City, and she has traveled to San Antonio for the Final Four tournaments. Katina’s daily reports about the impact of Hurricane Katrina included an in-depth interview with Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. She also interviewed notable figures and broke many stories in the lacrosse rape investigation at Duke University in North Carolina.

Katina has also interviewed former NAACP president Myrlie Evers, presidential candidate John Edwards, the late Rosa Parks, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Reverend Al Sharpton, basketball greats Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley, and late blues legend B.B. King. Katina also distinguished herself as a journalist by earning several news awards including an emmy nomination.   

After more than seventeen years in broadcast and print media, Katina felt entrepreneurial, and she founded Katina Rankin Enterprises (KRE), a public relations firm. Katina’s public relations work took her to three countries: Israel, Egypt, and Palestine. During her travels, Katina interviewed world peace advocate and recording artist Fred Nassiri and the Governess of Bethlehem, Palestine Salah Al-Ta’mari — just to name a few. 

Katina’s passion is helping people. She has given back to the community by speaking to hundreds of church groups, schools, and universities through the years. Katina believes proper training can help individuals realize their potential and help them get to the next level. Katina has also taught writing classes at Jackson State University. Additionally, Katina has given the commencement address at Alcorn State University. And she has been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Katina has authored and published “Up North, Down South:  City Folk Meet Country Folk,” a children’s book. The “Up North, Down South: City Folk Meet Country Folk” Coloring and Activity book was released in mid-December 2016. The sequel to “Up North, Down South: City Folk Meet Country Folk”, “Kendall’s Kitchen: Healthy and Hearty Recipes for Kids” was released in September 2018. Katina’s children’s civil rights books: “Emmett Till: Sometimes Good Can Come Out of a Bad Situation” was published in June 2018; “Medgar Evers: He Taught His Kids to Crawl so We Could Stand” was published in July 2018, and “March on Children! The Story of James Meredith’s March Against Fear” was published in August 2018. Her coffee table book, “Noyaa ~ Moving Forward with Katina’s Klassroom” was released in late 2018. All books are available on amazon.com.

Katina has been named Mississippi’s Woman of the Year, Shero of the Year and Mid-South Influencer for her work with women and children. And, she’s the founder of the Nonprofit, Katina’s Klassroom, which aims to improve reading skills and eliminate food insecurity in underserved areas.

Board Members

McKennley Wilson
Kendall Wilson
Olivia King
Lauren King
Dinah Wilson
Tonya King
Peggie Carter
Jessica Bowman
Dr. Willie Carter III