Carolyn Donaldson ’82 Brings a ‘Zest’ for Life as TV News Anchor

By Doug Goodnough

Carolyn Welniak Donaldson ’82 is used to the spotlight – both on camera and off. The longtime news anchor for WTAJ-TV in Altoona, Pa., nicknamed “Zest” by her family, not only has a zest for the news business, but also for the community in which she lives.

“I am most gratified, as part of our news team, when we are able to bring our views and members of our community meaningful stories that have or could impact their lives,” said Donaldson, who has anchored at WTAJ for nearly 20 years. “There is no greater reward than ‘doing the next right thing’ as my husband (Robert) and I and now our grown daughters (Elisabeth and Sarah) try to embody and live each day.”

Her broadcasting career actually blossomed from a corporate sales career after she graduated from Siena Heights with a double major in theater/speech communications and business administration/management.

“My Folgers coffee sales days armed me with invaluable time management and marketing skills,” said the Toledo, Ohio, native, who first moved to central Pennsylvania when she managed a sales territory for Proctor and Gamble. “When the opportunity presented itself to move into broadcasting at the local TV station, I welcomed the challenge of reporting and anchoring weather.”

After a stint in North and South Carolina to pursue other career opportunities, Donaldson and her family moved back to central Pennsylvania (and WTAJ) in 1995.

“I was able to convince my former employer that the ‘weather girl’ was back – ready to report and anchor news,” she said.

Currently, she anchors WTAJ’s 5, 5:30, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. Donaldson said the most important story she has covered is very familiar to everyone.

“September 11, 2001, for me was a day-and-night, months and now years filled with human tragedy and catastrophic loss,” Donaldson said. “The heroes aboard Flight 93 that lost their lives that day as their plane crashed into the rural countryside of Somerset County, Pa., was and continues to be our ‘story.’ Shanksville is in our coverage area, and as an anchor on the desk that day and night without commercial interruptions, I will never forget. I find it difficult to communicate how purpose-filled I felt in bringing to our viewers this horrific story. All of our lives were reported and shared that day, and our collective ‘stories’ were reported and shared as an important part of history.”

So, what is a typical day for her at work?

“There really is no ‘typical day’ in the television news business,” she said. “That is what makes it exciting and fresh each day. We bring our viewers the stories that matter to them. There really is no ‘off’ button either to developing news stories, following leads and being that active voice in the communities we serve.”

And Donaldson is plenty active. She reports and writes news segments like “Big Brothers/Big Sisters’ Monday’s Child” and “Fit Kids First.” She has been involved in the Big Sister program for 11 years, as well as in the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA, the Keystone Chapter of the March of Dimes, the Altoona Symphony Orchestra and the Altoona Community Theatre. In her “spare” time, Donaldson also teaches a communications class at nearby Penn State University, is finishing up her master’s degree at PSU in Media Studies and is active in her Catholic faith at her local parish as a Eucharistic minister and lector.

“Again, I believe it all ties with ‘doing the next right thing,’ and for me, my faith, values and determination drive me daily,” she said.

She said her time at Siena Heights also helped shape her life and career.

“As a thankful recipient of the Sister Carmelia O’Connor Leadership Service Scholarship, I learned from ‘Sister Carmie’ herself to enjoy and relish the simple, yet spirit-filled and spiritual experiences, of everyday life,” said Donaldson, who received an honorary doctorate from Mt. Aloysius (Pa.) College in 2009 for her news and community work. “I have tried to embrace this philosophy that touching peoples’ lives where they are and leaving things a little better than they were before can go a long way on this journey of life.”

Now a new grandmother, Donaldson said she is looking forward to the continuing story of her life – and well as telling the stories of others.

“I feel blessed and also accept that it is a great responsibility in my position as a news anchor to reach out as a public personality and to serve my community both professionally and personally,” she said.