Marcella Lee is an evening anchor for KFMB-TV in San Diego, California.
"I feel incredibly lucky to call San Diego home. My twins were born here and my family has planted deep roots in this beautiful city where I get to live, work and share meaningful stories about the wonderful communities that make this city so great."
Marcella considers it a privilege to tell interesting stories about the people and places in America's Finest City. She is an experienced broadcast journalist who has won 18 Emmy awards -- 14 while at CBS News 8 -- for her anchoring and reporting on a variety of stories, including the October 2007 and May 2015 wildfires.
Not only does Marcella enjoy telling other people's stories, she has also shared some of her own. She opened up in November of 2019 about her family's personal journey with Alzheimer's Disease. Her mother was diagnosed in early 2019, and Marcella admits the family was in denial about the diagnosis for several months, before reaching out for help and support.
In her Fostering Hope segments, Marcella profiles foster children in San Diego County waiting to find recalls someone once said, "They're almost out of the system," to which she replied, "A child's need for a mom or dad doesn't stop at the age of 18. These kids need love and guidance through the college years, young adult life, and beyond." Marcella says the most rewarding part of her job is learning that a child has been matched with a forever family. More than 700 children featured in the reports have found new homes. Marcella says one of the most heartwarming success stories she has told was on a sibling group of seven adopted by empty nesters.
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A Detroit native, Marcella graduated from The University of Michigan Business School in Ann Arbor. Against her better financial judgment, she decided to take a gamble and pursue her interest in journalism, earning $5 an hour as a videographer/reporter at WLNS-TV in Lansing, Michigan. Next, she moved to WBNS-TV in Columbus, Ohio, where she scored her first Emmy award at the young age of 23. Making the jump to KCNC-TV in Denver, Colorado, Marcella worked as a reporter in the Mile High City, but soon her hometown came calling, leading Marcella back to Detroit and WDIV-TV, where she was an anchor and reporter.
She never thought she'd leave the Motor City, until San Diego came calling. Marcella says she couldn't resist the sun, surf, and the opportunity to work with a talented team of journalists. All these years later, she can't imagine living or working anywhere else.
Among her most memorable experiences in TV news, Marcella recalls traveling to Jordan for a cultural exchange assignment following the September 11th attacks. "It was an incredible experience to not only learn about the Middle Eastern culture, but to educate and enlighten viewers by helping to bridge the cultural gap during a volatile and extremely sensitive time," she says.
Marcella is a supporter of numerous organizations in San Diego, including Alzheimer's San Diego and Girl Scouts San Diego. She also dedicates her time to other non-profit groups and often mentors high school and college students. When she's not at work or volunteering in the community, Marcella enjoys exploring San Diego with her husband and teenage twins. They also love to travel.
