NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tamron Hall landed her first TV news job at the age of 18. Now, after filming more than 1,000 episodes of her national talk show – aptly named “Tamron Hall” – she’s using her power and platform to bring important topics, such as mental health, to the forefront.
On Sunday night, Hall sat down to discuss her life and career at the opening plenary of AACC 2025, the annual convention of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Walter Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC, interviewed the journalist about the experiences that shaped her and how she helps to shape the public discourse.
During their time on stage, Hall talked about the challenges she’s faced both professionally and personally. She dubbed Bumphus “the new Oprah” because his questions got her to open up about things she said she hadn’t talked about in previous interviews.
Where it started
Hall was raised in the small town of Luling, Texas, in a “shotgun shack.” Her most important male role model in her younger years was her grandfather, a former sharecropper who never learned to read. He encouraged her to dream big.
“My grandfather told me I could literally do anything,” Hall said.
He also taught her to treat everyone with respect. The lessons he provided and the way he treated her “drives everything I do,” Hall said. And it’s not lost on her that, while he couldn’t read, she makes her living with words.
One of her journalist role models at a young age was Iola Johnson, the first Black news anchor for a Dallas news station.
When Hall was in ninth grade, she struggled with schoolwork. Her stepfather pointed to Johnson on TV and told Hall that she, too, could be an anchor like Johnson if she kept her grades up. Johnson was a “North Star” for Hall.
Challenges became opportunities
Success – like life – has not been a straight line for Hall. When Bumphus asked Hall, “What was a pivotal moment that helped you grow from those experiences?” Hall opened up about getting “fired nationally” in 2017 from NBC’s Today Show.
Hall was the first Black woman to co-host Today. She was also a daytime anchor with MSNBC at the time. When her Today job was taken away, NBC offered her a new contract with an undefined role, which she said felt like a public relations move.
Instead of taking the contract, she walked away. Hall told executives, “You keep moving the goalpost to where it’s invisible. I choose to no longer kick.”
That response drew applause from the AACC audience.
Hall said that was a great learning experience.
“I needed to be fired so I could hire myself,” she said.
A few months after leaving NBC, she announced her own forthcoming talk show, aptly named “Tamron Hall.”
Being open
Bumphus also asked Hall about how she’s able to get people to open up on her talk show. Hall said there’s no real secret to that, but she knew going in that she, too, would need to be open about her own life. Her talk show has provided a platform for her to talk about her fertility journey – she has a young child through IVF – and talk about mental health.
She follows the idea of “Let me take off my mask so you can take off your mask,” which allows for “impactful conversations.”
One of her newest ventures – as a children’s book author – also allows her to be open and to help others. Hall has written a series of adult novels about a crime reporter named Jordan Manning. In March, Hall’s first children’s book debuted.
“Harlem Honey: The Adventures of a Curious Kid” is based on her son, who she says is “spicy” at home, but very shy outside of the house. The book gives parents an opportunity to talk about shyness and curiosity, Hall said.
Praise for community colleges
Hall, of course, understood her audience – primarily community college staff and faculty. She took the opportunity to praise the work being done by the sector.
“You help shape the dreams of kids who don’t even know what their dreams are,” Hall told the crowd. She added, “I’m rooting for you, and for the impact you have on young people.”
Honoring leaders
Bumphus also had an opportunity during Sunday’s opening session to comment on his own leadership journey. He will be retiring from AACC at the end of the year. He called this year’s conference “bittersweet,” as it’ll be his last as the association’s president and CEO.
And though he’s sad to leave the role, “I’ve had the opportunity to have an amazing career,” he said.
The event also included the presentation of the AACC Leadership Award to three other long-time community college leaders:
- Deborah Floyd, a professor and Ph.D. coordinator at Florida Atlantic University and editor-in-chief for the Community College Journal of Research and Practice
- Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president and CEO of the College Futures Foundation and former chancellor of the California Community College
- Robert Templin, president emeritus of Northern Virginia Community College
Floyd and Ortiz Oakley both acknowledged the current challenge to the diversity, equity and inclusion work in higher education. In her acceptance speech, Floyd advised audience members to “stay true to their values and demonstrate courageous leadership.”
And, following her, Ortiz Oakley said that, given the population community colleges serve, “I can’t help but notice that this moment in time … is the exact moment for community colleges to step forward and lead this country.”
