Sandra Ali

Local 4 Reporter, Anchor

Sandra Ali joined the Local 4 News team in July 2010. If you're wondering why Sandra looks familiar...it's because she spent four years here in Detroit as an anchor and reporter at another TV station!

Most recently, Sandra was the news anchor at WLWT, the NBC affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio. But she proudly exclaims that she and her family loved this area so much, they were thrilled at the chance to come back! "When I first moved here, a decade ago, this community welcomed me and made me feel at home," said Sandra. "My husband and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to come back to live and work in a city we both love and are deeply committed to."

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Sandra was born in New York City, but spent the early part of her childhood growing up in Egypt, where most of her extended family still lives. She speaks Arabic fluently, having learned the language before moving to the United States when she was 5 years old. "I learned how to speak English by watching the Nightly News in our tiny apartment in Brooklyn," said Sandra.

She graduated cum laude from Syracuse University?s prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Journalism with a masters degree in journalism from Northwestern University. From there, Sandra went on to her first job in television at the CBS affiliate in Altoona, Pennsylvania. She has received several awards including the Associated Press Award for Best Hard News Reporting and the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award as Best Breaking News Reporter.

"Some of my most memorable professional moments happened while working in Detroit," Sandra said. "I had the chance to interview then Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Queen of Jordan and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak while in Detroit, as well as former vice president Dick Cheney."

Sandra's proudest achievement, however, is becoming a first time mom. Along with her husband, Local 4 News reporter Shawn Ley, she is proud parent of a new baby boy.

"Becoming a mom has changed my life. Now we enjoy spending as much time with him as possible, enjoying all the activities he likes, like learning music and swimming," said Sandra. "Before having my son, I had never worked as a babysitter, or changed a single diaper. Now, all of that has changed---dramatically!"

  • Favorite food: Sushi
  • Favorite movie: "Life Is Beautiful"
  • Favorite book:The Color Of Water
  • Favorite thing to do on a lazy day off:"Drink coffee with my husband at a neighborhood coffee house and catch up on reading. Watching Food Network and admiring all the recipes I'll never be able to pull off. I always look for an excuse to plan parties for family and friends!

To send Sandra an e-mail, click here.