Geri Mitchell, who guided listeners through midday news, talk and special coverage, leaves WAMU

For more than seven years, Geri Mitchell has been a familiar voice on WAMU 88.5. She guided listeners through midday news, talk, and special coverage, and in the process helped shape the station’s community sound. This month, Mitchell signs off for the last time before moving back to her native St. Louis to be closer to family, reports WAMU.

Mitchell joined WAMU in 2017 after decades in broadcasting and a career that also included teaching at Cardinal Ritter College Preparatory High School in St. Louis. She knew she belonged behind a microphone from an early age. “I had a radio I’d put on the front porch and sit out there,” she told Morning Edition host Esther Ciammachilli. “I was always in tune to radio.”

According to WAMU, Mitchell was “the brainchild behind the Lift Every Voice series, a project she developed to mark Black History Month. The series featured short tributes to Black artists, athletes, and leaders that broadcast on-air during February, both well-known figures and those overlooked. “I wanted it to be a diverse project. I wanted it to include everyone,” she said.

“She also extended that spirit of inclusion to students. Through a partnership with The Creative School, she invited young people into the studio to record scripts honoring historical figures as part of Lift Every Voice. Some of those students, she says, have since gone on to study journalism and broadcasting in college. “If I can inspire even one person to take the baton, I believe we have hope for our future,” Mitchell said.”