About Me

Kris Vera-Phillips is an Emmy-Award winning journalist with more than a decade of experience producing news shows and special programs: from the final flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour to a statewide debate in the race to replace U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. As the Senior News Producer at KPBS San Diego, she manages a team […]

More on page 39

KPBS: Remembering the Fall of Saigon

I helped produce this KPBS special that covered the Fall of Saigon. This live show on the USS Midway covered the stories of veterans and refugees. This show won an Emmy for the News Special category.

More on page 535

NBC Bay Area: Warehouse Fire

I produced breaking news coverage of a warehouse fire in San Jose on April 13, 2014. This show was nominated for an Emmy under the category: “Best Continuing Coverage-Within 24 Hours.”

More on page 532

A Legacy of Caring

AAJA Comments (0)

Submission for 2019 AAJA Caregiving Contest
This is my personal essay and answer to this AAJA prompt:
Caregiving is often the ultimate expression of love. What was your special caregiving moment?

She Looks Like A Nurse: My Cousin’s Legacy Of Caring

We didn’t make it back in time.

My dad met us at the airport with hugs and wet eyes. He told us Lola passed away while my brother and I flew away from midterms and back to our family.

I was 20 years old. Like many obedient Filipino daughters, I hit the pause button on my college life to say good-bye to his mother.

We met the rest of my family at her bedside inside a Southern California hospice. The silence surprised me. My family could usually fill any room with gossip and laughter.

==== Lola stands on her own, as Tita Sylvia holds me up to get a better view over a ledge in Los Angeles. ====

Kris Vera-Phillips @ August 29, 2019

KPBS: California Counts – U.S. Senate Debate

KPBS News Comments (0)

KPBS News and California’s leading public media newsrooms held a live debate for the U.S. Senate race.

I produced the live program featuring five candidates who competed for Sen. Barbara Boxer’s seat. This show won first place for News Specials in the 2017 Society of Professional Journalists Contest.

Kris Vera-Phillips @ June 18, 2016