2025 Gala Host

Sade Baderinwa

WABC-TV Eyewitness News Anchor

Sade Baderinwa is an anchor of WABC-TV's top-rated Eyewitness News at 5:00 and 11:00. She joined the Eyewitness News team in 2003 as a reporter and anchor of Eyewitness News at Noon.

Sade came to Channel 7 from Baltimore's WBAL-TV, where she anchored the morning and noon newscasts and hosted a weekly community affairs show. Earlier in her career, she was a reporter for WSLS in Roanoke, Virginia; a reporter trainee at WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.; and a production assistant for ABC News' This Week with David Brinkley, Nightline, World News Tonight, and ABC News NewsOne.

Sade is a big believer in giving back to her community. She has worked with numerous Tri-State area organizations, community leaders and students. After being struck by a hit and run driver while covering a story for Eyewitness News, Sade championed efforts to deal with the growing problem of hit and run accidents. For her efforts, she was recognized with the NJ Governor's Representative Award for Traffic Safety.

She has also created and developed a successful mentoring program called "Get 'Reel' With Your Dreams: The Inside Track." It exposes high school students from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to top professionals in film and television. Her partners in this initiative include The Walt Disney Company, WABC-TV, Lincoln Center Institute and New York Women in Film and Television.

Sade is a native of Baltimore and a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park.

2025 Justice Award Honoree

Yusef Salaam

New York City Council Member

In 1989, at just fifteen years young, Dr. Yusef Salaam was tried and convicted in the “Central Park jogger” case along with four other Black and Latino young men. The Exonerated Five spent between seven to 13 years behind bars for crimes they did not commit, until their sentences were overturned in 2002. Since then, they have received a multi-million dollar settlement from the city of New York for its injustice and have been profiled in award-winning films, including The Central Park Five documentary from Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon and most recently the Emmy award-winning Netflix limited series When They See Us, written and directed by Ava DuVernay.

Over the past two decades, Yusef has become a family man, father, poet, activist and inspirational speaker. He continues to utilize his platform to share his story with others and educate the public about the impact of mass incarceration and police brutality rooted in our justice system. He regularly advocates for criminal justice reform, prison reform and the abolition of juvenile solitary confinement and capital punishment.

Yusef was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (2014) and is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama (2016). More recently has shared his story and stance on current issues on CNN, MSNBC, REVOLT TV, NPR Atlanta, FOX and more. He authored his memoir Better, Not Bitter and is the co-author of Punching the Air.

2025 Pinnacle Honoree

Tamron Hall

Executive Producer and Host

Two-time Emmy® Award-winning journalist and author Tamron Hall is Executive Producer and host of the nationally syndicated talk show “Tamron Hall,” which returned for a sixth season on September 3, 2024. After celebrating her season five milestone last year, Tamron Hall is one of only a few journalists in television history to achieve this accomplishment. Tamron’s 2020 Emmy win for ‘Outstanding Talk Show Informative Host’ marked the first time a freshman host received that honor ever. She went on to win her second Emmy for ‘Outstanding Talk Show Informative Host’ in 2022. This past year (2024), Tamron was nominated for ‘Outstanding Talk Show Host’ and as an executive producer, she celebrated the show garnering an Emmy nomination for ‘Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.’

Tamron was also recently nominated for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host for the 2024 Daytime Emmys. It was her third nomination. Tamron’s 2020 Emmy win for ‘Outstanding Talk Show Informative Host’ marked the first time a freshman host received that honor ever. She later received the award again in 2022.

Since the talk show’s debut in September 2019, Tamron has brought a refreshing, relatable, and unstoppable voice to the daytime community, informing and entertaining her audience, adoringly known as the “Tam Fam.” As a veteran journalist, Tamron leans into her 30 plus years in the field to ask the tough questions while having engaging thoughtful conversations. From deeply personal to purely fun, the show is a daily destination for viewers to connect with stories and people who are shaping our world.

The show also had an exclusive with Usher and a behind-the-scenes look at his Las Vegas residency, as well as daytime one-on-one conversations with a diverse lineup of entertainment, sports, and lifestyle headline-makers, including  Chloe & Halle Bailey, Eddie Murphy, Teyana Taylor, Kirk Franklin, Method Man, Matthew McConaughey, Regina King, Steph Curry, Druski, Halle Berry, GloRilla, Erykah Badu, Yvonne Orji, Venus Williams, Eve, Melissa Etheridge, Kelly Rowland, Patti LaBelle, Miranda Lambert, Mary J. Blige, Kenan Thompson, Ronda Rousey, Flau'Jae Johnson, TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year Amanda Gorman and many more.

“Tamron Hall” is currently the second longest running Disney-produced syndicated talk show and continues to be one of television’s highest-rated daytime shows, consistently delivering standout moments that become central to the cultural conversation. “Tamron Hall” also showcased powerful and newsmaking interviews with changemakers and extraordinary individuals making a difference in their communities, including world leaders, such as Former First Lady Michelle Obama, Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

With VOGUE declaring her the ‘Most Fashionable Woman on Daytime Television,’ Tamron’s love of fashion remains a core element of the show with the stylish host spotlighting the hottest up-and-coming designers, sharing her favorite deals with a weekly segment called “Shop Tam Fam,” as well as the latest do-it-yourself tips, crafting trends, and cooking and baking demos.

Tamron’s 2021 debut novel, “As the Wicked Watch,” is the first installment of her critically acclaimed “Jordan Manning” mystery series. The second installment “Watch Where They Hide” published March 2024. In September 2024, she released her debut cookbook A Confident Cook with award-winning chef Lish Steiling. Tamron also hosts Court TV’s original true-crime series, “Someone They Knew With Tamron Hall,” which returned for a second season in February 2023.

Fans also know her as the host of “Deadline: Crime with Tamron Hall” for six seasons on Investigation Discovery, taking an in-depth look at crimes that shocked the nation. Tamron was named the first African American to host the weekday TODAY Show. She co-hosted the third hour of “TODAY” and “TODAY’s Take” for three years and anchored “MSNBC Live with Tamron Hall.” Tamron received the 2015 Edward R. Murrow Award for Reporting: Hard News in Network Television for her segment on domestic violence as part of “TODAY’s Shine A Light” series. Tamron hosted several special reports for MSNBC and NBC News, including “Education Nation: Teacher Town Hall,” which was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011, and she served as a correspondent for the NBC News special “The Inauguration of Barack Obama,” which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Live Coverage in October 2010.

Tamron has been honored by The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation with two Gracie Awards, first in 2020 for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment and in 2022 for Best On-Air Talent. She was included on the 2022 Variety500 list, which highlights influential business leaders shaping the global media industry. “Tamron Hall” has also been nominated for 13 Daytime Emmy Awards, 4 NAACP Image Awards, a GLAAD Media Award, and an Iris Award.

In March 2023, in celebration of Women’s Herstory Month, the New York City Council honored Tamron with a proclamation for Outstanding Service and Achievements. In July 2022, she was appointed to the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF) and served as an industry ambassador, working on campaigns and fundraising efforts to help shape the Foundation’s future.

Tamron is passionate about many causes, including domestic violence, homelessness, and literacy, and she has dedicated her time to many deserving organizations over the years. She partnered with Safe Horizon to launch The Tamron ❤ Renate Fund in honor of her sister to help victims and families affected by domestic violence, and they recognized her with their Voice of Empowerment Award in 2014. Additionally, Day One, a New York-based advocacy group for victims of domestic violence, honored Tamron by giving her the Ackerman Family Advocate Award for her efforts to raise awareness for families who have a loved one experiencing abuse. Tamron continues to shed light on topics that hit close to home, including bringing awareness to In vitro fertilization and her personal journey, which led to her becoming a first-time mom at 48.

A native of Luling, Texas, Tamron holds a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Broadcast Journalism from Temple University, where she serves on the Board of Trustees. She currently lives in New York with her husband and son.