Advisory Council

Kevin Cooney earned a journalism degree from Iowa State University in 1974. He joined Des Moines’ KCCI newsroom while still in high school, began sports reporting in college, and worked there full-time after graduation.

After two years at KNTV in San Jose, Calif., Cooney began anchoring KCCI newscasts in 1982.

Cooney has covered many major events for KCCI, including the Flood of 1993 and the inaugurations of Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. Kevin interviewed President George H. W. Bush onboard Air Force One, and President Clinton in the White House just hours after the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

Cooney covered the 1993 release of hostages and ISU alumni Thomas Sutherland and Terry Anderson in Lebanon live via satellite, a first in Iowa broadcast history. Anderson was a classmate of Cooney’s at Iowa State and the two had worked together early in their careers.

In 1999, Cooney won the Jack Shelley Award from the Iowa Broadcast News Association (IBNA). In 1994, he received the James W. Schwartz Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism from Iowa State University.

Cooney has expressed interest in helping Greenlee students to arrange job shadows, serve as a guest speaker on broadcast journalism.