Susan Shaw is a main news anchor at WOOD TV8 and has called West Michigan home for more than two decades. She anchors News 8 at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Susan has covered major West Michigan news events over the years including the passing of Grand Rapids favorite son, President Gerald R. Ford, and later his wife, First Lady Betty Ford. She alerts viewers to live, breaking stories on a daily basis. She’s also been involved in decades of election nights, including the election of Michigan’s first female governor, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and the elections of Gov. Rick Snyder.
Before she arrived in Grand Rapids in October 1994, Susan worked for WNEM TV5 in the Saginaw/Flint/Bay City/Midland area as the main anchor of the 6 p.m. & 11 p.m. newscasts. Prior to that, she worked at WPDE-TV in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, WEYI-TV25 in Flint and WWTV 9&10 in Cadillac.
Susan is a self-proclaimed “Michigan girl” who loves the outdoors, spending time on our beautiful lakes and beaches, and fly fishing on local rivers with her teenage son. She also enjoys golf, concerts and sporting events. She grew up on the east side of metro Detroit.
A true animal lover, with an adopted dog of her own named Charlie, Susan serves on the grant committee of the Bissell Pet Foundation, helping to find forever homes for shelter animals. She was named to the leadership board of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and she also supports numerous charities and organizations throughout West Michigan including “I Understand,” a non-profit that focuses on suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
Susan continues to emcee and host events for dozens of organizations. A few examples include Silent Observer and the Van Andel Institute’s Angels of Excellence program. She’s also involved with station events like the annual Salvation Army Angel Tree program that provides toys for underprivileged children, the water drive for Flint residents impacted by lead-tainted water and Nexstar’s Day of Caring intiative.
Over her decades of service to the community and the TV news industry, Susan has received countless awards for her news involvement from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, Associated Press and the Michigan Emmy Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, including an Emmy for Best News Anchor in Michigan. She was given the prestigious Silver Circle Award in 2018. The distinction is one of the highest honors given by NATAS. It recognizes television professionals who have performed distinguished service in the television industry for 25 years or more.
Susan is a member of the women’s career organization, Inforum and the Michigan Emmy Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She has completed disaster preparedness training with the Grand Rapids chapter of the American Red Cross.
Susan has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Oakland University and a Master’s Degree in Counseling/Psychology from Western Michigan University.