Addie Collins-Zinone has a diverse, yet unique mix of professional experience. During her time at Temple, Collins-Zinone contributed to Temple Update as the show’s movie critic, a role she credits for helping her to work through her initial on-camera jitters. In addition to her journalism studies, Collins-Zinone was a member of the Temple University gymnastics team, having been awarded a full four-year athletic scholarship.
With the help of her news anchor idol, Katie Couric, Collins-Zinone landed a coveted internship at the TODAY show in the spring of 1999. She was later hired as a production assistant on the show, allowing her to learn from some of today’s most influential and renowned journalists.
In the fall of 2000, Collins -Zinone left TODAY to pursue her own on-air aspirations as a reporter and anchor at WDTV Channel 5 in her home state of West Virginia.
In 2002, she joined the United States Army Reserve. After six months of basic training, she moved to California where she accepted a position as a field producer for Access Hollywood and later became a special on-air correspondent for the NBC entertainment program.
In the seven years since becoming a soldier, Collins-Zinone has risen to the rank of staff sergeant and is a two-time combat veteran, having spent two tours of duty in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as a journalism and public affairs soldier.
Collins-Zinone’s military service did more than answer a patriotic calling; it has also sparked in her a need to give back through philanthropic endeavors. During her first combat tour in 2004, she founded Kicks for Kids, a shoe-collection initiative that asked Americans to donate their old shoes for distribution to needy Iraqi children. In just four months, Collins-Zinone collected more than 50,000 pair of shoes.
Just prior to departing for her second tour to Iraq, Collins-Zinone and her husband founded the nonprofit organization “Pro vs. GI Joe.” The organization works to boost the morale of America’s military men and women by pitting them against their favorite professional athlete or celebrity through live online video game competitions from wherever they are serving around the world. She currently works for the organization full time.
Collins ·Zinone has received numerous awards including the Meritorious Service Medal, three Army Commendation medals and three Army Achievement medals. Most recently, she was named the 2007 Army Reserve Broadcast Journalist of the Year.