Erin Burnett Biography 1976-
Erin Isabelle Burnett was born on May 3, 1976, in Mardela Springs, Maryland. After graduating from St. Andrew’s Boarding School in Middletown, Delaware in 1994, she went on to attend Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. There she studied political science and economics, and was a top field hockey and lacrosse player. In 1998, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political economy from Williams.
Following graduation, Erin Burnett landed a job as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs, putting the knowledge she acquired at college into practice while handling corporate finance accounts as well as mergers and acquisitions. In 1999, she was hired by CNN as a writer and guest booker for their Moneyline program after sending anchor Willow Bay a fan letter.
Erin Burnett soon left CNN to serve as vice president at Citigroup/CitiMedia, where she was put in charge of Citigroup’s online financial news network, targeting retail and institutional investors. In 2003, she left Citigroup when she was hired to anchor the Bloomberg On The Markets program on Bloomberg Television. She eventually took on hosting duties for their In Focus show as well, and remained with the network until 2005.
NBC Chief Executive Bob Wright met Erin Burnett during a visit to Bloomberg in November of 2005, where he was scheduled for an interview with Charlie Rose. Impressed by her presentation skills and professionalism, he recommended her to CNBC President Mark Hoffman, who was in the process of revamping his network to attract younger viewers. At the beginning of December, Erin Burnett made her debut on CNBC as cohost of Squawk On The Street with co-anchor Mark Haines. She was also handed anchoring duties for the network’s Street Signs program.
Both of Erin Burnett‘s programs showed significant jumps in the ratings for the 25-54 demographic during the first quarter of 2006. In 2007, she was at the center of controversy for comments she had made in two separate incidents. In August, during an appearance on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, she alluded to the notion that toxic toys and poisoned food from China made them the greatest friend of the United States because they were helping to keep prices down and mortgages low in the U.S. Later, in November 2007, she referred to President George Bush as “the monkey in the middle” on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program. She later apologized for her comments, adding that she held the “utmost respect for the President.” In 2008, Erin Burnett made a couple of appearances on season 7 of The Apprentice.
