Name: Carlos Watson

Age: 35

Company: CNN (www.cnn.com)

Company Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga.

Tidbit:

Carlos Watson is host of CNN's 'Off Topic with Carlos Watson' and the creator of 'The Inside Edge with Carlos Watson,' his weekly political column on CNN.com. A Stanford-trained lawyer, Watson is a member of the California bar and has crafted multiple, successful careers in journalism, law, business and politics. He co-founded a consulting firm, Achieva College Prep Services, and has been profiled in Time, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Black Enterprise. He is a confident speaker and frequent guest on radio and television shows including the Tavis Smiley Show.

Why You Should Care:

Watson is one of few black men in a visible position, influencing our national opinion on the world news and events. Through his primetime special, 'Off Topic with Carlos Watson,' he guides us to a broader perspective of some of America's most popular and not-so-popular personalities. He continues to shape our vision of the world with his weekly political column, The Inside Edge, on CNN.com, where, he offers his take on current political happenings.

Watson began his journalism career while still an undergrad at Harvard, writing for the Miami Herald and Detroit Free Press. He's managed a number of political efforts including a get-out-the vote campaign for Clinton in 1992; Watson has also worked with Daryl Jones of the Florida legislature (D); Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez; Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and former Democratic National Committee Chairman, Ron Brown.

After graduating from Harvard, Watson headed to Stanford where he earned his law degree in 1995. He joined the firm McKinsey & Co. as a strategy and operations consultant after graduation. Two years later, Watson left McKinsey to co-found Achieva College Prep Services, a national educational consulting firm that is now part of Kaplan, Inc.

In 2003, Watson joined CNBC as host of The Edge with Carlos Watson, an hour-long interview series much like Off Topic. He stayed in that role till he was hired away by CNN in December 2003.

About the Author
Ayeko Vinton is a teacher, web developer and freelance writer living in Boston.