First female television broadcast journalist in Connecticut, first African American female news anchor in New England.

Born and raised in New York City, Adrianne Baughns-Wallace attended public school and briefly served in the U.S. Air Force. After attending community college part-time, she married and moved to Schenectady, New York, where she enrolled in the State University of New York in Albany and received a degree in rhetoric and communications.

She found her way into broadcast journalism accidentally, when, in order to overcome nervousness in public speaking, she auditioned for an on-air position with Channel 13 in Albany. Much to her surprise, she was awarded the job. After one year as a news anchor with the station, Adrianne Baughns-Wallace moved to WFSB-TV, Channel 3 in Hartford, where she worked as an anchor, a producer, and a reporter from 1974 – 1982. Called the “most watched woman in Connecticut” by the Hartford Courant Magazine in 1981, Baughns-Wallace earned an Emmy Award nomination and high praise for her intelligent broadcasts.

Baughns-Wallace went on to host and narrate programs and documentaries for CPTV from 1984-1996. She hosted a daily morning talk show and co-hosted a syndicated program at WPIX-TV in New York City from 1984-1986. After several years as a Professional Relations Officer with Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company and a stint as Director of Public Relations with the Corporation for Independent Living, Baughns-Wallace became the Executive Director of Operation Fuel, Inc., a statewide non-profit foundation providing emergency energy assistance grants.