2012 STARS Hall of Fame

René Syler

René Syler knew she wanted a career in television. Unfortunately she did not come to that realization until after she had spent thousands of dollars on a degree in psychology. She forged ahead and after reporter/anchor jobs in Reno, Birmingham and Dallas, landed a plum assignment as one of the anchors of The Early Show on CBS.

It was there René capitalized on her natural curiosity. She interviewed former First Lady Laura Bush, both in studio and at The White House. She spoke with politicians such as Senator John McCain, Senator John Kerry, and countless authors, Jeffrey Deaver and Walter Mosely, among her many favorites. In her four years at The Early Show, she delved into the lives of Russell Crowe, J.Lo, Tom Selleck, Antonio Banderas, Denzel Washington, Beyonce and Will Smith to name a few. She danced with American Idol winner Fantasia, even giving her the blue shoes off her own feet after Fantasia complimented her on them! Alas she was not particularly adept at the cooking segments, which will come as no surprise to those who know her.

In March 2007, René’s first book Good Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting was published by Simon Spotlight Entertainment. From that her website, www.goodenoughmother.com was born.

She continues with her television work, as a sought after commentator for CNN Headline News, The Joy Behar Show, the Today Show and LX New York among others. In 2009, she anchored BET’s Inauguration coverage, which garnered an NAACP image award for Outstanding News/Information coverage. Later that year she was tapped by FOX to shoot a medical reality show and then in the fall, was chosen as one of the panelists for a Warner Brothers talk show focusing on motherhood issues, alongside fellow co-hosts Paula Deen and Kate Gosselin.

René is the daughter of two breast cancer survivors. Her parents’ diagnoses and her own pre-cancerous condition led to her preventive mastectomy in 2007, a controversial surgery that was profiled on Oprah. That experience also ignited her passion as she now travels the country as an ambassador for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, spreading the word about early detection and treatment of the disease. René was also awarded the prestigious Gracie Allen award for her television series on breast cancer.

René lives in Westchester, New York with her husband, Buff Parham, children Casey and Cole and their yellow Lab Olivia.