Yvette Ousley used to be terrified of talking to strangers. Now, more than three decades into an award-winning journalism career, she's made a living out of it.

"As a journalist, you have to have a certain level of confidence because you have to go up to people you don't know, introduce yourself, and start asking questions," says Ousley, who recently joined the Chestnut Hill Local's board of directors. "And sometimes those are questions that people don't like, or that make them uncomfortable."

It's a remarkable transformation for someone who deliberately chose a career that would force her out of her shell. 

"I picked journalism because I was a pretty shy kid, but from a very young age, I always loved writing and telling stories," Ousley said. "I would listen to the news and think to myself, these are all conversations that would require me to engage with people in ways that I had not been comfortable doing. So, I thought it would take me outside my comfort zone — and help me grow personally and professionally."

It was a decision that paid off — and would shape her life's work.

"It definitely did what I wanted it to," she said. "It brought me out of my shell — and exposed me to so many different kinds of people."

As the first in her immediate family to graduate from a four-year college, Ousley had to forge her own path — and counts herself fortunate to have found mentorship from the late Acel Moore, the Pulitzer prize-winning Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, and Michael Days, the award-winning former editor of the Philadelphia Daily News.

"My parents knew nothing about journalism, so they couldn't really guide me in my career," Ousley said. 

A Philadelphia story

Ousley's Philadelphia roots run deep. She grew up in the city's Brewerytown and Nicetown neighborhoods and graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls before attending Cabrini University in Radnor, where she majored in English and Communications.

Her journalism career began with an internship at the Philadelphia Inquirer, followed by positions at the Trenton Times and the Miami Herald, where she reported on education, politics, and local neighborhood news.

Returning to Philadelphia in 1994, Ousley joined the Philadelphia Daily News as an education reporter. She later became assistant city editor in 2006 — a position she held until 2010, when she left to care for her ailing father.

Ousley returned to the Daily News in 2014, and was a key point person in the successful merger of the Daily News and Inquirer staffs in 2016. She later became deputy news editor at the Inquirer, helping lead news desks that won numerous awards. 

A 2021 Lenfest Fellow, Ousley was honored in 2019 with the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists' Impact Award for her unrelenting efforts to ensure fairness and accuracy in the coverage and treatment of stories about people and communities of color.

In 2022, Ousley joined NJ Advance Media’s The Star-Ledger/NJ.com, which includes numerous other newspapers, magazines and websites across the country.

A voice at the table

Throughout her career, Ousley has often found herself as one of the few Black editors in the newsroom, a position she has used to advocate for more nuanced and fair coverage of communities of color. She is particularly proud of winning the 2019 Impact Award, which recognized her contributions to diversifying newsroom perspectives. 

"The way newspapers perceive and write about people of color is often different," she said. "So, it was important for me to have a seat at the table and raise my voice when I saw disparities. That's something I've always tried to do — even when it got me into trouble. What's the point of having a fancy title if I can't use it to help people and make the profession better, more accountable?"

Today, as a senior managing producer and editor, Ousley heads a team of reporters who focus on issues affecting underrepresented groups — such as people of color, people with disabilities, veterans and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Under her leadership, her new team's monthly page views have grown from approximately 60,000 to over 300,000 since the start of the year.

For the last three years, Ousley's previous reporting team won the New Jersey Press Association's First Amendment - Art Weissman Memorial Award and other state and local awards. 

Ousley, noting that now is "a very interesting time for the news business," said she sometimes misses reporting.

"I always enjoyed reporting, but over time it became difficult to go to the scene of a killing and realize I knew members of a family, or even if I didn't know a victim's family, I'd leave in tears," she said. "After a while, seeing so much tragedy weighs on you. And it's a much more dangerous job than it used to be."

The value of local news

Despite her work with larger media organizations, Ousley has a special affection for community journalism like that found in the Chestnut Hill Local. She noted that the paper’s grassroots reporting doesn't feel as prevalent in today's digital-driven media landscape. 

"Community journalism matters because people care about issues that are close to home and affect them," she said. "I'm proud of the reporting the Local does. I especially like seeing the original reporting, seeing journalists with boots on the ground, talking to people, gathering news."

Life beyond the newsroom

Ousley moved to Chestnut Hill in 1994, and later to West Mt. Airy after meeting and marrying her husband, Benjamin Frazier Jr., a retiring Philadelphia Police lieutenant, who has served the city for 35 years.

The couple have three children. Their youngest son, LTJG Benjamin F. Frazier III, attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, a decision that initially gave Ousley pause but that she now recognizes was perfect for him.

When asked about the best decision she ever made, Ousley doesn't hesitate: "Hands down, the best decision I ever made was marrying my husband of 29 years, a smart, kind, patient, sweet, loyal, hardworking gentleman who walks and talks softly but carries a big stick, loves God, his country, his church, his family, his neighbors, his city, someone who makes me and others around him better."