SHARON EPPERSON
CNBC Senior Energy Correspondent & Personal Finance Correspondent


An award-winning journalist and author, Sharon Epperson is a highly respected expert on two issues that are on the top of the minds of investors and consumers around the world -- energy prices and personal financial security.

At CNBC, she covers the global energy and commodities markets daily from the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange and contributes special reports on personal finance. She also appears frequently on NBC's "Today" and "Nightly News with Brian Williams," as well as MSNBC and NBC affiliates nationwide.

Sharon brings her personal finance expertise to more than 49 million readers in over 600 newspapers through her MoneySmart column in USA WEEKEND. Her articles have also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, SELF, ESSENCE, EBONY and TIME, where she covered business, culture, social issues and health prior to joining CNBC.

Her first book, The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take To Make The Most Of Their Money -- And Live Richly Ever After (Collins/HarperCollins), was a finalist for the 2008 Books For A Better Life Awards, honoring works that have “changed the lives of millions.” She also was a contributing writer in the new book, The Experts’ Guide To Doing Things Faster (Clarkson Potter/Random House).

Sharon has received numerous honors, including the Vanguard Award for her distinguished career in business and personal finance reporting from the National Urban League Guild, the All-Star Award from the Association of Women in Communications and the prestigious Gracie Allen Award from the American Women in Radio and Television for her series on female CEOs. She also has won awards from the New York Festivals, the New York Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

A graduate of Harvard and Columbia, Sharon is committed to improving financial literacy, especially among young people. She is on the board of directors of the Council for Economic Education and the advisory board of the eWomenNetwork Foundation. She speaks frequently to national organizations, colleges and universities. An adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs, Sharon teaches the importance of budgeting and long-term savings as a part of her course on professional development for graduate students interested in media careers.

A Pittsburgh native, Sharon lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County, N.Y.