Kelli Arena

Kelli Arena is an American television journalist and university professor, known as a former Washington D.C. correspondent for CNN.
Arena is currently the Executive Director of the Global Center for Journalism and Democracy at Sam Houston State University, and holds the Dan Rather Endowed Chair. She also does work as a freelance reporter.

Arena started with CNN in 1985 as a production assistant. In 1989 she was named the executive producer of daytime programming for CNN financial news. In 1990, she produced the program Moneyline with Lou Dobbs. In 1991, she went to work for CNN in London as an executive producer for the program World Business Today. She returned to New York in 1992 and was named News Director for all of CNN's financial programming.

She started her on-air career in London as a business reporter in 1993, later moving to Tokyo. In 1995 Arena moved to Washington DC covering U.S. government news as a business reporter. Arena was promoted to Justice Correspondent in 2000.

She had reported for CNN programs American Morning, The Situation Room, and Anderson Cooper 360°.

She left CNN in January 2009.

She appears as a panelist on truTV's In Session.