mireya villarreal
National News Correspondent // Authentic Storyteller // Award Winning Journalist // Mentor // Expert Connector // Crisis Communicator // strategic communicator
Mireya Villarreal spent more than 20 years building a career in journalism, with half of that time as a National Correspondent for legacy news outlets ABC and CBS News. Her reporting has been seen on programs and platforms, including “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “Good Morning America,” “ABC News Live Prime”, “Nightline”, “CBS Evening News”, “CBS This Morning”, and “CBS Sunday Morning”.
In May of 2022, Villarreal was the first network correspondent on the ground for ABC News during the Uvalde massacre that left 21 people dead. Initially, she and her team spent a week in the area covering the tragedy and returned countless times as a part of the network’s Uvalde 365 initiative.
Villarreal was part of the ABC News team that won a 2024 duPont-Columbia Award for “The Power of Water,” a special that focused on the impact of climate change and the importance of water. She also won the 2023 NAHJ Ñ Award for her work with the “ABC News Live Prime” team on the investigative special “THC: The Human Cost,” a focus on human trafficking in the Pacific Northwest in illegal marijuana farms. Villarreal has won numerous awards, including three regional Lone Star Emmys® and several AP Awards, and she was part of the team that won the 2020 Edward R. Murrow Award for best newscast for in-depth and exclusive coverage from the United States-Mexico border. She was also part of the team that put together a special on the impact of COVID-19 on the Latino community called “Pandemia;” the project won NAHJ’s 2021 Al Neuharth Award for Investigative Journalism. And, most recently, she was named as the 2025 NAHJ Latina Journalist of the Year.
Before joining ABC News in 2021, Villarreal served as a National Correspondent at CBS News for seven years, covering the Western and Southern regions. She has reported on various stories, including severe Texas weather, COVID-19 vaccination efforts across the South, and immigration along the southwest border. While working for CBS, Villarreal was also the first network journalist to investigate and report on sexual harassment allegations at Fort Hood in the disappearance and murder of Vanessa Guillen.
Prior to CBS News, Villarreal was the lead investigative reporter at KTVT-TV in Dallas. She began her career as an associate producer in south Texas, quickly transitioning to an on-air role in Laredo as the first woman to serve as a sports anchor at KGNS. She also worked as an investigative reporter in San Antonio at WOAI-TV and general assignment reporter at KRGV.
Then...
and Now...
Mireya Villarreal's goal is to start helping communities understand the world through the eyes of the most affected. She plans to do that by using her powerful storytelling skills to highlight the depth and culture of North Texas businesses and, more importantly, the people who keep them running.
As a communications expert, Villarreal has reported from high-pressure environments, interviewed top leaders and everyday people alike; learning how powerful storytelling can shape understanding and galvanize groups of people. Today, she is bringing that same rigor into her world as a business owner focused on media and communications strategies, helping organizations and individuals tell their own stories. Mira Ella Media is about cutting through the noise, connecting authentically and telling human-centered stories that build trust.
Villarreal is a communications expert and strategist that believes behind every brand, campaign or message is a human being worth understanding. Her approach blends strategic thinking with deep listening - because the most effective communications doesn’t just inform, it resonates.
As your potential partner, she’ll help you find clarity in what you want to say, confidence in how to say it and connection with the people you want to reach.
#storytelling
Helping individuals, busineses and organizations turn complex ideas into meaning - Connecting strategy to audience reality through human narratives. People won't just hear your message, they'll remember the people who helped them feel the message and act on it.
#journalism
Strategy that resists hype - Using grit, curiosity and empathy to surface what's real, what matters and what deserves to be said. Finding the true story behind every brand, organization or business.
#authenticity
Making sure your brand, organization or business messaging, marketing or communications sounds like it comes from a real human, reflects lived experiences and respects the audience enough to be honest and raw. Together, we'll figure out how to stop performing and start telling your truth.
#connection
The successful intersection of storytelling, journalism and authenticity - Where your brand, organization or business create a sense of community and belonging where audiences feel seen and heard.
