Jen Lada Biography
Jen Lada is an American sportscaster for ESPN. She has previously worked for networks in Milwaukee and Chicago. Lada started her broadcasting career after college as a sports reporter and anchor for the NBC affiliate station WREX in Rockford, Illinois.
Jen Lada Age
Jen was born Jennifer Lada on 14 January 1981, in Spring Grove, Illinois, United States of America. She is 43 years old as of January 2024.
Jen Lada Education- Family
Lada grew up in Spring Grove, Illinois, a hamlet located between Chicago and Milwaukee. She attended Marian Central Catholic High School and ran track. She captained the cheerleading team while studying communication at Marquette University in Wisconsin, from which she graduated in 2002.
Jen Lada Married- Husband
Lada married Dario Melendez, a Milwaukee sports reporter, in 2017. Their first marriage ended in divorce. She has three children, two with Melendez. She is a recreational endurance athlete who has completed several marathons and triathlons.
Jen Lada Career
Lada started her broadcasting career after college as a sports reporter and anchor for the NBC affiliate station WREX in Rockford, Illinois. In Rockford, she supplemented her money by working in a restaurant. She joined the Fox station WITI in Milwaukee in 2006. She soon felt “limited” in her work as a weekend sports anchor for WITI, so she relocated to a larger media market in early 2013, joining NBC affiliate Comcast SportsNet Chicago (CSN). She was initially hired to cover NHL hockey for CSN, where she served as a reporter and anchor and occasionally appeared on the Kap & Haugh radio show. ESPN signed Lada in July 2015, first to contribute to Colin Cowherd’s ESPN Radio show.
She briefly co-hosted Jorge & Jen, a short-lived ESPN Radio show with Jorge Sedano, at 8 p.m. Lada reported feeling “devastated” by her early experience at ESPN, but she was able to get a position at the network by functioning as a “utility player” who could contribute to a number of shows. She has been a long-time College GameDay features reporter and College Football Live host since 2016. She has continued to appear on and guest host other ESPN series, such as Get Up and SportsCenter. Lada’s documentary for E:60 about the death of college football quarterback Tyler Hilinski earned a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Documentary in 2020.
Lada is engaged in Wisconsin’s regional sports media. In 2020, she co-hosted a morning sports show for ESPN radio affiliate WKTI in Milwaukee alongside Gabe Neitzel and Mark Chmura. In 2022-23, she had a weekly WKTI radio show with Marquette men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart.
Jen Lada Net Worth
Lada has an estimated net worth of 1 million dollars.