Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones announced today award-winning journalist and Houston native Syan Rhodes has joined the Precinct 4 team as press secretary.

“We are thrilled to add Syan to our team of talented professionals at Precinct 4. A bold leader and respected journalist, Syan embodies the servant’s heart, hustle, and higher standards needed to best serve the constituents of Precinct 4,” Commissioner Briones said.

Rhodes is an Emmy and Regional Edward R. Murrow award-winner who spent the last 9 years as an anchor and reporter for KPRC 2 News. Syan grew up in the city's historic Sunnyside and Third Ward communities.

She is a product of Houston Independent School District magnet programs at Dodson Elementary School and T.H. Rogers School. Rhodes graduated from Episcopal High School in Bellaire.

She is a graduate of the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

During her time at Northwestern, Syan was a part of a team of journalism students that freed an innocent man from Illinois death row. That case eventually led former Illinois Governor George Ryan to issue a moratorium on executions in the state. Years later the state would ban the death penalty.

As a journalist covering her hometown, she specialized in telling the stories of underserved and underrepresented communities in Houston. She also extensively reported on Harris County Commissioners Court, city and state politics and traveled on the presidential campaign trail in 2016 and 2020.

“I always viewed my work as a journalist as a public service, and I’m honored to be able to continue that work in alignment with Commissioner Briones’ vision to move Precinct 4 forward,” Rhodes said.