WHOSE CAREER WAS BOLSTERED BY THE TIME SHE SPENT IN BIRMINGHAM. >> The Reporter: ATOP RED MOUNTAIN TO 30 ROCK IN NEW YORK CITY, YVETTE MILEY'S PATH TO THE EXECUTIVE RANKS OF NBC NEWS WAS PAVED THROUGH THE MAGIC CITY. >> I HAVE WOULD SAY THAT -- I WOULD SAY THAT MY TIME IN BIRMINGHAM WAS PROBABLY EXTREMELY IMPACTFUL FOR MY CAREER. IN THE SENSE OF MY CAREER TRAJECTORY, OH, WOW, ON A SPECIAL NOTE, BUT IN THE GROUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT OF WHO I AM AS A PERN.SO THAT WAS SHAPED IN BIRMINGHAM. THAT WAS SHAPED AT WVTM, BECAUSE THAT WAS MY FIRST JOB LEADING AN ENTIRE NEWSROOM. >> The Rorepter: THIS IS THE NEWS DIRECTOR'S OFFICE IN THE WVTM 13 WSNE ROOM. THEY HELP SHAPE THE COVERAGE THAT YOU SEE EVERY SINGLE KAY. THEY ALSO HIREDHE T PRODURSCE, THE PHOTOGRAPHERS, THE REPORTERS, AND THE ANCHORS LIKE ME, THAT YOU SEE ON YOUR TV. BUT IT'S ALSO WHERE YVETTE SAYS SHE LEARNED SEOM OF HER BIGGEST LESSONS ABOUT LEADERSHIP. >> I WILL SAY THAT I HAD MADE -- I PROBABLY MADE 10 MISTAKES A DAY IN BIRMINGHAM. BUT WHAT THE -- WHAT THE -- WHAT THE EMPLOYEES TAUGHT ME IN BIRMINGHAM STILL SERVES ME TODAY. I LEARN HOW TO BE A FAIR LEADER, AS FAIR AS POSSIBLE IN MY TREATMENT OF PEOPLE. I LRNEA HOW TO SHALL FIRM IN MY VALUES, TOOT N LET MY VALUES CHANGE. >> The Reporter: VALUES SHE GREW UP WITH, AS A CURIOUS FLORIDA KID. >> IF I WERE TO LOOK AT MY LE,IF I WAS, YOU KNOW, THE LAST KID OF A SINGLE MOTHER, FIRST IN MY FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE. THE ODDS WERE AGAINST ME. I WAS PREDETERMINED TO BE A STATISTIC. BUT YET I'M IN THE RM.OO SO I OWE IT TO THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE ME, AND THOSE WHO ARE COMING AFTER ME, TO TRY TO BE MY BEST IN THE ROOM. PERIOD. >>> WATCHING THE NEWS PROVIDDE A WINDOW INTO LIVES AND EXPERIENS,CE DIFFERENT FROM HER OWN. >> THEN, YOU KNOW, THEREAS W NOT A PHONE TO GET THE INFORMATION, UYO ACTUALLY HAD TO WATCH AT 6:30 P.M. TO SORT OF GET THE NEWS OF THE DAY OR 6:00 P.M. TO WATCH THE LOCAL NEWS. AND IT JUST BECAME A FIXTURE IN OUR PROCESS AS A FAMILY, A IND THINK THAT WAS WHERE I FIRST BENGAO T UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS A WORLD BEYOND MY BLOCK AND THAT I COULD HAVE A PLACE IN THE WORLBYD SEEING AND WATCHING THE NEWS. >> The Reporr:te YVETTE WENTN O TO BECOME THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE NEWS DIRECTOR IN SOUTH FLORIDA. CLIMBING THE RANKS AT MSNBC, AND NBC NE,WS TO HER CURRENT POSITION AS SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENT OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. SHE BUILT A CAREER SHARING OTRHE PEOP'SLE STORIES, BUT SAYS IT'S IMPORTANT TO FIND YOUR NOW VOICE. >> SO OFTEN, AS WENOM, WE THINK OUR HARD WORK WILL SPEAK FOR US. IT DS,OE BUT NOT NEARLY LOUD. LEARN HOW TO TELL YOUR STORY. BE ABLE TO SAME WHY YOU ARE IN THE JOB YOU'RE IN, WHATOU Y LIKE ABOUT THE JOB THAT YOU'RE IN, AND WHAT YOU HOPE TO GAIN FROM STAYING IN THAT JOB OR THE NEXT PROMOTION OR THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY. TELL YOUR STORY. DON'T ASSUME THAT SOMEONE KNOWS YOUR STORY. TELL IT YOURSELF. >> The Reporter: CARLA