Chenue Her, the first Hmong news anchor in the U.S., is joining Fox 9 in October, the station announced.

Her is returning to anchor in his native state after three years as the “Good Morning Iowa” anchor at WOI Local 5 News in Des Moines, Iowa, his first anchoring position. At the time he was the first and only Hmong anchor in the country, according to the Des Moines Register.

Effective in October, Her will be joining Hannah Flood for the weekday “Fox 9 Morning” show from 4:30 to 6 a.m. Kelly O’Connell is moving to the 6 to 7 a.m. broadcast with Tom Butler, according to Fox 9 Vice President and News Director Kelly Bishop-Huffman.

Her, of St. Paul, started his broadcast journalism track at KSTP-TV and WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. He was a news reporter in Atlanta, Norfolk, Va., and Eugene, Ore., before joining WOI, the ABC affiliate in Des Moines.

“They took a chance and put me on the anchor desk, and it was noticed,” Her told the Register after his first year on the job. “I think that just kind of speaks to the fact that here in Des Moines, there is a community that looks like me that was waiting for this to happen.”

Her told the Pioneer Press he wasn’t always aiming to be an anchor.

“The goal was always to pursue TV journalism and see where the road takes me,” Her said. “I don’t think the end goal was to always be an anchor. However, in my mind, that was always what I envisioned coming home with me.”

Her made a promise 12 years ago to his family, before he left for his first position away, that he would return home. In a way, Fox 9 feels like home, too, Her said. Her grew up watching Fox 9 in the morning with his parents. It was a daily routine.

“Now it’s not just a routine,” Her said. “It’s a part of our family’s history, and I look forward to being able to bring things full circle for them.”

Her’s parents were always raving about how smart the journalists were, and how well they presented themselves.

“As a kid hearing that, it was always my picture of what success was,” Her said. “That’s why I chased it.”

“We’ve been big Chenue fans from afar for years now, ever since he started next door in Iowa,” Bishop-Huffman said in the announcement. “On the air and behind the scenes, he just has this incredible ‘X-factor.’ We couldn’t be happier that he’s coming home to the Twin Cities and joining our family as well as being back with his.”

Her said Fox 9 made his homecoming happen, and made it easier.

“They embraced me for who I am, a Hmong kid from the East Side who grew up having dreams of pursuing his career,” Her said.

While Her was a fan of Fox 9, station leadership said they were a fan of his, too.

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