Alan Etter is an anchor, news/traffic reporter and writer who rejoined the WTOP news team after several years away. He began his full-time news career in 1992 at WTOP as an editor and writer and soon became a reporter and anchor, eventually becoming the Washington, D.C. beat reporter covering local politics, public safety and city life stories.
He left WTOP to join the D.C. Fire & EMS Department, where he served as the chief public information officer and official spokesperson. From there he served in a variety of roles in the District, including as chief communications officer for the Office of Unified Communications (DC 911/311) and as Vice President of the University of the District of Columbia.
For the last several years, Alan has worked as an consultant, advising on large scale projects for DC Water, FEMA, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and others. He continues to serve the District in a number of capacities, including as commissioner on the D.C. Commission for Climate Change and Resiliency and the D.C. Waterways Advisory Commission.
Alan is a long-time resident of Southwest D.C., where he is active in efforts to preserve and protect the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. In his downtime, he can be seen playing guitar at some of the Wharf and other venues around the D.C. region, either solo or in other bands.
