‘Today’ Alum Kristen Welker Always Has Her Parents in Her Corner! Meet Her Mom and Dad

Since welcoming her first child in June 2021, NBC’s Kristen Welker has leaned on her mom and dad for parenting advice. The former Weekend Today anchor is incredibly close to her parents, Julie and Harvey Welker. 

Who Is Kristen Welker’s Mom, Julie Welker?

Julie and Harvey welcomed Kristen on July 1, 1976, in Philadelphia. Julie currently works as a real estate agent in the city. She has been the president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Welker Real Estate for more than 30 years. 

Julie has a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania. When she’s not working hard on the real estate scene, she loves spending time with her granddaughter, Margot. The little one was born to Kristen and her husband, John Hughes, via surrogate.

Growing up, Julie would bring Kristen with her to work, an experience that helped strengthen their bond.

“Spending time with your girl is one of the most important things you can do,” Julie told Today in May 2021. “Just spending the time getting to know them, having them get to know you, getting to know the work you do and nothing beats spending time with them.”

They also loved sharing meals together each night in their Pennsylvania home. 

“One of the things we held dearly was having dinner every night as a family,” Julie said. “That allowed us to talk and to recap the day and to learn what experiences Kristen had had and to tell her about our experiences and our work … There’s nothing I feel that was more important than that time.”

Who Is Kristen Welker’s Dad, Harvey Welker? 

Harvey is a consulting engineer based in Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Dartmouth College and a master’s degree from Thayer School of Engineering. 

Both Harvey and Julie were very supportive of Kristen’s dream to be a journalist from the very start. She recalled watching CBS Evening News with her father and being inspired by Dan Rather’s storm coverage when she was a child. 

“My father said, ‘That’s what you have to do if you want to be a great reporter. You have to go into the eye of a hurricane,’” Kristen shared in an August 2010 interview with City Life. 

Julie gushed to the outlet that Kristen was “the greatest reporter who’s ever walked the Earth.” Two decades after her parents expressed how proud they were of her, Kristen stepped into a new role — moderating Meet the Press. 

“Meet the Press is one of the most important political broadcasts in history,” she reflected during a June 2023 episode of Today. “I just feel so grateful and humbled to all of those who built this amazing legacy. I’m thinking about Martha Rountree, Tim Russert and of course, my mentor, Chuck Todd, who taught me just about everything I know about politics.”