Angela Stribling spent decades building a career around her warm voice and natural ability to connect with people. Audiences knew her through BET, radio station WHUR 96.3 FM, her Pillow Talk with Angela program and her longtime involvement with the BEYA STEM Conference. Away from broadcasting, one of the most meaningful chapters of her later life was her marriage to Dr. Ken Washington.
Angela and Ken met in 2021 in a setting closely connected to both of their careers. Their relationship moved quickly, and in August 2022 they married during an intimate beach ceremony in Santa Barbara, California. Ken remained beside Angela after she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2024 and was with her when she died peacefully at home on September 26, 2026, at age 58.
Their marriage lasted only a few years, but Angela openly described Ken as the love of her life. Their story connected two people from very different professional worlds, one from broadcasting and entertainment, the other from technology, engineering and corporate leadership.
Who Was Angela Stribling’s Husband?
Angela Stribling’s husband was Dr. Ken Washington, Ph.D., a veteran technology executive whose career included leadership positions across research, aerospace, automotive technology, consumer technology and medical technology.
Washington spent more than four decades working in highly technical industries. His professional journey included senior positions at Sandia National Laboratories, Lockheed Martin, Ford Motor Company, Amazon and Medtronic.
He later became co-founder and chairman of the board of i-GENTIC AI, continuing his involvement in emerging technology and artificial intelligence.
His career placed him in a very different professional environment from Angela, but it was ultimately a STEM event that brought them together.
How Did Angela Stribling and Ken Washington Meet?
Angela and Ken first met backstage at the BEYA STEM Conference on February 13, 2021.
The circumstances were almost perfectly suited to their respective careers. Ken was appearing as a keynote speaker, while Angela was serving as the conference’s longtime emcee.
Angela had been closely associated with BEYA for decades. Her voice and personality had become familiar to generations of attendees, while Ken’s technology background made him a natural fit for the conference’s focus on science, engineering and professional achievement.
That backstage encounter became something neither expected.
Their connection developed into a relationship, and Angela later publicly credited BEYA with introducing her to “the love of my life.”
For a conference she had been associated with professionally for so long, BEYA unexpectedly became important to her personal story as well.
Their Santa Barbara Wedding
After dating for more than a year, Angela and Ken decided to marry.
They tied the knot on August 14, 2022, in Santa Barbara, California.
Rather than organizing an enormous celebrity wedding, the couple chose something intimate. Their ceremony took place on the beach with a small gathering of family members and close friends.
Angela herself described it as an “elopement.”
After exchanging vows by the ocean, the newlyweds celebrated with a rooftop reception at the Hotel Californian. Angela later described their wedding day as “StoryBook,” sharing photographs and memories from the celebration.
The setting reflected the personal nature of their relationship. It was elegant but private, centered on the couple and the people closest to them rather than becoming a large public event.
Who Is Dr. Ken Washington?
Ken Washington built an impressive professional record long before becoming publicly known as Angela Stribling’s husband.
Trained as an engineer and technology leader, he worked across several industries during a career spanning more than 40 years.
Among his earlier leadership roles was his work at Sandia National Laboratories, where he served as chief information officer.
In 2010, he joined Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. During his time there, he held important leadership positions involving advanced technology and research.
His career later took him into the automotive world.
Washington joined Ford Motor Company and became the company’s chief technology officer. The position placed him at the center of discussions surrounding automotive innovation, mobility and emerging technologies at a time when the industry was rapidly changing.
He subsequently worked at Amazon as a vice president of software engineering and later became involved with Medtronic.
Eventually, he moved into artificial intelligence entrepreneurship as co-founder and chairman of i-GENTIC AI.
Ken Washington’s Honors and Achievements
Washington’s work also brought significant recognition within engineering and technology circles.
He was named the 2024 Black Engineer of the Year by Career Communications Group and BEYA, the same broader organization connected to the event where he first met Angela.
His professional honors have also included induction into the Black Engineer Hall of Fame and election to the National Academy of Engineering.
These achievements reflected a career that stretched far beyond a single company or industry.
Washington worked in areas ranging from national laboratories and aerospace to automobiles, software and healthcare technology. That broad experience helped establish him as a respected figure in engineering leadership.
Angela, meanwhile, had her own longstanding connection to encouraging young professionals through BEYA.
Their careers therefore overlapped around a shared appreciation for education, opportunity and professional achievement, even though their everyday work looked very different.
Angela Stribling’s Career Before Their Marriage
Angela was already a familiar broadcasting personality long before meeting Ken.
She became known nationally through her work with Black Entertainment Television, including BET’s Screen Scene. Her career also included radio, where her smooth voice and conversational style helped her develop a loyal audience.
She became particularly associated with WHUR 96.3 FM and Pillow Talk with Angela.
Music was another important part of her professional life. Angela worked as a jazz vocalist and performed for audiences beyond her broadcasting career.
Her involvement with BEYA lasted for more than three decades. Ken later highlighted that part of her legacy, noting how she had inspired thousands of young people through the conference.
For Angela, broadcasting was not simply about being recognizable. Her work depended heavily on making people feel comfortable and connected, something colleagues and listeners remembered after her death.
Ken Supported Angela Through Brain Cancer
The most difficult chapter of Angela and Ken’s marriage began when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2024.
The diagnosis came only around two years after their wedding.
Angela largely approached her health challenges with the optimism that had characterized much of her public personality. In an October 2025 birthday message, she acknowledged that the previous year had been among the most challenging periods of her life and referred to an unexpected health struggle.
She also expressed gratitude for simply being alive and for the time she still had.
Behind those public words, Ken remained closely involved as her husband.
Angela’s battle with brain cancer continued for approximately two years. Ken stood beside her through that period, supporting her as her condition progressed.
Ken Announced Angela’s Death
Angela died peacefully at home on September 26, 2026. She was 58.
Ken personally announced his wife’s death, describing the news with a “broken heart.”
He said Angela’s sister, Darlene, was also there during her final moments.
His tribute went beyond listing Angela’s professional achievements. Ken remembered the qualities behind the recognizable voice, describing his wife as someone with a beautiful soul and spirit who looked for goodness in other people.
He also reflected on the many communities that knew her differently. Some remembered Angela from BET, others from WHUR, Pillow Talk, her singing career or decades of appearances at BEYA.
To Ken, however, she was his wife and partner.
Did Angela Stribling Have Children?
Angela did not have biological children, according to the available reports.
She had reportedly been married once before meeting Ken, although information about her first husband has remained private. That earlier marriage ended in divorce.
Her relationship with Ken became the marriage she spoke about publicly in later life.
Their wedding photographs and Angela’s own comments made clear how meaningful finding love with him had been.
The couple did not need decades together for the relationship to become an important part of her story.
A Love Story That Began With a Chance Meeting
Angela Stribling and Ken Washington came from different professional worlds, but one conference brought those worlds together.
When they met backstage at BEYA in February 2021, Angela was doing something she had done for years as an emcee, while Ken was there because of his accomplishments in technology. Less than two years later, they were husband and wife.
Their Santa Barbara wedding in August 2022 began a marriage that would eventually face circumstances neither could have anticipated.
Ken remained with Angela throughout her battle with brain cancer and was beside her at home when she died in September 2026.
For people searching for Angela Stribling’s husband, Dr. Ken Washington is an accomplished technology executive with a substantial career of his own. But within Angela’s personal story, his role was much simpler and more intimate. He was the man she called the love of her life, her husband during her final years, and the person who ultimately shared the difficult news of her death with the audience that had followed her for decades.