A native of New Hampshire, Robert R. Stafford earned a degree in political science and journalism at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1981.
[1] Stafford began his career as a reporter and anchor for KBJR-TV in Duluth, Minnesota and WFRV-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Stafford's work exposed significant security breaches for tourists and ultimately resulted in a grand jury investigation.
He credits his wife, Lisa, for encouraging him to undergo further tests after a routine physical revealed slightly elevated protein levels.
[8] In August 2019, Stafford was recently sued against[clarification needed] the sterilization solution[clarification needed] company Sterigenics while during his amyloidosis diagnosis that he was exposed to toxic levels of ethylene oxide from the company's west suburban Willowbrook facility plant.