Thank you, and farewell for now from our editor-in-chief

Dear readers, I wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you as I depart from Greater Greater Washington. Three-and-a-half years may not be a long time for some, but it truly depends on how you look at it.

During this time the world endured, and still struggles with, a global pandemic, and GGWash went through mountainous changes only to come out of the end a stronger organization, and I hope a stronger community, for it.

I am very proud of the incredible staff who I get to call colleagues and friends, who inspired me to come to work and do my best to cover the issues that matter most to our readers. Caitlin, Kate, Dan, Alex, and Chelsea. I say your names because you helped shape who I am as an editor and as a human.

What I didn’t count on when I started at this organization was this constellation of readers, volunteers, contributors, interns, commenters, board (shout-out to Tracy), funders, and fans, who were beyond supportive of my journey as writer, editor, managing editor, and finally editor-in-chief.

Looking back, I am extremely proud that we were able to create a robust editorial policy (thank you to our former edit board and Libby Solomon), and make room for many more paid freelancers to work with us. This was particularly important for me as a writer and former freelance journalist who understands paid work can open doors for more diverse voices.

Special thanks to our links curators who help pinpoint the important news of the day, to our outgoing editorial assistant Kai Hall, and our contributing editors Kristen Jeffers, Christina Sturdivant Sani, and Julie Strupp, who helped keep all the plates spinning in our editorial program. Additional thanks to Nena Perry-Brown for her incredible series on Greenleaf Garden (the first series I edited here). To Alex Holt and Wyatt Gordon, on their continued coverage of Maryland and Virginia. Stephen Repetski for the outstanding Metro coverage. You all made me a better editor. DW Rowlands for every single piece you’ve written. Every. Single. One. And so many other contributors–too many to name, but I am thinking of you all. Thank you to David Alpert, who saw the EIC in me before I did.

Mostly I want to thank you, dear reader. Thank you for reading as I tried to understand what was happening with transit-oriented development in Tysons. For bearing with me as I tried to connect two types of violence impacting our dear city. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts on our two big series this year on equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) and how DC’s school boundaries shape housing and travel patterns. And thanks for coming along this journey with me.

My next steps are still taking shape - but I’m looking forward to catching up on sleep. I do want to carve out time for making art, writing another novel (yep, I wrote two) and listening to that little creative voice in all of us asking us to dream big.

If you’ve appreciated the stories we’ve produced over these last 3.5 years and have the ability to give to help sustain our work, please do so. I would personally appreciate it. Your support keeps this publication going – and the work GGWash does is crucial to the Washington region.

And even though this is my farewell as an employee at Greater Greater Washington, I have forever been “GGWashed” and consider myself lucky to work, grow, and commune with this amazing community.

So I leave you with these words from Boyz II Men’s song “End of the Road”:

“Although we’ve come

To the end of the road

Still I can’t let go

It’s unnatural

You belong to me

I belong to you”