My daughter's heading into full emo. If you really want to know what that is ask someone under 19, but essentially it's dying hair unnatural colors, guys with eyeliner who look perpetually sad, and shopping at Hot Topic. The term emo is derived from their being incredibly emotional. At the same time, when I'm about to lose my chiz with Alex, her only response is a dead-pan, “OK.”

Of course this is hitting at the same time I'm heading into the middle-aged version of emo—dying hair to cover up the white ones, more eyeliner so you don't look like a zombie, and shopping at Talbots, so, you know, double the fun.

Alex is 11, and if ever a baby was meant to become emo, it was that diva. I remember the year she was born very clearly, because, well, she ripped into our lives with a blood-curdling scream and never stopped. But also because while I was on maternity leave, Mike Welch called me to tell me he had sold CU Times. I had been with the publication five years by then, I'd just had my second kid, and now I figured I'd be looking for another job.

Time passed and not much changed, so I continued on as Washington reporter. I had a new baby and we were living with my in-laws; I had enough drama. Then another ownership, and Publisher/Editor Paul Gentile was leaving in 2007. Again I decided it must be time to move on. Or was it? Like a bolt of lightning out of the blue, I thought, maybe I could sort of possibly do that job if you think maybe, which was pretty much how I asked Paul about it at the time. Those who know me now likely don't believe that, but it's true.

Editors are a lot more than decent grammarians anymore. In addition to ensuring the words myriad and comprise were used appropriately (please no of!), I was working on product development, learning search engine optimization, and assisting with business development. I decided I wanted to reinvent myself from strictly editorial to a businessperson. In 2012, I started back to school to earn my MBA, and then a month later, then-Publisher Tom Greve let me know that he was leaving and recommending me as publisher.

This time I went straight to the EVP and told him I was the best person to run all of CU Times. There were fits and starts and another new ownership, the current ALM Media, but by 2015 CU Times' earned its highest revenue year ever. Now I've been in this position four years, and again, I felt the urge to take on a new challenge.

ALM is restructuring for the modern media landscape, and what I was asking my boss about fit pretty well within that new structure, and I'm also be able to keep a toehold in the credit union community. This will be my last regular column for CU Times as I step into the role of market segment leader for strategy over credit unions and commercial real estate at ALM. You'll still see me around at credit union events for sure and I'll likely butt in with the occasional column, but I'm very excited to add to my responsibilities and learn about the CRE market.

I'm also incredibly pleased to announce that we've hired a new executive editor. For some he'll need no introduction: Michael Ogden, who's a new media guru and formerly of CUNA Mutual Group. With more than a decade of experience in broadcast and radio journalism, he has brought a news angle to his more recent roles in new media. He's going to help modernize CU Times even further, and I truly can't wait to see what he does starting Aug. 15.

Although I'm excited about the opportunity before me, it has been bittersweet to think of being one step removed from CU Times. I do want to thank people like Mike Welch and Paul Gentile, who put their faith in me early on and pushed me hard. I'm forever grateful to the whole CU Times team, past and present, who are all ridiculously self-motivated, making my job easier. Thank you to former Summit Professional Networks CEO Steve Weitzner, former Summit EVP John Whelan and my immediate past boss, ALM Division President Matt Weiner, who've each taught me a little something different about what leading a business really means. And to the countless credit union, vendor and trade association professionals and volunteers who've provided my informal credit union education over the last 17 years, thank you for sharing your world with me.

So maybe just for tonight, I'll dress in black and play emo music while I sit in my candle-lit room, sipping red wine. My daughter's emo phase isn't all bad, as there's more Green Day on my playlist:

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go

So make the best of this test, and don't ask why

It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right,

I hope you had the time of your life.

Instant Insights /

Tales of an Emo Editor: Looking Back to Look Ahead

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