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

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

Alex is 11, and if ever a baby was meant to become emo, it wasthat diva. I remember the year she was born very clearly, because,well, she ripped into our lives with a blood-curdling scream andnever 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 mysecond kid, and now I figured I'd be looking for another job.

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

Editors are a lot more than decent grammarians anymore. Inaddition to ensuring the words myriad and comprise were usedappropriately (please no of!), I was working on productdevelopment, learning search engine optimization, and assistingwith business development. I decided I wanted to reinvent myselffrom strictly editorial to a businessperson. In 2012, I startedback to school to earn my MBA, and then a month later,then-PublisherTom Greve let me know that he was leaving and recommending me aspublisher.

This time I went straight to the EVP and toldhim I was the best person to run all of CU Times. Therewere fits and starts and another new ownership, the current ALMMedia, but by 2015 CU Times' earned its highest revenueyear ever. Now I've been in this position four years, and again, Ifelt the urge to take on a new challenge.

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

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

Although I'm excited about the opportunity before me, it hasbeen bittersweet to think of being one step removed from CUTimes. I do want to thank people like Mike Welch and PaulGentile, who put their faith in me early on and pushed me hard. I'mforever grateful to the whole CU Times team, past andpresent, who are all ridiculously self-motivated, making my jobeasier. Thank you to former Summit Professional Networks CEO SteveWeitzner, former Summit EVP John Whelan and my immediate past boss,ALM Division President Matt Weiner, who've each taught me a littlesomething different about what leading a business really means. Andto the countless credit union, vendor and trade associationprofessionals and volunteers who've provided my informal creditunion education over the last 17 years, thank you for sharing yourworld with me.

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

Another turning point, a fork stuck inthe road

Time grabs you by the wrist, directsyou where to go

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

It's not a question, but a lessonlearned in time

It's something unpredictable, but inthe end is right,

I hope you had the time of yourlife.