Time for a Change
A few months ago, I wrote a column celebrating my 20 years with Quality Digest. In that column I expressed how much I enjoy my job. I still get an enormous sense of satisfaction seeing the magazine delivered from the printer. Our magazine has grown during the last 20 years from 800 subscribers to more than 80,000. With that growth has come increasing responsibility for me. I’ve long worn both the editor in chief’s and publisher’s hats.
Well, the time has come for me to give up one of those hats. This marks my last issue as the editor in chief of Quality Digest. Dirk Dusharme, our current technology editor, will assume the role of editor in chief with our November issue. In addition to being a terrific writer, Dirk is highly intelligent, technologically savvy and a heck of a nice guy. He’s been with Quality Digest for almost 10 years, and he has the respect and admiration of all his co-workers. Prior to working with us, Dirk worked in the high-tech manufacturing industry and had to deal with many of the same quality issues our readers do. During his years with Quality Digest, Dirk has written many of our most popular articles on issues ranging from standards to metrology. He’s also directed many of our large surveys and led our Internet media, including QualityDigest.com and InsideQuality.com.
Although change can be scary sometimes, it’s my firm conviction that magazines are living, breathing entities that need a healthy dose of change now and then to thrive. I believe Dirk will inject new life into Quality Digest, and he’s already got a lot of great ideas for next year’s editorial lineup.
I’ll still be here as publisher, and I may even write the occasional article and editorial. My new role at the company will allow me to focus more time and energy on continuing to expand Quality Digest’s reach through our print and online media.
In addition to our new editor in chief, we’ve recently made a few other changes to our staff to better serve our readers. Robert Green, our former managing editor, is our new director of online media. Robert’s been instrumental in the development of our e-newsletters and is currently working to improve our Web media.
Our new managing editor, Mike Richman, has 15 years of experience working in a variety of publishing jobs. His wealth of experience is already improving the way Quality Digest is produced. He’ll be working with Dirk to ensure a smooth transition and some great editorial.
Thanks for making my job as editor in chief so incredibly fulfilling. I’ve enjoyed working with our authors and readers over the years. I’ve especially enjoyed meeting our readers at trade shows, conferences and other events.
I have to admit, it’s not easy letting go. However, the transition is made easier knowing that we’ve got such a terrific staff. Plus, I’ll still be here working to continue to make Quality Digest the best quality publication possible.
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