Some of you may be aware that LEDs Magazine’s longtime chief editor Maury Wright retired this month — an event for which we were preparing though it was not widely known until recently. I wish we could have an embarrassing public send-off at some entertaining locale, but this column will have to do for now.
I have encountered many personalities in my editorial roles but none who have taught me so much about markets and technology. Eight years in a B2B media career is a significant amount of time to spend at one brand and with one chief editor. Some of you know I’ve worked with multiple media teams in our company’s Technology Group. What most don’t know is that I hadn’t planned on making my time with LEDs Magazine a long-term stay when Maury first reached out, looking to fill an associate editor position. I was considering a potential shift from editorial to corporate marketing and communications. This was but a temporary stop, I thought.
I sure am glad that I stayed. Maury has made learning about LEDification and LED applications interesting and approachable. Leveraging his Auburn University electrical engineering background and an editorial career with Reed Business Information’s EDN Magazine, Maury landed at LEDs in 2010 as a senior editor. Two years later, he was a natural fit for our leadership into digital-centric publishing and expansion of LED applications coverage. He has worked tirelessly on aligning editorial strategy and audience needs, while positioning our brand as a key industry partner. Internally, Maury has also encouraged me to communicate more confidently and freely with industry insiders.
We have agreed to disagree on some things (I will cling to “lb” over “lbs” for plural pound weight until I have completely lost my senses, Maury! Check the Latin!). And I still haven’t made up my mind on whether Li-Fi will play a big role in the solid-state lighting industry (see a past blog about this; he says not likely).
Still, over the years, Maury has become more than a “boss” to me. He is a friend, and I will miss continuing our rapport and editorial rhythm on a daily basis, even though we have worked in different locations. We’ve talked about family, pets, sports, techno-geeky things, and that Maury used to fly small planes. Now that Maury lives near his alma mater, he looks forward to spending more time cheering the Auburn Tigers in person; possibly getting another canine companion with his wife, Andrea; and enjoying time with family at their lake house.
With that, I’ll pivot and ask everyone to graciously welcome Wanda Lau as our incoming editorial director. Wanda hails from the Washington, DC area, and recently served as executive editor and podcaster at ARCHITECT magazine. She’s an award-winning journalist with a background in civil engineering and architecture, having written for Architectural Lighting magazine and Eco-Structure, among other publications. I am looking forward to seeing what her energy brings to the brand and ways we can expand our content to address evolving audience needs. Please reach out to her at [email protected].
Carrie Meadows
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
