By Ashley Dean

Editor, Denverite

My first day of Denverite was in May 2016. When we started this thing, calling sources from a closet-sized room and asking them to talk for a publication with no name, I had no idea where we would be in one year, let alone four. I had sky-high hopes, but I couldn’t have guessed that one day I’d be the editor and Denverite would be owned by Colorado Public Radio.

I did know for sure that we would do good work. That Kevin [Beaty] would bring an artist’s eye and enormous sensitivity to his photographs. That Andy [Kenney] would prove to be as sharp as he is weird. That Erica [Meltzer] would work tirelessly to answer Denver’s biggest questions.

I couldn’t have known what would come next — Donna’s [Bryson] masterful reporting and more importantly her endless compassion, Dave [Sachs] and Esteban’s [Hernandez] dream-team election coverage.

It’s been a ride. And it’s been a joy and privilege to be your Denverite dining and nightlife reporter, culture reporter, assistant editor and editor. And for all these years, you’ve invited me and the rest of this weird team into your inbox every day.

I’ll miss being a part of that, but I’m excited about what’s next. For me, that’s New Orleans Public Radio and marriage (!!!).

For you and Denverite, it’s the public-private partnership explainer you’ve been needing, a deep-dive update on the city’s halfway house mess, and something about pigeons.

After that, who can guess? I know from experience that the answer is “no one” (except maybe Dave Burdick, who has always been suspiciously sure about this crazy thing).

Thank you,