Seasons of Change

Autumn is often a time for reflection, as the passing of summer into fall conjures the realizationthat another year will soon draw to a close.This autumn, many companies and their boards are reflecting on how they will counter the economic downturn and come to grips withthe financial reform legislation filtering into every aspect of their business. Even well-run, forward-thinking institutions are taking stock, evaluating their options, and developing new strategies for future growth.

Coincidentally, inside Bank Director we are doing much the same thing. As this magazine goes to press, we are making plans to enhance the magazine, its online resources, and its premierconference business-all with an eye toward helping financial company directors make better decisions for their boards and shareholders.

Doing so means there will be changes involving a few key people you’ve come to know. Bank Director‘s Associate Publisher Jack Milligan will become its new editor, while TK Kerstetter and I, along with several others, are moving to Corporate Board Member, Bank Director‘s sister publication that was recently acquired by NYSE Euronext. Happily, this restructuring provides many advantages and opportunities for both organizations as we move forward.

Even so, there is some poignancy in leaving a magazine that has offered and taught me so much. In 1993, Bank Director‘s founding chairman Bill King asked me to help build the magazine into the nation’s premier resource for bank boards. During the last 17 years-amid volatile market cycles, M&A booms and busts, and political and regulatory upheaval-Bank Director never strayed from this goal. As editor, I’ve been proud of the quality and integrity of every issue-each one reflecting the talents of a terrific stable of writers and editors, a top-notch design and production team, and many others behind the scenes whose dedication to the magazine’s chief objective remains unsurpassed.

Bank Director is now poised to enter its third decade as the leading information source for financial boards and executives. So as both I and the magazine prepare to turn the page on this next chapter, I want to express heartfelt thanks to all those who’ve lent me support, as well as to the many bankers and industry partners who have shared stories and insights and made Bank Director magazine truly worthwhile reading.