EditorsTakeI had a very different Editor’s Take in mind until the day before we went to press. That was when my boss and friend, Anita Pariseau, came into my office at the end of the day to say she’d taken a position at Colorado College and would be leaving in a few weeks.

I’m happy for her: After nine years at Mines, she’s excited about the new challenge, and the position sounds like an ideal fit for her skills and experience. However, saying goodbye to a colleague is never easy, and she will be sincerely missed.

Anita is the best kind of leader. In six years, I can’t recall a single time she’s told me what to do, yet I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone to her to discuss a knotty problem or issue, and left with a solution.

My colleagues report much the same. By giving us all the latitude to create and innovate, she’s encouraged us to take ownership in our work, nurturing our development as professionals and growing CSMAA at the same time.

A strong alumni association is a powerful partner to any university, and her legacy will be felt for years. Today, CSMAA is at once warm and service-oriented, yet administratively lean and efficient. Alumni have more opportunities than ever to engage with the school, and network in person and online with each other; staff provide a steady stream of news and information to the community; CSMAA offers a wide range of programs and services to alumni and campus; and Mines magazine is more widely read and appreciated than ever.

Anita also leaves CSMAA well situated for the transition. Serena Bruzgo, who will serve as interim executive director during the search, has worked for CSMAA for seven years, the last two as deputy director. She’s extremely competent, knows the organization intimately, and has earned the trust of the staff and board of directors.

It was Anita who brought us the tagline displayed on our website: ‘Stay connected. Keep in touch. Get involved. Give back.’ After giving so much of her time and energy for the last nine years, I, for one, won’t be asking her to remain involved and give back. However, those of us who have been privileged to work alongside her will make sure she stays connected and keeps in touch.

Thank you, Anita, for your leadership, your counsel, and your friendship.

Nick Sutcliffe
Editor and Director of Communications
Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association

P.S. Once you’ve read the issue, check out the Web Extras. After publishing the profile of George Saunders ’81 in our last issue, he’s experienced a media blitz. Our doing? Well, the effusive New York Times Magazine article ‘�George Saunders Has Written the Best Book You’ll Read This Year‘�might have made the bigger splash.