It’s, without a doubt, bittersweet to share the news of my departure from the magazine. I feel blessed to have been a part of such a supportive community for the last three years. Although a new opportunity is calling my name, I will surely stay in the CRM loop. I may even pull a Jess Tsai and show up on the CRM office balcony every now and then to forage pizza, taunt former coworkers about the Market Awards, and share gossip from the analyst world.

I want to thank (this sort of feels like an acceptance speech and I.Like.It.) all of the great people I’ve met along the way. When I started at CRM in February 2008, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. (I recall googling “What is CRM” before my interview.)  Throughout my first few phone calls with vendors and analysts, I kept waiting for someone to call me out on knowing virtually nothing about the industry. Thankfully, I have only come across patient and supportive people along the way — analysts, execs, and PR people who truly tried to help me do my job better. For that, I am grateful.

I’ve gotten to write some interesting stories, attend cool events, and interview impressive people over the years. I became addicted to Twitter, proclaimed my love for cornbread, and, like all CRM bloggers, bitched about my bad travel experiences. After covering the gamut of CRM subsets and segments, I have my acronyms down pat. I can rifle off five steps to social media success without a pause. And I can dial into a vendor briefing with my eyes closed. For kicks last night, I reread my first ever destinationCRM.com article and my first blog post. Although my writing style is still pretty much the same, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve matured a lot in my understanding and appreciation for CRM.

So, this is it. Don’t be a stranger. You know where to find me. Lauren