I initially expected to work at Zócalo for a few weeks. Gregory Rodriguez, Zócalo’s founder and publisher, needed some help in a pinch, and I owed him. Three years later, Gregory still needs occasional help in a pinch, and I still owe him, but things have changed a lot. What was a nonprofit known mainly for putting on public events has evolved into a full-fledged Ideas Exchange that convenes scores of events and publishes hundreds of essays each year, shared with more than 100 syndication partners around the country.

Helping to build up a Los-Angeles-based publication has been a splendid, difficult, rewarding adventure. When I arrived in 2011, Zócalo was publishing primarily around events and venturing only gingerly into different forms of journalism. But I was intrigued by what I’d read and saw. Memos flew about, and meetings happened.  Eventually, I wound up as editor.

Launching new features like “Who We Were,” “Where I Go,” and “Drinks With …” taught me a lot about how innovation works (with trials and tweaks) and how website growth works (slowly). Our commitment to publishing not just professional writers but people from all walks of life brought in a lot of new voices. I took particular pleasure in working with Ken Murray on “How Doctors Die,” with Manuel Rodriguez on his vivid memories of 1930s and ’40s Los Angeles, with José Cardenas on his reflections on marriage, with Meghan Lewit on her revolting Koreatown gym, and with Javier Cabral on his idiosyncratic experiences of being an Angeleno today. That list leaves out many, many other favorites.

As Zócalo’s editor, I can take credit for some of our evolution. But only some. We kept drawing in outstanding new staffers. From the beginning, I worked closely with Andrés Martinez. We landed the matchless Sarah Rothbard. Legendary journalist Joe Mathews came on board and later launched our syndicate; thanks to him we are now carried in media outlets across the state and country. We attracted brilliant additional editors: author (now bestselling author) Kathryn Bowers, journalist and speechwriter Becca MacLaren, and energy policy expert and writer Lisa Margonelli. Thanks to our partners at Arizona State University, we got a lot more desks.

One of the best indicators of the health of a show is that it can go on without you. By that measure, Zócalo is a very healthy show. And I’m moving on. I got the itch to be writing again, to be out reporting more, and to take a little more time to slow down and think hard.

My colleagues already know how much I respect and admire their work, and Gregory already knows how grateful I am for the chance to have helped build up this place.  Yes, we’re always in a pinch, and we always need help, and that’s why Zócalo keeps hiring. So now I will go from insider to ever-supportive onlooker. And, since Zócalo is a nonprofit, I hope you will consider being supportive, too.