Readers familiar with this Editor’s Desk will know that, over the past seven years, my favorite kind of Desk has been one in which I preview the articles in the issue, highlight some important trends I see, and extoll the talents of our editorial team. That team—consisting of editors Lee Dubay, Barbara Gefvert, Gail Overton, and John Wallace—put their wonderful talents into creating or editing articles for the magazine and website, newsletters, webcasts, and so much more that is not always visible to readers. They are the best, and along with our tremendous publisher, sales and marketing team, art and production staff, and audience development specialists, I’m very grateful for everything they do.
This is my last issue as editor-in-chief of Laser Focus World. As an editor and journalist, it has been a great honor to hold this position and to connect with so many people in our community, to learn from them both as individual engineers, scientists, and executives, and in their roles within the many companies and institutions in this field. I leave after 21 years with Laser Focus World, including stints with WDM Solutions and Vision Systems Design. There will still be a role for me, however, as the editor-at-large, with a charter to provide strategic consulting, contribute a monthly column in the magazine and a blog online, and return as chair of the 2019 Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar—an activity I have always enjoyed. I think I have a very good deal.
You are now in the good hands of new editor-in-chief John Lewis, who becomes the 10th person to hold that title in the 53 years since Laser Focus World was first published. John has worn many hats before he assumed this position. We are very fortunate for both his body of knowledge and his experience as a trained engineer, technology journalist, and marketing manager for a leading machine vision company. For the past two years, he has displayed his skills and innovation as editor-in-chief of Vision Systems Design.
I am pleased and proud to congratulate John, and know that he and the magazine staff will continue to grow and evolve in the coming years. And to you, dear readers, many thanks for your years of trust in and support of Laser Focus World.
Conard Holton
Conard Holton has 25 years of science and technology editing and writing experience. He was formerly a staff member and consultant for government agencies such as the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the International Atomic Energy Agency, and engineering companies such as Bechtel. He joined Laser Focus World in 1997 as senior editor, becoming editor in chief of WDM Solutions, which he founded in 1999. In 2003 he joined Vision Systems Design as editor in chief, while continuing as contributing editor at Laser Focus World. Conard became editor in chief of Laser Focus World in August 2011, a role in which he served through August 2018. He then served as Editor at Large for Laser Focus World and Co-Chair of the Lasers & Photonics Marketplace Seminar from August 2018 through January 2022. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, with additional studies at the Colorado School of Mines and Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.