A Year in Reflection: A Message From our Executive Director
By ACES Staff
As the new year gets underway, I’ve been looking back at the moments in 2025 that made this community feel energized, thoughtful, and connected. ACES works because so many of you continue to show up in the ways you can. Some of you edit quietly in the background, some of you teach and mentor, some of you volunteer your time, and many of you pause in the middle of busy days to help a colleague think through a sentence or a challenging editorial decision. All of it matters. These individual acts of generosity are what keep our profession moving forward.
This year was full of learning, collaboration, and the kind of shared purpose that makes this community special. One of the brightest highlights was finally gathering in Salt Lake City for ACES 2025. Five years after the conference was originally scheduled, we were able to bring our members together in person for a long-awaited, deeply meaningful event. The conversations, the sessions, the energy in the hallways … Salt Lake reminded us of how good it feels to learn side by side.
Our virtual conference, VCON25, carried that spirit forward. Over three days, nearly 800 attendees joined us for 38 sessions and countless moments of connection. This was our fourth virtual conference, and it reaffirmed exactly why we continue to invest in this format: It opens doors for editors who may not be able to travel, who deserve the same access to professional development and community.
Education remained at the heart of our work this year. Through ACES Academy, we offered 12 webcasts hosted by editing experts, all free to members. We also launched something new: the ACES Spotlight Series. This recurring virtual series focuses on topics shaping the editing profession right now, giving editors across fields the chance to dive deeper into issues that affect their work. And after years of collaboration with The Poynter Institute, we reached a major milestone with the release of the Poynter ACES Advanced Certificate in Editing. With the Introductory, Intermediate, and now Advanced certificates complete, editors now have a full learning pathway for developing the high-level skills required to lead.
In 2025, we also expanded our offerings with the launch of Poynter ACES: Discover Macros for Word, a self-paced course designed to help editors work more efficiently by creating and using macros for editorial tasks. We are incredibly proud of this partnership and of the meaningful learning it continues to deliver.
We also celebrated a lighter but no less meaningful tradition, the 2025 National Grammar Day Poetry Contest, which continues to remind us of the creativity and joy within this community.
Behind the scenes, we made important investments in the organization itself. We welcomed two new staff members this year: Professional Development Manager Maria Coxwell, CMP, and Editor and Membership Coordinator Christine Steele. We also strengthened our committee structure and hosted our first committee volunteer orientation, bringing chairs and members together to build shared understanding and momentum. In close partnership with the Board, we continued refining our governance processes to ensure ACES is well positioned to support future leaders.
We also made meaningful progress in how we elevate and share the value of editing. This year, we launched the Bill Connolly Rising Star Awards, a new honor recognizing emerging editors who are already making an impact through innovation, advocacy, and excellence. Bill Connolly was a remarkable advocate for future editors, and it has been heartening to see the dedication and collaboration of the awards committee, the judges, and the ACES team as they honor his legacy. The strong response to this inaugural award affirmed just how much talent and leadership is emerging across the profession.
At the same time, we continued laying the groundwork for a deeper understanding of what editors contribute. Our Value of Editing research initiative is underway, with the goal of understanding how editing shapes readers’ experiences across the media landscape, with preliminary findings to be shared at our upcoming conference in Atlanta.
We also focused on strengthening how we communicate and connect as a community. Our marketing and communications efforts expanded this year, with a stronger focus on growth, clearer storytelling across digital channels, and more intentional engagement with editors at different stages of their careers. We also made progress on refreshing our website, with a relaunch coming in the new year. Alongside that work, we are actively preparing to revive Tracking Changes, ACES’ quarterly journal, which will once again offer practical, thoughtful editorial insight that editors can apply directly to their day-to-day work.
As we look to the year ahead, we have much to be excited about. Next April, we will gather for ACES 2026 in Atlanta. We’re already shaping a program filled with more than 40 sessions covering language, editorial decision-making, business skills, and community-building opportunities. And in 2027, we’ll celebrate ACES’ 30th anniversary in San Juan, Puerto Rico, a milestone that honors not only our history but the people who built this organization from the ground up.
Our virtual presence will continue to grow as well, with VCON26 already set for September. We’re committed to making our virtual conferences as dynamic and valuable as our in-person events.
Behind these events is a clear sense of direction. We are finalizing our strategic goals for FY 2026-2028, and I’m excited about the priorities the Board has shaped for the coming years. In January, Board President Heather E. Saunders, President-elect Mark Allen, and I will host a webcast to walk members through these new goals and what they mean for ACES’ future. I hope you’ll join us for that conversation.
Looking ahead, we will keep expanding our programs, strengthening our resources, and investing in the people who make this community what it is. Supporting the future of editing remains at the core of that work. Through the ACES Education Fund, we will continue offering scholarships, fellowships, and financial support that help emerging editors access training, conferences, and career opportunities. But more than anything, we will keep holding space for editors to feel supported. The way you share knowledge, steady tough projects, and lift one another up gives this profession its character. ACES is stronger because of that generosity.
Warmly,
Gigi Sutton, MBA
Executive Director
ACES: The Society for Editing
