Aspen Daily News editor Megan Tackett is stepping down from her role at the newspaper and entering into a new foray as operations director for local real estate developer Bob Bowden. Thursday is her last day at the paper.
Tackett said that the offer came as a surprise when Bowden first floated it — but, then again, surprises have long been part of her career path.
“Really, when I look back on my career, my general professional mosaic really is comprised of many moments of me saying yes to things that I otherwise never would have imagined for myself,” Tackett said in a Zoom interview on Wednesday.
Tackett worked at the Daily News for about three and a half years, including more than two years as editor-in-chief. (She previously worked at KDNK and The Sopris Sun in Carbondale.) Tackett said she submitted her letter of resignation to the Daily News in mid-December so her departure would be a “transition” rather than a “disruption” for the paper, she said.
“It has been such an honor to be trusted with this role in this community, and I hope that I've done enough good in my time here that I have some goodwill and faith carrying me forward into my next role, but I'm not going anywhere,” Tackett said.
Managing editor Andre Salvail will be stepping into the editor position, according to Tackett.
“I think I've built [the newspaper] as much as I was going to, and now it's time to pass it on to Andre and whomever he chooses to be his second in command,” Tackett said.
She said she believes the dust has settled at the independent newspaper that was undergoing significant staffing changes as she took on the editor role mid-pandemic in October of 2020.
“We are in a good place with the community,” Tackett said. “I'm really proud of the work that we do, and you know, that's not to say that every day's newspaper is a Pulitzer contender. There's always room for some improvement, and hindsight is 2020, but I'm proud of the evolution of the newspaper in the last few years, and I do think that I left it better than I found it.”
Tackett expressed gratitude for her time at the Daily News, and for the evolution of what she perceives as a more collaborative media landscape in the Roaring Fork Valley.
“You're trained to be pitted against your counterpart at another [media] organization, so even though you would likely be friends in any other capacity, that's the enemy right there, right?” Tackett said. “And so, I have witnessed in the last year plus such an elevation from that among the landscape. … Even if we make different editorial choices, I actually think that benefits the community.”
In her new position with Bowden, Tackett says she’ll also be involved in research and nonprofit work focusing on public-private partnerships and affordable housing.
“The hope is that we're able to, I hope, to make some news instead of report on it,” Tackett said.
