Bye for Now, Vienna Patch

Starting today, you'll see a new face at the top of your screen each morning.

Just more than two years after the day in 2010 t I'm leaving my role as editor and handing over the reins to someone else. 

Starting Monday, Nicole Trifone, Oakton Patch's editor, will be taking over the Vienna site. We've been great neighbors since 2010 (you may have seen her around Vienna at  or ) and I can't imagine anyone better to take on the site and move it forward.

I'm not going far: For the past month, I've been transitioning to the role of Associate Regional Editor, overseeing eight of Patch's sites (soon to be nine as we plan to add Tysons Corner) in Northern Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, including Vienna. 

The journey to get here is one I'm proud of; one for which I'm also incredibly grateful. I had no way of knowing what kind of place Vienna would be when I started canvassing Maple Avenue and Church Street with a street team, telling people who I was, what I was doing and the kind of news and information network we were trying to achieve.

But I quickly found I had unknowingly stumbled upon the best kind of Patch town: A town with a community already connected, already interacting, already bursting with ideas — but with no place to gather or share in dialogue. You have embraced the site with open arms, shared news tips, invited me to your meetings and homes, bike trains and fundraisers; stayed up commenting until 3 a.m. as I reported on storms, fires and bad car accidents. We celebrated, we debated,  and experienced quite a few freak weather occurences. We recognized the wins and awards of Warhawks and Statesmen, watched inspiring community change, and in the process, built a robust place for news, information and dialogue I hope you continue to use as your own.

It’s been my pleasure to cover such a special community. I'll still be around, most often at Fairfax County School Board meetings, the occasional town council work session and, some early mornings, running along the W+OD or coaching Girls on the Run.

I know you’ll still turn to Vienna Patch for your source of news and information and continue to send us tips for stories.

My contact information will remain the same, so if you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail me at erica.hendry@patch.com.

You can reach Nicole Trifone at nicole.trifone@patch.com or 571-969-9871. And, you can reach her at @ViennaPatch on Twitter and through Vienna Patch on Facebook. 

You can also follow me as I tweet about news from Vienna and other parts of Northern Fairfax and Loudoun Counties at @EricaRHendry -- and I will still always be happy to receive story tips for Vienna and the surrounding communities. 

See you around!