Andy was my first-ever boss. He hired me at Industry Dive three days before I graduated college – he was the one who personally called me to tell me I had the job. 

A month before starting the role, I traveled to DC, where I didn’t yet live, to attend a conference with Andy. I was completely out of my depth and intimidated, but Andy was so incredibly kind and supportive. 

When I mentioned I’d found a nearby apartment and would be moving in the following month, he instantly offered to help me drive my belongings over. 

My first day on the job – July 22, 2019 – also happened to be the first day of a two-week trip Andy was taking with his family to the Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon (if memory serves.) That meant my entire first two weeks were filled with anecdotes from everyone – and I do mean everyone – at Industry Dive about how great Andy was. The message was clear: I was incredibly lucky to have him as a boss.

Andy is the gold standard of a person – not just a leader. Though he moved off my team about a year and a half afterwards, I regularly sought out his counsel. Even five years after he hired me, long after I’d left Industry Dive, he served as my reference for new job applications – and he always followed up to ask me how the interviews went.

One small memory of Andy that stays with me – aside from his always-full drawer of fun size chocolate – is a moment from 2019, when Kaarin on Retail Dive asked the editorial team a question about Baby Yoda. Andy, with a grin, went home and took a video of his kids – then Mandalorian super fans – to explain the character in hilarious and adorable detail. He shared the video with the whole team, with such clear pride and love.

It’s been over six years, and I still remember that gesture: no matter what, Andy was always thinking of his children. He was so proud of them. 

I am so grateful to have known Andy.