As Civil Beat's new editor-in-chief, I am committed to reaching wider audiences with journalism that exposes problems - as well as solutions - throughout the state.

Three things attracted me to Civil Beat: A strong, healthy newsroom thanks to Patti Epler's expert stewardship; the opportunity that foundation provides to make a difference in people's lives; and the sheer natural beauty of this state.

Let me start with the last reason first since it connects to the rest: I love forest bathing so hiking is basically my hobby and a couple years ago I was on Oahu visiting Civil Beat investigative journalist John Hill. The photo below was taken by my husband on one of the many treks we took that week. I was in heaven!

Here's where the connection begins: John and I worked together in the California capital for a regional newspaper named after an insect, The Sacramento Bee. Apparently the idea was that the employees were busy bees, working hard to bring the news to your breakfast table back when everyone subscribed to their hometown paper (and everyone sat down to eat breakfast).

John and another Bee reporter, Dorothy Korber, teamed up on an investigation I edited, which we ended up calling "Chief's Disease."

It was about a trick California Highway Patrol bosses were using to bump up their pensions with end-of-career injury claims. The CHP was famous in the state for being helpful heroes thanks to a long-running TV cop show (no, not that TV cop show!). But prying public records loose from the real CHP was a whole other story, one that certainly required the kind of worker bee persistence our newspaper's name suggested.

With thousands of records finally in hand, the team looked for trends and anomalies. Then they tracked down the examples that made the phenomenon come alive for readers, such as how one of the pensioners who claimed vertigo and skin cancer had ended up teaching scuba on Kauai post-retirement. Another claimed job-related stress and anxiety disorder. He went on to become chief of security post-911 at San Francisco International Airport.

Long story short, as we prepared to publish the reporters learned that the CHP's top boss - who worked in an office not on a motorcycle exposed to the elements - had filed his own claim for injuries suffered falling out of his office chair. Twice. You can't make this stuff up.

How does this relate to Civil Beat? The Bee stories made a difference almost before they were published. The governor appointed a new CHP chief, who reactivated the patrol's fraud unit to review every disability pension issued over the previous five years. Arrests, statewide hearings and legislation to close the loophole followed. The series also gained national recognition through a prestigious George Polk Award.

Alas, today The Bee is a far smaller newsroom, fighting against the many factors gutting for-profit media across our country. This makes a thriving nonprofit like Civil Beat a rare beacon of hope - and for me a very attractive place to bring my hopes and dreams of guiding a newsroom dedicated to exposing problems and holding the powerful accountable to fix them.

I'm spending my first couple of weeks meeting individually with each staff member and, while I'm not even halfway through yet, it's already clear that they share a desire to go deeper, for their work to drive more change. My job is helping carve out time for them so we can bring you stories about what's really going on in your communities, stories you're not likely to find anywhere else.

I step into this job buoyed by the comments that flow in every day from the thousands of you who support us with your hard-earned cash. You call us "gutsy" and "fair," you say we "report on things that matter," you remind us that you want us "to investigate and expose corruption while also giving people advice on what they can do about it." And you commend us for "in-depth coverage that goes out to communities and listens to our voices."

This past week I got to see that kind of outreach in action for the first time at a Civil Beat pop-up newsroom in Waianae, on Oahu's Westside. We set up at the local public library to hear concerns following the recent shooting deaths of three women by an angry neighbor. Some of those who stopped by told us that they don't feel safe or they worry for their children's safety. All said that their calls for help are heeded too late - or never.

Longtime local resident Johnnie-Mae L. Perry sent us an email Friday morning reflecting on the gathering, which she allowed me to share with you: "On behalf of the community, I think the takeaway is that 'someone heard us,' and now it is your responsibility as reporters to advocate on our behalf in the best possible way."

We've already published stories about the women killed, the conflict behind the shooting and why it has reignited calls for a state stand-your-ground law. Now, insights from conversations with Perry and others at Thursday's pop-up are informing our broader coverage of problems and solutions.

Stay tuned to hear about plans for our newsroom as they unfold. Until then, know that I'm thrilled to be here, ecstatic that Patti is staying on to grow our Sunshine project to hold government accountable and that I have a solid partner on the operations side of Civil Beat in Ben Nishimoto - and I'm so appreciative of the support you provide us as members, donors, readers and sources.

I look forward to hearing from all of you in the coming weeks about what you think we're doing well and what important stories we're missing. You can always reach me via mail - [email protected] - or via phone text: 808-650-8691. I have much to learn.