LEUKOS Editor Report, Reflections, and Farewell

This is my last issue as editor of LEUKOS, a position I have held since 2011. Given my longevity in this role, it seems appropriate to share some parting reflections on LEUKOS’s recent past. As LEUKOS transitions to a new leadership and administrative model, I hope that insights derived from this reflection will support the journal’s next phase of development. This editorial summarizes historical events, journal-level performance statistics, context for the performance trends, and what I believe have been the keys to LEUKOS’s current success. LEUKOS was founded in 2004 based on ideas from Prof. Mark Rea, who imagined reforming the Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society in an online format that would operate separately from the paper submission and review process associated with the IES Annual Conference. Prof. David DiLaura was the first editor of LEUKOS, a position he held through 2011. Prof. DiLaura worked with Operations Advisory Board members Rita Harrold, Richard Mistrick, Gary Steffy, and Jennifer Veitch to define operational details, journal policies, and goals. Prof. DiLaura established high standards for editorial quality that I was fortunate to inherit and committed to maintain. His 2006 Report to the Readership provides additional background about the founding of LEUKOS and performance during its early years (DiLaura 2006).