I am thrilled and astonished to be the next Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Optical Communications and Networking (JOCN), starting my duties on the 20th anniversary of this journal (including its predecessor the Journal of Optical Networking). What an honor! This journal has been important to my research over many years, and it has become the natural place to publish optical research with a networks focus.

I have served as an Associate Editor of the journal and appreciate the commitment and hard work that the entire review process entails. JOCN has had some outstanding Editors-in-Chief: Rick Barry, 2002; Richard Linke, 2002–2007; Keren Bergman, 2008–2009; Keren Bergman and Vincent Chan, 2009–2012 (JOCN launched in June 2009); Keren Bergman and Ori Gerstel, 2012–2013; Ori Gerstel and Patrick Iannone, 2014–2017; and Jane M. Simmons, 2017–2021.

The untimely passing of our previous editor, Jane Simmons, was a shock to the community, and I appreciated the recently published “In Memoriam” article [1]; I would like to add my own gratitude to Jane, who, with her reputation for precision and clarity, took JOCN to a new level of excellence and quality.

The past 20 years have seen tumultuous change to our industry and optical networks have continued to underpin the explosive growth in consumer broadband, business services, and now 5G. This journal has hosted many of the new ideas which ultimately have found their way into optical networks, and I intend that it will continue to fulfill that role.

Journals do, however, need to move with the times, and so I plan to review the journal scope, special issues, and general relevance to a modern world with its increasingly blurred boundaries. How do optics, and consequently JOCN, retain a unique identity when networks are converging and demarcations becoming softer? How should JOCN continue to serve the community? I am privileged to help take this great journal on the next step of its journey. I have many ideas, but I would love to hear from anyone with views on what we could improve or do differently. You may contact me through the journal at JOCN@optica.org.

I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, enjoy this edition and “Happy 20th Anniversary to JOCN”!