By: Melissa Bank Stepno, President & CEO

One year ago, I published a blog post titled Looking Back & New Beginnings.  The post was part of a carefully orchestrated communications plan that coincided with my acquisition of The Helen Brown Group from Helen E. Brown the previous week.

One year later, there is no communications plan at play, and we don’t have any big announcements to share.  But I have been feeling very reflective about this journey.

In that previous blog post I stated that: “one week into my new role I can share that some things feel exactly the same as they did a mere week ago and yet they are incredibly different.”

And now, a year in, I find myself sitting with that same paradox. Perhaps that’s no surprise—I’ve always been one to focus on the details, sometimes missing the forest for the trees.

Here at HBG, the rhythm of our work – our commitment to excellence; deep respect for our clients; and a collaborative team spirit – remains steadfast. Our key pillars – fundraising ethics; continuous learning and knowledge-sharing; and delivering outstanding quality and value to our clients – have not changed either.

But beneath the familiar surface, so much has shifted. The decisions feel weightier. The wins feel more personal. Challenges, while not new, carry a different kind of responsibility.  This probably feels familiar to many of you who are also in a leadership role.

This year has been less about bold announcements and more about quiet evolution. We’ve accomplished a lot in a short period of time.  None of it is necessarily flashy and much of it isn’t even client-facing.  But we have strengthened the core of who we are as a company, following the path that Helen laid out for us, one where HBG continues to be a place of thoughtful innovation, shaped by new perspectives, new questions, and a continued sense of purpose.  I remain humbled to be leading this next chapter.

As I reflect on this first year of ownership, I’m struck by how much change and progress happens in the in-between moments. Not just in the milestones, but in the daily decisions, the team huddles, the client conversations, and the quiet persistence of showing up with intention. It’s in those spaces that our identity has deepened and our direction has sharpened.

Looking ahead, I feel energized by what’s possible. We’re not chasing transformation for its own sake—we’re building on a strong foundation with curiosity and care. There are new ideas percolating, new collaborations forming, and a continued commitment to serving both our community and our profession with insight and integrity.

So, while there’s no big announcement today, there is something worth sharing: gratitude. For the trust, the encouragement, the partnership, and the shared belief that thoughtful, ethical prospect strategy and fundraising intelligence make a difference. Here’s to the continuation of the next chapter—quiet or bold, familiar or new, and always guided by purpose.