What was your path to becoming the National editor?

I still remember when I got the call from New York in 2011 asking whether I wanted to be an editor. I was the first-ever Phoenix bureau chief for The Times and was in my home office gazing out at the man-made lake I lived on. My pontoon boat was docked nearby, with my fishing rod at the ready.

After more than a decade of adventurous reporting posts, I thought editing would be another adventure. I have not been wrong. I have edited some of our finest foreign correspondents, run The Times over the weekend and, since 2016, overseen coverage of the country. Regrettably, though, I no longer catch fish in the middle of the day.

What do you enjoy most about the role? What is most challenging about it?

I’m part conductor, part coach. I no longer pick up the French horn and blow out notes. But I can tell when someone is off key. And if I wave my arms the right way, beautiful music will result.

As for the coaching part, I have an amazing team of correspondents scattered throughout the country. I call plays, together with my top-notch editing staff, and we watch from the sidelines as they carry them out. I put people in the positions that bring out the best in them and help us win, journalistically speaking.

As for the challenges, the hours are long but nothing like those in the field.

[Read how our National desk covers the United States ahead of a pivotal election.]