Our travel plans for Christmas changed at the last minute, so Team Wertz took a day trip to the Isle of Palms and Charleston.

Four people are standing on a beach near the water with a pier in the background.

An exciting and hectic 2026 ahead

I was thinking this morning about goals and themes for 2026, but as I thought through my plans, I realized that 2026 is going to be a big year for me and my family.

  • New job. I have a new job, and it’s a massive shift from what I’ve done for the last thirty years. I’m excited, but I have a lot to learn. Thankfully, I have a supportive team and I’m still at the university that I love. I officially worked a week in the new job in 2025, but I hit the ground running on January 2. Excited for the fresh start.

  • Dr. Wertz? I’ve finished all of my coursework for my Ph.D in Mass Communications. The only requirements left are my comprehensive exams and my dissertation. In theory, I should be able to accomplish everything in time for a December hooding. That’s the goal, but we’ll see. With everything...

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I just made the move from an iPhone 12 Pro to an iPhone 17. Lots of advancements over the last 5 years.

The renovated Finlay Park in Columbia is gorgeous. They did such a great job with the update and it’s now such a vibrant space for the community. Love it.

A large cascading fountain is set in Finlay Park with the Columbia, South Carolina skyline in the background.

My last day in this job is tomorrow… my office is mostly packed up and I’m checking off the last few things off my to-do list. I’m realizing that on Monday, I start an entirely new job with an empty to-do list and an opportunity to rethink how I organize notes, track tasks, etc.

Some personal news… I’ve accepted a different position at the University of South Carolina as Director of Research Training in the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub. I’m so incredibly excited about this new role and can’t wait to get started next week.

I’ll miss my team and coworkers. I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished at USC in the last 12+ years and it was such an honor to manage visual branding for a place that I love so much. I’m not going far, though, just moving a few blocks closer to the Horseshoe.