It was one of those never-seen-this-before moments in Waco that I was glad to have witnessed.

There in front of the crazy chatter that accompanied masses of people gathered this June at the annual Cattle Baron’s Ball, a fundraiser for cancer research, stood Ann Roznovsky, looking a bit diminutive up on center stage.

But the power of her voice and the purpose of her passion immediately swept over the crowd of thousands who weren’t really paying much attention up to that moment.

Roznovsky, a mainstay at the Trib before she retired last year, was reading a poem about how she survived cancer.

Within minutes, the entire crowd was hushed and spellbound.

She had the crowd gripped firmly in her hand and she didn’t let go until her poignant, profound words penetrated every person listening.

No doubt, the power of the disease this crowd had gathered to raise money to combat helped keep them transfixed.

But I knew a deeper truth: That was the power of Ann Roznovsky.

And her power is soon to be unleashed on behalf of our newspaper. To say these are exciting times at the Trib would be an understatement.

Our new owners have sent a strong message to the newspaper that it’s time to hunker down and work to build the best newspaper that we can for our readers and our advertisers.

Under interim publisher Dan Savage, changes are coming at a breathtaking pace: everything from a front page laden with harder news, and more of it, to a new emphasis on our Opinion page.

When people ask me how this period of transition is going, I liken it to being on a sports team with a new, no-nonsense head coach.

We’re on a rebuilding program, and the key to any success is getting back to fundamentals.

That means focusing on journalism, our advertising and our distribution.

Beyond all that, we must also focus on communicating to our customers that we’re fired up with enthusiasm and our product is improving.

That’s where Ann Roznovsky comes in. Savage used his powers of persuasion — in other words, he begged — to bring Roznovsky out of retirement to coordinate a marketing campaign for what is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The significance of local ownership cannot be overemphasized. Beyond the natural selling point that we hope it becomes, there’s an accountability that suddenly empowers this community of readers and advertisers like it hasn’t for nearly four decades.

The ability to run into our owner Clifton Robinson and ask whether the Trib can increase the size of the crossword puzzle is unparalleled in most cities. (And, by the way, we are looking at how to resize the puzzle).

And the significance of this type of interaction is not lost on Roznovsky.

She was here the last time the Trib had local owners under the Fentress family, though she probably wasn’t the force of nature she now is in our community.

Beyond being one of the most optimistic persons I’ve known, Ann has an uncanny ability to listen and speak frankly — attributes that will be invaluable as we work to create a partnership with the community.

The Robinson family realizes how many people consider the Trib to be their newspaper because they grew up with it and have come to rely on it for more than a century.

And Ann knows better than most how to convey that message — and any message, for that matter. Ask anyone who sat quietly in awe of her that night at the Cattle Baron’s Ball.

Editor Carlos Sanchez’s column runs Sundays. He can be reached at csanchez@wacotrib.com.