Walter's picture inside of a lens with the photo outside the lens distorted

The Invisible Lens

Spring Editorial
May 31, 2026•1 min read

What really happened at the Pilot — and the quiet question it left behind

For months you've probably wondered what really happened at the Pilot? And if you asked Walter, you probably got a vague answer. Well, I'm finally going to tell you from my vantage point and what it taught me about the invisible biases we all carry.

Here's the short version: two years of work. A paper's trust, rebuilt. More than 5,000 readers he brought back. And then a major contribution that quietly… disappeared. No credit. No thank-you. No acknowledgment at all.

I'm not here to point fingers. I'm putting on my I/O psychology hat to walk through the facts, the pattern, and the science of the hidden lens every one of us wears without realizing it.

It's uncomfortable. It's close to home. And by the end, you might recognize the lens as your own.

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Spring R. Perry is co-founder of The Rockport Pirate and a mission-driven executive leader with over a decade of experience in education, nonprofit strategy, and organizational development. Working on her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, she holds a master's in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of New Orleans. Through her consulting firm, Time to Spring Forward, LLC, she has secured hundreds of thousands in grant funding and served as a strategic advisor to schools and nonprofits nationwide. Spring has served on numerous nonprofit boards and brings the same community-first commitment to The Rockport Pirate, where she drives operations and keeps the publication rooted in the people it serves.

Spring Richardson Perry

Spring R. Perry is co-founder of The Rockport Pirate and a mission-driven executive leader with over a decade of experience in education, nonprofit strategy, and organizational development. Working on her PhD in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, she holds a master's in Secondary Education from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of New Orleans. Through her consulting firm, Time to Spring Forward, LLC, she has secured hundreds of thousands in grant funding and served as a strategic advisor to schools and nonprofits nationwide. Spring has served on numerous nonprofit boards and brings the same community-first commitment to The Rockport Pirate, where she drives operations and keeps the publication rooted in the people it serves.

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