communities and welcoming people to a new community .”
Gove has carried those lessons forward , along with a concept that she admired immensely while at JU and that she emulates in Amesbury today .
“ Proximity to leadership is something I got to see in action ,” she said . “ I knew the president . I knew the vice president . I knew the dean of students , the director of housing , and I don ’ t think that was unique to me . Leadership at JU is very well connected with the students . They ’ re on campus . They ’ re accessible . In my leadership class , I learned about servant leadership and then I got to witness it . Now I am a public servant , and I truly feel like I ’ m here to make everybody ’ s job easier and to give everyone in my town the tools they need to be the most successful they can be . I think the environment JU creates has made that possible .”
Under Gove ’ s direction , the Amesbury Mayor ’ s office has become intentionally more approachable . Like the leaders who inspired her at JU , Gove is immersed in her own campus of sorts . She takes a daily walk through the grounds . She reads to schoolchildren . She waves whenever someone delivers a quick honk of support as they drive down the street . In her office , there are books and building blocks for her younger constituents , and she ’ ll answer questions on the spot for young and old alike . Her office is not some lofty ivory tower , and she doesn ’ t place herself on a pedestal .
“ I ’ m human , just like you are ,” she said . “ And Amesbury is too small a town for you to not be able to just talk to me .”
SERVANT LEADERSHIP
Gove ’ s strong sense of community has been a hallmark of her professional journey . During her final semester at JU , she worked with the director of the dance program at Florida State College of Jacksonville , and after attending graduate school at the University of South Carolina , she returned to Massachusetts to work first at Clark University in Worcester , Gove , Massachusetts , and then at Boston University , which has a larger population than Amesbury itself . Along the way , she gained valuable experience in community building , housing , constituent relations , judicial affairs and marketing – experience she ultimately brought to the Amesbury Chamber of Commerce where she served as director for five years and where she got her first taste of politics .
MAYOR OF CITY OF AMESBURY
AMESBURY , MASSACHUSETTS
CLASS OF ' 07