Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Vanessa Hale
On Dec. 23, Vanessa Hale, Southborough’s longtime assistant town administrator, was recognized with a national award for her public service and support of other women in her field as the winner of the 2020 Leadership Trailblazer Award.
The annual award is presented by the League of Women in Government and the National Research Center Inc. to recognize accomplished local government leaders who support other women and inspire them to succeed. Hale was chosen from 10 finalists from around the country.
“Being granted such recognition by my colleagues has been a blessing that I will always cherish and hope to repay to others for decades to come,” Hale said in the league’s online announcement about her award.
Hale has held her job in Southborough since 2000. Before that, she served as a senior administrative assistant for the towns of Northborough and Sherborn, and as a database administrator for the MMA and for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts. At the MMA, she said, she was “coached by many on the nuts and bolts of local government,” before going to work for several Massachusetts municipalities.
“In the last twenty-five years, I have worked in three communities and found every day in local government more interesting than the last,” Hale said.
Hale has earned two master’s degrees, one in library and information science from the University of Rhode Island and one in public administration from Clark University. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Albertus Magnus College.