Gov. Deval Patrick has tapped veteran trooper Marian McGovern to be the first female leader of the Massachusetts State Police, promoting a 30-year veteran who was among only a dozen women in the agency when she began her career, reports the Boston Herald. McGovern, 55, moves from second-in-command to commander on Dec. 16, replacing the retiring Col. Mark Delaney.
McGovern said she was “on cloud nine” over the new post but also acknowledged the significant financial challenges the force faces in the coming months and years. Delaney recalled that there were no female troopers on the job when he began 35 years ago. Now, McGovern is among 173 women on the 2,250-trooper force.
