Mason is a community leader who has been a Select Board member for the Town of Webster, a volunteer on many town committees, a small business owner, an author of best selling books, successful entrepreneur, a NH Covert, a business mentor, a NH48 peaker and most importantly a neighbor who is genuinely interested in securing a happy and healthy future for the families across our District and the State.

Laconia Sun Profile on Mason Donovan

Don't take our word though.  Host a neighborhood gathering at your home to meet him in person.  Reach out to us at District7Senate@MasonDonovan.com

  
I grew up in a large Irish Catholic family of 8 children.  I never knew that we were barely getting by paycheck-to-paycheck because my parents did not believe they should put that burden on their children.  My father never took a sick day as he worked in the textile industry.  My mother volunteered at the Church and within the community.  A local farmer allowed us to plant a garden on a plot he set aside for our family.  With some ingenuity and finding ways to stretch a paycheck, we never went hungry, always had a roof over our heads and shirts on our back.  That does not mean hard times did not knock on our door.  After 23 years of marriage, my parents decided to separate.  The separation caused us to fall behind on the mortagage payment.  It was not long before I was standing on the front lawn of my house with an auction sign on it.  "There, but the grace of God go I," is a saying passed down from my grandmother to my father that rang true that day.  

Standing out on the lawn next to my crying mother made an indelible mark on me that day; influencing two major parts of my personality. First, I knew that I was not going to allow that to happen to me or my family again which meant I needed to develop a strong work and education ethic (something not always easy for a 13 year old).  With my parents emotional support, I financed my Bachelor's degree by working two shifts during college breaks, lots of loans, jobs during the school year and being incredibly frugal with my expenses.  While I was earning my Masters Degree I cleaned bathrooms in local businesses to pay for my rent and food.  My grandfather told me no hardworking job is beneath you.  His sage advice resulted in me taking any position within a company and work with pride which led to ever increasing job opportunities.  It was not long before I was starting and running small businesses.  I knew I had to be willing to do the grunt work if I wanted to succeed.

The second and probably more important shift in my personality is that I was going to stand up for what I believe was right and fair.  Although my mother tried to drag me back into that house as they auctioned off my home, I told her I was staying so they could see who they were taking the house away from.  From that day forward, I decided I would stand on issues I believed in regardless of how uncomfortable it might be. I have devoted my career to providing a voice to those that have seen theirs ignored or suppressed.  As a owner of a  leadership development consultancy, it is my job to help leaders foster a culture of inclusion in which everyone is fully leveraged; this is how any NH community thrives when everyone is allowed to bring their best selves to the task.  I have been lucky enough to consult with over half of Fortune 1000 global companies on talent acquisition and management initiatives. I also represented the US Government and the State of Florida on a commercial and diplomatic basis in EMEA.  All of these opportunities allow me the experience to understand what companies seek when they plan to invest in job creation in a community.  Knowing how they make decisions is a huge advantage when securing investment in our District.

I am very happily married to my partner Mark in Boscawen, NH.  On your drive over to Richardson's Ice Cream, you can often see us working in the garden much like I did on my family's plot as a kid.  I am an outdoors activist having just completed hiking all of NH's tallest 48 peaks.  You will very seldom see me without my constant companion and stellar hiking partner, Sophie, a golden retriever.  Having been born in Canterbury, Sophie is a lifelong resident of District 7.

I look forward to learning more about you and your story.  Our district has something special and that starts with our neighbors which I am so lucky to meet throughout this campaign.