India Adams-Jacobs Named Public Service Champion

The Town of Bowling Green is proud to share that India Adams-Jacobs, Town Manager, has been recognized as one of the nation’s 250 Public Service Champions by the Local Gov 250 initiative and the National Academy of Public Administration. 

The 250 Public Service Champions award was created to recognize public servants across the country who have made a lasting impact in their communities. Local Gov 250 is a nationwide effort to celebrate the role of individuals serving at all levels of government as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary.  

Adam-Jacobs is one of only six recipients to be named from Virginia in 2026.  She was born and raised in Bowling Green and was appointed to the Town Manager’s position in January 2024.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be recognized among the Local Gov 250 Champions celebrating America's 250th anniversary,” said Adams-Jacobs. “This recognition reminds me why I chose this profession and why I came home: because local government matters, because professional public administration makes democracy work every day, and because communities like Bowling Green—with deep history, strong values, and extraordinary residents—deserve leaders who show up, work hard, and deliver results.”

Adams-Jacobs has over a decade of local government experience.  Before joining Bowling Green Town Government, she served as Town Manager of Colonial Beach and was also Assistant Manager for the City of Petersburg.

Just recently, Adams-Jacobs received the Credentialed Manager designation from the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

“This recognition is a testament to India’s dedication to the Town of Bowling Green community and its larger, positive impact on Caroline County,” said Bowling Green Councilman David Storke. “Two years ago, she returned home to Bowling Green, facing an infrastructure crisis and years of organizational instability. What we've accomplished since—completing years of overdue audits and establishing strategic planning processes — demonstrates what's possible when committed local leadership, professional management, and community partnership align.”

After graduating from George Mason with a B.S in Public Administration, she pursued her graduate studies at Virginia Tech. In 2014, she received a master’s in public administration degree and a graduate certificate in local government management from Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Administration and Policy in 2015. Adams-Jacobs will assume the duties of president later this year of the Virginia Local Government Management Association (VLGMA).

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