A Call to Serve

RANDY SPADE, INTERIM VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT & MAYOR OF JEROMESVILLE, AND JOHN KEIM, STUDENT & MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP TRUSTEE
September 24, 2025

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Leadership begins long before the title does.

John Keim, a sophomore studying communication and journalism with a minor in political science, sits down with Randy, Ashland University’s Interim Vice President of Enrollment Management and longtime mayor of his hometown. What begins as a conversation about degrees and career paths quickly becomes something deeper: a reflection on public service, mentorship and the responsibility that comes with influence.

Randy shares how his journey into politics began almost accidentally and how thirteen years in local government reshaped his understanding of impact. John reflects on the early mentors who handed him a Constitution and helped him see that his voice could matter. Together, they consider what it means to pursue leadership not for status, but for service.

They speak honestly about disagreement, civic responsibility and the discipline of staying rooted in truth in a world of noise. It’s a conversation about generational exchange, about the courage to step forward while still listening well and about the kind of leadership that remains accountable to the people it serves.

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