Meet Phoenix IDA Board Secretary Jack Dover
Jack Dover brings a lifetime of public service, political insight and a deep passion for community development to the Phoenix IDA board of directors. With a career that has spanned Capitol Hill, presidential campaigns, business ownership and civic leadership, Dover’s journey to the Phoenix IDA is anything but traditional, but it’s exactly the kind of experience that enriches the board’s mission.
Before joining the Phoenix IDA, Dover served as chief of staff for multiple members of Congress, advised a presidential campaign during the Carter era, and ran a successful lobbying firm. But it was his hands-on work in economic development during the 2008 financial crisis that shaped his understanding of how public resources can stabilize and uplift communities.
“I spent six years traveling across Ohio helping communities use what they had and connect with federal and state resources,” Dover recalls.
But it was his hands-on work in economic development during the 2008 financial crisis that shaped his understanding of how public resources can stabilize and uplift communities. “I spent six years traveling across Ohio helping communities use what they had and connect with federal and state resources,” Dover recalls.
His interest in public service dates back even further. From his early days involved in anti-war and civil rights movements to becoming the first in his family to attend college, he’s always believed in the power of grassroots action. A pivotal moment came when his boss at the moving company where he worked handed him a community college course catalog and told him to sign up or risk being drafted. That push set him on a lifelong path of service.
Now in Phoenix, Dover joined the Phoenix IDA after a conversation with Mayor Kate Gallego, who told him, “This is the group that needs your skills the most.” He’s found purpose in helping the Phoenix IDA advance equity and opportunity throughout the city. “They’re the bankers for the unbanked,” he says. “The Phoenix IDA uses its financial expertise to support efforts like affordable housing in a way that truly benefits both the underserved and the broader community.”
One initiative he is especially proud of is the Phoenix IDA’s work with a special project known as the Mobile Home Park Closure Emergency Support. In 2023, the Phoenix IDA helped approximately 400 residents in 130 households at three different Phoenix-based mobile home parks to successfully relocate, remain housed and avoid homelessness.
“The Phoenix IDA stepped in not because they had to, but because it was the right thing to do — protecting residents who were being displaced and navigating all the challenges that came with that,” Dover said.
Though retired, Dover remains deeply engaged. He reads, plays golf, entertains guests, and serves on the board of U.S.VETS. A native of Ohio, Dover and his wife became part-time Phoenix residents back in the late 1980s. He now splits time between the Valley and Flagstaff. And while he has no children, he jokes, “In politics, you adopt kids left and right, so we actually have many kids.”
Jack Dover’s story is a testament to lifelong civic dedication and a reminder that real impact often comes from simply showing up and being willing to help.
