Sen. Anne Gobi will leave the Legislature to become the state’s first director of rural affairs, a newly created post in the Healey administration.

Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday that she tapped the Spencer Democrat to serve “as a dedicated advocate and ombudsman cultivating economic development within rural communities.”

Gobi will start her new job June 5, according to Healey’s office, and her Senate departure date remains unclear. The move will trigger a special election in the central Massachusetts district she represents. When the Senate agrees to an order setting a special election date, Secretary of State William Galvin will announce a primary date.

The Senate this week plans to meet over several days to advance its $55.8 billion fiscal year 2024 state budget.

“We are building an economy that benefits all communities, businesses and people in Massachusetts, particular [sic] those that are too often overlooked and underrepresented like rural and small towns,” Healey said. “Sen. Gobi’s fierce advocacy of rural equity, agricultural and small businesses, and conservation initiatives makes her the ideal candidate to help our rural towns across the state succeed.”

The Worcester and Hampshire district that Gobi represents, which was redrawn in the latest round of redistricting, stretches across much of the state’s middle, from Gardner in the north to Brookfield in the south and from the westernmost part of Worcester out to Ware.

Gobi was first elected as a state representative in a 2001 special election that she won by 17 votes, and later joined the Senate after defeating Republican Michael Valanzola by 398 votes, 50.3% to 49.6%, in the 2014 election.

In a visit to Franklin County in March, Healey announced her intention to create the director of rural affairs that Gobi has now been appointed to. In an interview after a tour at Just Roots farm in Greenfield, Healey said the position will extend “beyond just farming. ... It goes to things like transportation, housing and all sorts of economic development.”

The new position falls under the Executive Office of Economic Development, and is responsible for “coordinating with secretariats and state agencies to ensure that state government is attuned to the unique needs of rural communities,” a press release from the governor’s office states.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in an interview during the Just Roots visit that the director of rural affairs will be charged with ensuring the state is “more intentional” with how grant dollars are distributed.

“We’ve got policies and funding cycles that don’t always take into account the different needs of rural communities,” she said. “Part of the role of this position will be making sure we’re more intentional about how we put dollars out, [how we] think about policy implementation in a way that can benefit our small rural communities and how we can advance an economic agenda in places that sometimes feel forgotten.”

Gobi will be tasked with reviewing all state grant opportunities, including the Community One Stop for Growth, to ensure that barriers for rural and small towns are mitigated. She will host dedicated office hours for rural towns to receive technical assistance to identify and explore grant opportunities, and will serve as a member of the Rural Policy Commission, which advocates for the vitality of rural communities as well as legislative and policy solutions that address rural needs.

An avid outdoorsman, Gobi co-founded the Sportsmen’s Caucus, which convenes supporters of fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities. She also serves as a member of the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee. Prior to being elected to the Legislature, she taught at Leicester High School, had her own law office and worked with victims of domestic violence at Central Mass Legal Assistance.

“I am thrilled to take on this important role and grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for elevating our rural communities,” Gobi said. “While I will miss the Legislature, I look forward to continuing to work for the needs of small towns throughout the commonwealth as their advocate in state government.”

Gobi’s colleagues in the Senate offered her their congratulations on Monday.

“I am thrilled that Sen. Anne Gobi will serve as director of rural affairs for the Healey-Driscoll administration,” Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, said in a statement. “As much as I will miss Anne’s steadfast leadership and partnership in the Senate, this appointment is a win for every single rural community in the commonwealth. I look forward to working with her in this new capacity.”

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