A walk down a hallway is sure to be punctuated by short visits with fellow state officials, staffers, and visitors, during which those individuals hold her undivided attention.

As Mississippi's 33rd lieutenant governor and just the second woman to hold the office—Evelyn Gandy served as lieutenant governor from 1976 to 1980—Tuck's primary duty is to preside over the state Senate during its annual session. Her work, however, extends well beyond the marble-lined Senate chamber.

“No two days are exactly alike, but almost every day involves meeting with people from across the state with ideas they would like to see accomplished,” she explained. “I also travel a lot to speak to civic groups and organizations about current issues in state government.”

For Amy Tuck, the road to the Capitol began in the western Oktibbeha County community of Maben. Her father, Grady, was a rural mail carrier and her mother, Mary Lou, provided a nurturing home for Amy and her older brother, Al.

When it came time for college, she had only to travel a few miles down Highway 82 to Mississippi State, where she completed a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's in public policy and administration.

At MSU, she found individuals and an environment that provided more than just an opportunity to get an education.

“The professors I had genuinely cared about me getting my degree,” she said. “I also learned that once you graduate, they're still there supporting you. Some have played significant roles in my career and we continue to maintain contacts.”

Even as an undergraduate, Tuck displayed the characteristics that have become hallmarks of her political career, according to Bill Giles, associate professor emeritus of political science.

“She was concerned about government and improving the lives of people in Mississippi,” he said. “Amy also had a way of getting along with people and would arbitrate when there were differences of opinion.”

Active in campus politics, Tuck served as director of governmental affairs for the MSU Student Association. She also received the Outstanding Woman Graduate Student Award from the President's Commission on the Status of Women.

Following her undergraduate work at MSU, Tuck entered law school at Mississippi College, receiving her degree in 1989.

The following year, she began a teaching career at Wood College in Mathiston. Her five years in the classroom at Wood gave an added dimension to her already strong appreciation of education.

“I think being in the classroom gave me a true perspective of the influence education has on people's lives,” she said. It also was during her tenure at Wood that Tuck entered the political arena. In 1990, she was elected to the state Senate, representing Choctaw, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, and Webster counties. Following her freshman year in the Senate, she was selected to chair the influential County Affairs Committee and to serve on the Appropriations and Highways and Transportation committees.

Serving in the Senate was a valuable nuts-and-bolts lesson in the workings of state government, but she emphasizes it also was an opportunity to hone her people skills. “One of the things I brought to the Senate was a willingness to be a consensus builder,” she added. “I think it's extremely important in that type of position to like people and to like bringing people together to accomplish important goals for the state.”

Following five years in the Senate, Tuck undertook her first campaign for statewide office: secretary of state. She was defeated in a very tight race, but soon took on another challenge. In 1996, she was elected by the Senate to serve as its secretary. In her role as Secretary of the Senate, she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the legislative body. It was a position that made good use of her knowledge of both government operations and concern for individuals.

“I've always operated with an open-door policy, where people feel comfortable coming in and talking to me about ideas or innovative ways of doing things,” she noted. “I think you have to be willing to listen to other people so when the time comes to be decisive you can make well informed decisions.”

By early 1999, Tuck was ready to take on an even bigger challenge—a run for the office of lieutenant governor. She resigned her position in the Senate in March and spent the next eight months campaigning from the Mississippi suburbs of Memphis in the north to the newly glittering Gulf Coast in the south.

The November election showed that voters approved of her strong commitment to education and her demonstrated ability as a leader. In January 2000, she was sworn in as lieutenant governor and returned to the Senate wing of the Capitol with leadership responsibility for that chamber and the other duties associated with the state's second highest office.

“At Mississippi State, my professors encouraged me to be a believer in the education process for moving the state forward. I've taken that lesson to heart and believe support for education is one of the best ways to serve the people of Mississippi.”

The leadership role in the Senate helps make Mississippi's lieutenant governor one of the most powerful in the nation, and a woman with Tuck's qualifications in the office is an asset for the state, according to former lieutenant governor Evelyn Gandy.

“It is my belief that government needs the perspective of both men and women in order to expedite progress toward improving the quality of life for all Mississippians,” said Gandy, now in private law practice in Hattiesburg. “Amy Tuck is meeting the challenges of the office extremely well by providing effective leadership in the Senate and by building support across the state for the items she deems important.”

Midway through her first year in office, Tuck remains focused on education as a key to improving both Mississippi's economic climate and national image. “Bills passed by the 2000 session of the Legislature addressed the issues of moving Mississippi's teacher salaries closer to the Southeastern average and identifying and improving our low performing schools,” she said. “The commitment to improving secondary education combined with workforce training programs in our community and junior colleges sends a message to companies that when they come to Mississippi, they will find a qualified work force.”

As she prepares for the upcoming 2001 session of the Legislature, education remains one of the topics she would like to see at the forefront of the agenda. “At MSU, my professors encouraged me to be a believer in the education process for moving the state forward,” she said. “I've taken that lesson to heart and believe support for education is one of the best ways to serve the people of Mississippi.”

School accountability and security also are issues Tuck is preparing to deal with during the 2001 session of the Legislature. Among the legislation she is preparing for the upcoming session is the School Safety Act of 2001. “We need to give control of classrooms back to teachers and we need to find effective ways to deal with extremely disruptive students,” she said.

Among her other priorities for the 2001 session are stronger laws to protect senior citizens, especially those in nursing homes, from physical and financial abuse. “If we already have criminal background checks for public school employees and day-care workers, we should have them for those who provide direct care to nursing home residents,” she said.

Her first year as lieutenant governor has been extremely satisfying, she concluded, noting that bringing the people of Mississippi together to move the state forward will continue to be the focus of her political career.