State Representative Christine Barber
House Chair

Christine P. Barber is the State Representative for the 34th Middlesex District, which includes neighborhoods in Somerville and Medford. Recently elected to her sixth term in office, Christine’s legislative priorities include expanding the availability of affordable housing, immigrant justice, high-quality early childhood education, providing access to affordable health care, and supporting access to public transportation. Christine is a member of the Massachusetts Autism Commission and Early Education Workforce Commission.

Christine brought her healthcare policy and public health expertise to Beacon Hill. Before being elected State Representative, Christine was a health policy expert for a national healthcare advocacy organization, where she worked to ensure that everyone has access to quality, affordable healthcare.

Christine is active in the Somerville Democratic Committee in local work to support access to affordable food, stand up for immigrants, clean up the Mystic River and its surrounding parks, and create more affordable housing. She is on the Advisory Board of Emerge Massachusetts.

Christine holds a Master of Public Policy and Administration from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.

State Senator Robyn Kennedy
Senate Chair

Senator Robyn Kennedy, born and raised in Worcester, MA, serves as the State Senator of the First Worcester District with a specific focus on the care economy, from childcare to elder care, investing in our workforce, improving regional public transportation, and reducing the gap on racial and health inequities. She most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at the YWCA Central MA. She has also previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to former Lt. Governor Tim Murray and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth, and Families at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

After graduating from Holy Name High School, she went on to get her Bachelor’s degree from Assumption University and her Master in Public Administration from Clark University.

In 2005, after working on the re-election campaign for Congressman Jim McGovern and the campaign for Ed Augustus for State Senate, she joined Senator Augustus in his office as a Legislative Aide. In 2007, she joined Governor Deval Patrick and Lt. Governor Tim Murray as a Deputy Director of Appointments. From there, she went on to the Lt. Governor’s Office as a Director of Policy and Interagency Initiatives, then a Deputy Chief of Staff, and a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth and Families.

Since being elected in 2022, Senator Robyn Kennedy has served as the Senator for the 1st Worcester District of Boylston, Holden, Princeton, West Boylston, Clinton, Northborough, and Worcester.

State Representative Hannah Kane
House Vice-Chair

Hannah Kane (R – Shrewsbury) serves as the State Representative for the Eleventh Worcester District, representing the towns of Shrewsbury & Westborough, precinct 4, and was sworn in for her sixth term in January 2025.

Hannah graduated from BU’s School of Management in 1993. Hannah has significant leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, beginning her career working at Unum Insurance Company before being recruited by Lt. Governor Paul Cellucci to work in the Weld/Cellucci Administration on the redevelopment of the former 4,400-acre Fort Devens Army Base and on the merger of 2 quasi-public state agencies into the economic development authority MassDevelopment. Hannah served as Director of Marketing and Product Development, helping generate over a billion dollars in economic development across MA. Hannah returned to the private sector as Vice President of Marketing Services for a consulting firm, developing and implementing business growth and marketing strategies for her clients. Hannah co-owned and was the managing partner of Beaton Kane Construction from 2010-2015.

Hannah is deeply committed to public service. Hannah served as an elected Town Meeting Member for 20 years, President of the Shrewsbury Public Schools Foundation, and a member of the Shrewsbury Coalition for Addiction Prevention and Education. Hannah is President of the Hannah Kane Charitable Foundation, which hosts a charity golf tournament primarily benefitting Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services, St, Anne’s Human Services, and Westborough Food Pantry, donating over $450,000 in her district in the past seven years. Hannah is a Trustee for the Seven Hills Foundation and serves as Board Chair for Andover Newton Seminary at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. Hannah is a former member of the Shrewsbury Finance Committee, past President of the Shrewsbury Development Corporation and a former board member of Shrewsbury Youth and Family Services.

Hannah served in the 192nd Legislative Session as the Ranking Minority Member of both the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and the Joint Committee on Public Health and she was a Member of both the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery and the Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion. Hannah is an advisory board member of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, a member of the India Society of Worcester, a member of the Central MA Opioid Task Force, and a State Director for the national Women in Government Foundation. Hannah is Co-chair of the bipartisan and bicameral Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators.

Hannah serves as Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones designee on the Rare Disease Advisory Council, the Women’s Rights History Trail Task Force, the Massachusetts Food Policy Council, the Commission on Malnutrition Prevention Among Older Adults, and the Massachusetts Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. Hannah served as Governor Baker’s appointee to the 2020 Special Commission on Family Care and Child Care Services, on the 2018-2019 Regional Transit Authority Task Force and Hannah served on the 2016-2018 Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health. She is a Founder and Co-chair of the first-in-the-nation Food System Caucus, the second largest caucus in the Massachusetts Legislature with 142 members, and Hannah serves as a member of Governor Baker’s Food Security Task Force assembled to respond to the impact of COVID-19 of increased food insecurity and the challenges to the food system’s production and distribution. Last fall, Hannah launched the MA Legislative Caucus on Cancer Awareness with Rep. Thomas Golden.

Hannah has helped lead and shape policy on the state level, working in a bipartisan manner to grow consensus and advance critical legislation and budget priorities on public health, life sciences, health disparities, food security, and marijuana policy. Hannah greatly enjoys public speaking opportunities and has also appeared numerous times as a guest panelist on WGBH’s Greater Boston with Host Jim Braude and as a political commentator on WCVB’s On the Record, as well as appearing on WBZ TV’s Keller at Large.

Hannah was the recipient of the 2011 Shrewsbury Education Foundation Community Award for Service, the recipient of the 2018 Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services Harry S. Cutting, Jr. Award for outstanding commitment, contributions, and support of the community, and the first member of the Massachusetts’ Legislature honored as a Service Hero by Project 351, an organization that promotes year-long service by an 8th grade Ambassadors from each of the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns. In 2016, Hannah received the Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB) Harvester Award in recognition of her partnership with the WCFB to help feed hungry people today, while working to create hunger-free communities of tomorrow, and in April of 2017, Hannah received the American Nursing Association of Massachusetts Friend of Nursing Award for her work on marijuana policy. Hannah accepted the 2018 Massachusetts Parks and Recreation Association Legislator of the Year Award in March in recognition of her work to support parks and recreation in her district and the Commonwealth. In March 2019, she was recognized by the Worcester County Bar Association as a Public Official of the Year for her bi-partisan work on the Healthy Incentives Program. Hannah received the Massachusetts Public Health Association Legislative Leadership Award in November 2019 in recognition of her work to promote a more effective, efficient, and equitable local public health system. In June 2021, Hannah received a 2021 Rare Impact Award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders for her leadership in passing legislation to create a Rare Disease Advisory Council in Massachusetts. She received the Vic Karaian Award from the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association in May of 2022 in recognition of her leadership and primary sponsorship of the Statewide Accelerated Public Health for Every Community Act (SAPHE 2.0).

Hannah and her husband Jim have lived in Shrewsbury for twenty-five years and have three children, Madison, Caitlin, and Patrick. Madison attends Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland, Caitlin attends Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts and Patrick attends Saint John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.

State Senator Joan B. Lovely
Senate Vice-Chair

Senator Joan Lovely is in her sixth term as State Senator for the Second Essex District, comprised of Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, and Salem. Senator Lovely has been serving in the Massachusetts Senate since January 2013.  

After raising a family in Salem with her husband, Senator Lovely went back to school to earn degrees from Salem State University and the Massachusetts School of Law. She began her activism at the local level when she collaborated with neighbors and volunteers to rebuild a local playground for children and families in Salem.  

In 1997, Senator Lovely successfully ran for a seat on the Salem City Council and served for 15 years, six as the Ward 3 Councillor, and 9 as a Councillor-at-Large. During that time, she served twice as City Council President, Acting Mayor, and was the Council Liaison to the Council on Aging and Commission on Disabilities.  

Currently in her sixth term, Senator Lovely serves in Leadership as Assistant Majority Leader. During the 192nd Session, Senator Lovely served as Chair of the Senate Committee on Rules, in addition to the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Rules and Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading. Senator Lovely also previously served as a member on the Joint Committee on Housing, and Senate Committees on Steering and Policy, Global Warming and Climate Change, and Reimagining Massachusetts Post-Pandemic Resiliency.  

Outside of her committee work, Senator Lovely is the Senate Chair of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. She is also a member of the Massachusetts Legislative Food Systems Caucus, Coastal Caucus, Boating Caucus, Zero Waste Caucus, Gateway Cities Caucus, Protecting Animal Welfare (PAW) Caucus, and Climate Alliance Caucus. She has served as Senate Chair of the Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression, Chair of the Special Senate Committee to Review the Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures, and as a member of the Legislative Commission on Ocean Acidification, Special Senate Committee on Opioid Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery Options, and Special Legislative Commission on Public Records.  

Senator Lovely is the proud parent of three children and 1 granddaughter and currently resides in Salem with her husband, Stephen. She also enjoys her 3 labs, 1 cat, 2 chickens, and 5 ducks.  

Born and raised in Boston by a single mother from the segregated south, Brandy has a long-standing passion for social justice and organized her first protest in the third grade. Never one to accept the status quo, Brandy has dedicated her career to advocacy, education equity, and progressive causes. 

Upon graduating from Boston Latin School, she attended Syracuse University and graduated with bachelor’s degrees in both social work and public policy. Brandy, a member of the Baltimore Teachers Union, taught third grade earning her Master’s in Education at The Johns Hopkins University before attending law school at Emory University. She became a public defender with the Committee for Public Counsel Services in the Boston Municipal and Chelsea District Courts. While zealously representing clients, Brandy witnessed firsthand systemic inequities and how those who are not served well by our public school system, are served very well by our criminal justice system. This observation launched her career into policy and political advocacy at the city and state level. She has professionally worked as an organizer, an executive director, and everything in between. 

Brandy’s work solidified her belief in the power of democracy and that communities are more than capable of identifying solutions to address their most pressing needs and challenges. Brandy formerly served as a member of the Mattahunt Community Center Advisory Board in partnership with Wheelock College and was active in Mattapan United. 

Brandy is the founder and president of Delighting in God Ministries (D.I.G.), a faithful member of her church, member of the Dorchester YMCA, life member of the NAACP, a practicing attorney and member of both the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association & the Women’s Bar Association, and an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She is the only child of Rev. Brenda A. Fluker and fiercely protective of her mom. 

After a short break from elected office, she was sworn in as State Representative of the 6th Bristol District in 2013. She was the 183rd female legislator in the Massachusetts Legislature. This session, Representative Fiola serves as the House Chair on the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government. For the 2021-2022 legislative session, Representative Fiola was appointed House Chair on the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development and served on the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting. In previous sessions, Representative Fiola served as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Bills in Third Reading and on the House Committee on Ways and Means, Judiciary and Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.

She proudly serves the 6th Bristol District and prioritizes constituent services, advocating for district funding and economic development projects and supporting women in all areas of her work

During that time, she worked to ensure the agenda maintained a balance between protecting and growing the city’s economic base, without compromising the quality of city services to residents. Jessica believes it is her responsibility to ensure that Revere’s government is accountable to the people, financially responsible and forward thinking.

Jessica graduated from Revere High with honors in 2010 and Salem State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2014. While at Salem State, she continued to be involved by serving as the Vice President of the Student Government Association, President of the Student Commuter Association, and member of the honors societies Sigma Tau Delta and Pi Lambda Theta.

State Representative Vanna Howard
At-Large Board Member

Representative Vanna Howard is a public servant for almost three decades. She was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 17th Middlesex District in 2020 and became the first woman of Khmer (Cambodian) descent to be elected a state legislator in the United States. Recently reelected to her second term. She currently serves on the Education, Public Health, Racial Equity, Civil Rights, and Inclusion, and Cannabis Policy Committees.

She is a survivor of the genocide in Cambodia, where both of her maternal grandparents, three younger siblings, and father died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975-1979. She resettled in the U.S. at age 11 after having spent more than 2 years in a Thai refugee camp. As a child refugee who spoke no English, she overcame tremendous adversity confronted with racism, physical abuse, and homelessness. She went on to earn a college degree, get married, and raised her family here.

For 12 years, she worked in the Office of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, first as Constituent Services Representative and then as Greater Lowell Regional Director. Prior to her work with Congresswoman Tsongas, she was employed for more than 12 years with the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office Superior Court Trial Team and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office in the Homicide Division. Then most recently as the Chief of External and Government Relations with Lowell Community Health Center. She also served on numerous non-profit boards and commissions including the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Lowell, Lowell Housing Authority, Mill City Grows, Ironstone Farm, Project LEARN, Cambodian Mutual Assistance Assoc, Acre Family Childcare, Lowell Women's Week Breakfast Committee, the MA Asian American Commission, to name a few.

Vanna received her education from Middlesex Community, University of Massachusetts at Boston & Lowell as well as Public Matters Civic Engagement and Leaders Engaged and Activated to Drive System-Wide Change Fellowship. In 2022, Vanna was the recipient of Girls Inc’s Celebration of Today’s Woman Award for Strong, Smart, and Bold. And in 2019, she was recognized by the International Institute of New England as one of the 100 honorees as the most influential advocates, trailblazers, and leaders from Lowell’s vibrant immigrant community. In 2018 she received an Unsung Hero Award from the Cambodian Mutual Association of Greater Lowell. Lowell Sun Salute to Women in Our Region in 2015 and the Congressman John Joseph Moakley Award for Exemplary Public Service. She's the founder of Just Because (the annual brunch honoring women) and the Downtown Adopt-A-Street Program. She resides in downtown Lowell with her husband Greg and two children, Suzanna and Max, and their dog, Buster.

Kate’s first job was as a seventh-grade public school teacher in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood of Atlanta. After graduating from Harvard Law School, she worked as a judicial clerk in the federal courts; a legal consultant for states, school districts, colleges, and nonprofit organizations on efforts to improve outcomes for children and students; and as the Chief Legal Counsel at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education. Prior to joining the State House, Kate was a Melrose City Councilor-At-Large, where she raised the bar for resident engagement, created and served as the liaison to the School Committee, and oversaw the City Council’s budget process.

Kate became the Commonwealth’s first “COVID Rep” following a special election in March 2020 and was re-elected to a full term that fall. In her first full term, Kate was selected by her peers to serve as the Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs; created the House Caucus on Blockchain Technology; filed more than 30 bills on a variety of issues, including education, veteran supports, housing affordability for seniors, and cryptocurrency; and successfully championed expanded eligibility and significant funding for older students with disabilities to access special education during the pandemic.

 Kate lives in Melrose with her family.

Senator Rausch’s legislative priorities include voting rights, universal access to quality and affordable health care, reproductive health and justice, improving public transportation, supporting families, education, information accessibility and data privacy, and transparent and accountable government.

Prior to Rausch’s election to the Senate, she served as an elected Needham Town Meeting Member and a Secretariat-level attorney in both the Patrick and Baker administrations. She is a former law professor scholar, and private sector lawyer. Rausch holds degrees from Brandeis University (B.A.), Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.), and the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (LL.M.). She resides in Needham with her spouse, their two young children, and their floppy, loving Goldendoodle.

A community organizer at heart, Sabadosa organized her first protest march at the age of nine to protest the closing of her hometown library due to budget cuts. She began to focus her electoral work on women candidates, working for both local and state-wide women candidates, and ultimately joining the Board of Directors of Emerge Massachusetts in order to deepen and expand her interest in building benches. 

A long-time champion for reproductive justice, she is a long-standing volunteer with the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts and is on the Board (and intake team) of the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts. She is also a founding board member of DARLA, the Doula Association for Reproductive Loss and Abortion, which brought abortion and reproductive loss doula training to the Pioneer Valley for the first time.  

Lindsay resides in Northampton with her daughter, Kala. 

State Representative Priscila S. Sousa
At-Large Board Member

Priscila S. Sousa serves as the State Representative for the 6th Middlesex District and is a proud champion for Framingham. Since assuming office, Priscila has been a strong advocate for equity in education, entrepreneurship, criminal justice reform, and environmental justice. 

 Priscila became the first woman of color to serve as Chair of the Framingham School Committee. On the School Committee, she led the renaming of Harmony Grove School, was a proponent of the first in the state school climate change policy, and served as a strong advocate for both a new southside school as well as high-quality early education for all students.

 Born in Ipatinga, Minas Gerais in Brazil, Priscila came to America with her parents when she was seven years old. She graduated from Framingham Public Schools after starting in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. She received her degree in Political Science from Simmons University. 

 Priscila currently serves on the boards of Framingham FORCE, Friends of Resiliency for Life, Hoops & Homework, and is a member of the Framingham Democratic Committee, the Framingham Business Association, and the Framingham Elks Lodge #1264. She also finished the Boston Marathon as a three-time charity runner.