POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

SHANNON MONTANEZ

Shannon is passionate about civic engagement. She was a 2019-2020 SPARK Boston Council member and is on the East Boston Climate Resiliency Community Advisory Board. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from the University of Missouri.

MEREDITH BAUMANN

SAMANTHA BONE

Samantha’s long-term goal is to reduce healthcare costs by preventing chronic diseases. She envisions large-scale government investments in policies and programs that acknowledge and prioritize the role of social determinants of health. A large portion of this success depends on electing visionary leaders who closely represent the electorate; as a result, Samantha also works to help elect more women to government and positions of power.

Samantha earned her B.A. in Political Science and Anthropology from Columbia University and her M.S. from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

NAKEEDA BURNS

Ava Callender Concepcion

As a senator’s Counsel, Ava served as staff to the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Conference Committee on the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2018, a comprehensive legislative package designed to reduce crime and improve public safety.

Commissioner Concepcion started her career as a Victim Witness Advocate in Boston Municipal Court. She worked with victims and survivors and provided crisis intervention and in-court guidance to victims and families suffering from crime-related trauma.

Commissioner Concepcion is a graduate of New England Law, Boston, and a Massachusetts Bar member holding a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Johnson C. Smith University.

ESHITA CHAKRABARTI

Using her own diverse experiences, Eshita has developed time to assisting vocationally inexperienced women with assimilating into modern American culture. She is also a global political fundraiser for the progress of women and children. She has fundraised for Akshaya Patra USA, the world’s largest non-profit organization providing mid-day meals to 1.6 million children, is an advocate for DOVE, an organization devoted to end domestic violence and Saheli an organization dedicated to the empowerment of South Asian women and their families. Eshita is also an associate to Friends of Shelter, an organization that works to build toilets, stopping open defecation and protecting women from sexual abuse. She is a graduate of Jamshedpur Women’s College and has a Bachelors in Economics. Eshita resides in Canton Massachusetts with her husband Dr. Aniket Chakrabarti and is the mother of two daughters.

Julia Kanarek

Julia is an Organizational Effectiveness Senior Consultant at Slalom. She brings 8 years of experience as a trusted advisor to her clients during complex technology and business changes. Prior to joining Slalom, she worked at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts in technology strategy and Deloitte Consulting supporting clients in the federal government. Julia is passionate about public service. She served as a White House Intern during the Obama Administration, staffing President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Biden in the Office of Scheduling and Advance. Prior to that, Julia was elected Student Body President at George Washington University. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University.

NICOLE McCLAIN

Nicole is a wife, mother and lifelong resident of Lynn. She is a veteran, having served 11 years in the Army National Guard with deployments to Iraq in 2004 and 2008. A community advocate and entrepreneur, Nicole owned and operated Rising Stars Childcare Services, a home-based early education service for six years, ran for local political office in 2021 and is now working at Salvation Army Lynn as the Director of their school age program.

Nicole is also the Founder and President of North Shore Juneteenth Association, a non-profit organization. North Shore Juneteenth Association is a group of community leaders seeking to create awareness about the Juneteenth holiday, educate the broader community about positive aspects of African American culture, and work toward dismantling racism using events and programming as a tool for change. Her organization has organized numerous community

events, collaborated with many other community organizations to produce positive outcomes and vows to always be a force for positive change. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in Early Education. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree at Boston College in Educational Leadership and Policy. Nicole serves on various boards and commissions to include the Essex County Commission on the Status of Women, Concerned Citizens Of Lynn, The Lynn Human Rights Commission and DAV Chapter 64 Lynn-Swampscott.

CARA OKOPNY

Originally from Michigan, Cara serves as the Director of Workforce Development at East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. Prior relocating to Massachusetts, Cara was a professor of critical race, gender, and sexuality studies, most recently at American University in Washington, DC. Cara has also served on the Board of Trustees at the Cambridge Women’s Center–the longest-running women’s center in the country. Cara is passionate about equality and is committed to helping increase women’s political representation in the State.

Cara earned her B.A. in Liberal Studies from Grand Valley State University, her M.A. in Women’s Studies from University of South Florida, and her Ph.D. in Language, Literacy, and Culture from the University of Maryland.