Nika Elugardo has more than 20 years of experience in community and economic development with public, private, and nonprofit leaders in communities of color. This includes serving as Jamaica Plain Liaison and Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz, becoming the founding director of MassSaves, an economic justice collaborative jointly sponsored by community organizations and financial institutions, and founding the research and consulting departments at the Emmanuel Gospel Center. These departments developed breakthrough models and fostered collaboration in education, youth development and violence prevention, gender justice, and anti-trafficking in Boston and beyond. Nika earned her B.S. from MIT in Urban Planning, an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government with concentrations in political advocacy, leadership, and peace and security, and a J.D. from Boston University Law School with externships in tax law, human rights, and corporate social responsibility. Nika is the State Representative for the 15th Suffolk District, including Brookline, Jamaica Plain, Mission Hill, and Roslindale.
